TEAM USA manager Mark DeRosa insists he was fully aware that a place in the quarter-finals of the World Baseball Classic was not guaranteed – despite claiming that he and his players had “punched” their ticket.
When appearing on the MLB Network earlier this week, the 51-year-old incorrectly claimed that Team USA had already progressed in the competition.
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Mark DeRosa has backtracked on his World Baseball Classic commentsCredit: Getty
USA were stunned by Italy in a shock defeatCredit: Getty
He said, “Ton of respect for Italy. It’s weird, we want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarter-finals because Mexico plays Italy actually tomorrow.
“So the way the schedule lines up, this is an important game for us.”
However, that was not the case because they went on to lose 8-6 to Italy at Daikin Park in Houston, putting their hopes of reaching the knockouts in doubt.
DeRosa has now backtracked on his comments, claiming he knew exactly what the situation was. READ MORE ON BASEBALL
He explained, “Overly confident statement on Hot Stove. Period, the end. And it’s my fault.
“I felt good about where we were after Mexico.
“I was well aware that we had to win that game based on all the scenarios that could take place…
“We knew there were tiebreaker rules involved.”
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DeRosa also commented on the public scrutiny he and his players have faced after being spotted on a team bonding night out following the win over Mexico on Monday.
He added, “Listen, us hanging out in a clubhouse is everything I ever dreamed of creating.
“You’ve got to buy into this thing super quick and try and create a team. For those players to invite the coaches in and for us to spend time together and enjoy a huge win that we hadn’t had in 20 years was something that… I looked around the room and it was super special to me.
“We did not lose sight of the fact that we had to go out and play well against Italy. They played a hell of a game.
“They smacked us in the mouth early. They got up big. We went into that game prepared to win it. I think there’s a couple false narratives out there.”
Team USA next take on Canada in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Who's playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic? The World Baseball classic features 20 from across the globe to battle for the title this March, with the biggest stars representing their respective homelands. Despite losing the 2023 championship to Japan, Team USA is the sizable favorite to win this tournament, thanks to a stacked lineup led by three-time MVP Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. The rotation also features arguably the two best pitchers in baseball in Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, and the bullpen has a dominant 8th-9th inning duo in Mason Miller and David Bednar. But don’t count out Japan, which has won this tourney three times since 2006. They are led by Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani, who was the MVP of the 2023 tournament, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dominican Republic can say they have the best lineup in this tournament, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, and Julio Rodriguez leading the charge. They’ll hope the team rebounds after a shock first-round exit in 2023. It won’t be easy, however, as they’re in the same pool as Venezuela, which is led by Ronald Acuña Jr. and Salvador Perez. No one should forget about Pool A favorite Puerto Rico, but they won’t be entering the WBC anywhere close to full strength. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Javy Báez will all miss this year’s tournament, with the first two failing to secure insurance for the WBC. Other stars to watch for who could have an impact on their respective squads are Mexico’s Randy Arozerena, Italy’s Vinnie Pasquantino, Jazz Chisholm Jr. of Great Britan and Canada’s Josh Naylor.
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