Vazquez to deliver for Puerto Rico

02/01/2006
With the restrictions placed on pitchers taking part in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, White Sox right-hander Javier Vazquez could be considered the prototype hurler for this particular competition.
The section of the rules that most applies to Vazquez is the pitch limit in each round of action. A pitcher can throw no more than 65 pitches per game in Round 1, no more than 80 per game in Round 2 and no more than 95 per game in the semifinals and the final of the tournament. A pitcher with exceptional location such as Vazquez makes the job at hand easier for Jose Oquendo, the manager of the team from Puerto Rico, and other members of the pitching staff.
For Vazquez, 29, the approach during the international competition won't differ from his frame of mind for a game against an American League Central foe at U.S. Cellular Field.
"Obviously, I'm going to pitch the way I pitch in the big leagues," said Vazquez, who was joined by Oquendo and Carlos Delgado during a 45-minute conference call for Team Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon. "I'm not going to think about the hitters. I'm going to throw strikes, get ahead and let them swing the bat. I'm going out there to try to win."
The approach and pitching style might remain the same for Vazquez, but this tournament clearly is not just another game for the players honored to be representing their country. For Vazquez and Delgado, the great pride was evident in every response they gave on Wednesday.
Puerto Rico will be part of Pool C, with games to be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Puerto Rico is one of the two teams to advance out of pool play, its second round of pool competition also will be at Hiram Bithorn.
Joining Puerto Rico in Pool C are teams from The Netherlands and Panama. But the biggest object of interest is the team from Cuba, also playing its opening round at Hiram Bithorn. The Cuban team has drawn huge attention from fans in the United States, but the rivalry is expected to be even greater with other Caribbean teams.
Vazquez acknowledged the battle, or battles, with Cuba should be entertaining, but he also singled out teams from the United States, Venezuela and Italy as potentially strong opposition. He then changed the focus by pointing out this tournament isn't really about worries concerning the opponents, but instead more a case of civic pride.
"It's about playing the game. It's about trying to win it for your country," Vazquez said. "It's going to be a great event, especially for me. It will be an awesome event for me.
"In Puerto Rico, the people are very excited because they have never seen so many big league players in a tournament like this, besides when Montreal played there. Latin American countries also take a lot of pride in baseball. We want to represent our countries personally."
Personal pride is hard to argue, which is why White Sox general manager Ken Williams has bit his tongue where the World Baseball Classic is concerned. Williams understands the importance of the tournament to the players and to baseball, although he would rather have his full team in tow throughout Spring Training in Tucson.
The biggest concerns for the White Sox are Vazquez and Freddy Garcia, who will be pitching for Venezuela. Each player will be part of Spring Training with the defending World Series champions for the first two weeks in Arizona, before they have to report for WBC training in Florida.
Manager Ozzie Guillen has spoken of how Garcia really had no choice but to suit up for his country because of the nation's devotion to baseball. With Vazquez, it's clearly an opportunity he truly coveted. If both Puerto Rico and Venezuela advance from their respective pools, Vazquez could face off against Garcia in Pool 2 in Puerto Rico.
Garcia already has the adjustment benefit of pitching parts of two years for the White Sox. For Vazquez, the White Sox will be his fourth team in four years, after he was acquired from Arizona for Orlando Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino and Chris Young. Vazquez is coming off a subpar 11-15 effort in which he allowed 35 home runs in 215 2/3 innings while posting a 4.42 ERA.
But Vazquez is not worried about fitting in with the White Sox, even with his absence for the WBC. Neither are the White Sox.
"Javier is a quality guy," Williams said. "Javy just needed to be on a team that when he went out there had players around him that could help him win the game."
"I will be there working hard for the first two weeks," added Vazquez of Spring Training with the White Sox. "I have some time before and after to get acquainted with my teammates. From what I heard, they are a team that is very together, but they know how important this is to play for me."
In preparation for the WBC, Vazquez has been throwing bullpens for the past five weeks. It is his natural ability to locate his pitches, though, which ultimately will be the most important factor for Puerto Rico and eventually the White Sox.
"Javy is a guy, as an example, who throws strikes," Oquendo said. "That's the key to our pitching staff, a lot of guys who throw strikes and get ahead."
"I'm proud of being Puerto Rican, and we think this is a big deal," Vazquez added. "I also want to try to win because I really hate to lose."

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/