Can you clarify to everyone your actual profession?
"The media made me out to be an electrician from Ostrava? Well, they only got the Ostrava part right… My job is called a small construction site management technician. I have my own area that I look after. Since I love the mountains, I take care of villages in the Beskydy and Podbeskydi regions. If someone wants to connect their property to electricity, they submit a request, and I handle it. I work with external companies that prepare project documentation for us and deal with property law legislation."
What was it like with sports when you were a kid?
"I was always playing some sports, and we have the Sports High School in Ostrava named after Emil Zatopek and Dana Zatopkova. So that was always a clear direction for me. But my mom, to put it politely, told me 'absolutely not', and that I needed a field where I could find a job. When we went to an open day at a school in Ostrava, I was interested when the teacher said that with this field—electrical engineering—I could get into CEZ (the largest electrictiy generating company in the country). At the time, I saw that as a kind of job security in the Czech Republic…"
How much did you earn from playing baseball?
"Well, it’s not much. I don’t think it’s even as much as I make at CEZ in two months. At my club, Arrows Ostrava, I earn almost nothing; as national team players, we get at most some compensation for vacation time. Some clubs, like Draci Brno, have started a kind of semi-professional system, signing their players to contracts. Of course, they still go to school or work, but even for spending time on the field, they get some money from the club."
What's the biggest thing you've noticed with the progress of Czech Baseball?
"The biggest progress I noticed was after the World Baseball Classic three years ago. All our games were broadcast live on Czech Television, which has the biggest impact on the public. And CT did a great thing by explaining the rules between innings, which is the most important thing for newcomers. We, as Czech baseball, will need kids. And the number of kids has probably grown the most. The more kids we have, the greater the chance that some talent will emerge and make it to the national team. That’s the direction we need to go."
How do you view the World Baseball Classic?
"In my eyes, it’s as valuable as the Olympics, because it’s only once every four years. It’s a fully professional world championship. The team has to qualify, and there you get to face players you usually only watch on TV, which is the most magical thing for us. We can shake hands with them on the field, and for us amateurs, that’s the best part."
What was it like striking out Shohei Ohtani?
"It changed my life quite a bit, because it got me noticed, and it also put Czech baseball on the map. That’s really thanks to this. Of course, it’s something I’ll always remember fondly. I’m glad it’s on video, so if anyone ever doubts it, I can prove it. I have the ball from that strikeout on my shelf at home. But still, the most important thing for me is the medal from the European Championship, which I always carry with me."
"I wouldn’t call myself a legend, but unfortunately, everyone else does. I guess I just have to accept it."
What worked against you at the World Baseball Classic?
"The Samurai always play warm-up games against a professional Japanese team from the top league before the World Baseball Classic. When we were in Tokyo, I saw Ohtani hit a home run in one of those games. It was a technical pitch, low and outside the strike zone, but it was closer to him. That’s where he’s really strong, inside his strike zone. So I told myself, the only thing I’ll try to do—not to strike him out, that was just luck—but to keep the balls low and as far away from him as possible. So he’d either miss, or if he did hit it, he’d just ground it."
What are your thoughts about the MLB?
"To be honest, I don’t really follow MLB. After my experience in Japan at my first World Baseball Classic, I watched the Japanese league more. Baseball there is faster—the hitters, everything, the game just moves. And also because of the fans. Every game is sold out, and the crowd is always singing… In my eyes, it’s just more fun to watch."
Have you received any offers from abroad?
"Just about a week ago, I got an offer from the top Mexican league, asking if I happened to be available. But it came at a really bad time. If they’d reached out a few years ago, maybe I would have considered it. But now, it’s just not realistic for me. In the past, I used to get offers pretty regularly from Germany, Italy… But by then, I was already working at CEZ. The job pays really well for our region, and it’s not worth giving it up for a year-long adventure. Because once you leave CEZ, it’s really hard to get back in."
What are your final thoughts as your national team career ends?
"I managed to end my career at the top. With that kind of applause. If things hadn’t gone the way they did, and I’d had a rough game, maybe I would have considered helping the guys at least in the qualifiers. But since it ended the way it did… I believe you should finish at your peak. A lot of people can’t do that, and I always criticize them for it. So I’ll show them that I’m not like that, and that it is possible to go out on top."