I think it looked like I was a little more aggressive than I was, ... I swing at bad pitches anyway, but I was swinging at even more bad pitches and missing. It looked worse. But I was thinking about [the milestone], no doubt about it.

As a ballplayer, you just want to feel respected. I like the way Washington presented the team to me and I feel good about what was being said.

What I do is see the ball, hit the ball.

I might be shy, but in the field, where I have to do my work, I do it. I let my bat speak for myself.

I just have to come back tomorrow and try again, ... I have to look at the ball and keep swinging.

When we are youths in the Dominican, we pick up bats and balls because baseball is part of what we grow up with. The fun feeling you get playing keeps your head up when you encounter difficult times.

I dedicate all my time to baseball, because when you come from where I come from, you don't want to risk anything.