March 18, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; U.S. coach Mark DeRosa (4) is returning to the dugout after changing pitches during the 5th inning of the game against Venezuela held at Rondepo Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Italy’s win over Mexico on Wednesday night gave the United States another shot at the World Baseball Classic.
What seemed like a potentially disastrous early exit for Team USA coach Mark DeRosa and his players turned out to be nothing more than considerable worry and embarrassment for about 24 hours.
It remains to be seen whether the United States actually wants to win enough for a bailout to matter, as if it could just be a flip of a switch. But there is little reason for Team USA fans to be optimistic.
American attitudes and actions toward WBC values were evident everywhere. After all, it’s not the Olympics, as slugger Bryce Harper would prefer. How important is the WBC to the United States? They are less important compared to other teams in the tournament.
Team USA didn’t face a tight contest against Italy on Tuesday and played as if it had already qualified for the quarterfinals. And it wasn’t just overconfidence. Players mimicked DeRosa’s leadership, acting as if they were trying to get through a meaningless game.
However, the United States has not yet qualified. DeRosa seemed lost in the WBC’s tiebreaker proceedings, which is understandable if you don’t know how to use an abacus and slide rule. But someone on his staff should have realized the importance of the Italy game before DeRosa went on TV and said the United States had already secured a spot in the next round.
If Mexico beat Italy on Wednesday, or Italy didn’t score the right runs, or everything went sideways in extra innings, we’d be talking about the United States punching its ticket in bad fashion.
DeRosa later said he just “misspoke,” but it seemed like he completely misunderstood. He pitched questionable lineups, made questionable pitching decisions, and led a collective effort that only seemed to gain clarity and urgency in the final third of the game. Has someone finally figured out what Dugout couldn’t?
Team USA next plays Canada on Friday night in Houston. The host country must win this match. Even though everyone said that before the United States was trounced by Mexico and trampled like grapes against Italy.
But what happens if Team USA makes it to the semifinals? Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are other teams still in the knockout stages. All of these teams have something in common that they don’t share with the United States. They play with intensity and enjoyment.
Americans can be intense. Early in the tournament against Mexico, U.S. catcher Cal Raleigh refused opponent Randy Arozarena’s offer to shake his hand. Although they are teammates on the Seattle Mariners, Raleigh reacted as if Arozarena had asked for his computer password, as if to say, “Don’t bother, Randy. This is a big game and this is something I can do!”
The only memory anyone will have of the United States acting like they care about winning the WBC is that Raleigh was miscalculating the optics of fist bumps.
This time it would be too late to do anything. But what can the United States do to give itself a chance at winning the next WBC?
The best chance would be to move the tournament to mid-summer, a break in MLB’s regular season that doesn’t yet exist and likely won’t happen anytime soon. But come June or July, the best pitchers will all be in midseason form, and the Americans will have a huge talent advantage on the mound. Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal aren’t limited to one game here or three innings there. They can actually throw the ball and they will dominate.
This is the only way America can show the world who is best. Because Americans won’t do it the way Japan and the Dominican Republic are doing it now. Americans don’t have that combination of intensity and joy. Their day job is so important to them.
–David Brown (Field Level Media)
