Team USA manager Mark DeRosa wants to set the record straight about the criticism he’s received during this year’s World Baseball Classic.
During an in-game interview midway through Team USA’s 5-3 quarterfinal win over Canada on Friday, DeRosa was asked about the blowback he’s gotten from fans for some of his decisions in the tournament, and his answer was simple.
“I have an undying passion for it and an undying belief in every guy in this roster,” DeRosa said on the Fox broadcast regarding how he approaches being at the helm for the U.S.
“I don’t think there is an A and a B, they’re all A’s.”
DeRosa’s comments come after the Team USA skipper made a couple of blunders during this year’s WBC, including when he claimed that his team had already clinched a quarterfinal spot despite that not being the case.
“Ton of respect for Italy. It’s weird, we want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals because Mexico plays Italy actually (Wednesday),” DeRosa said during an appearance on MLB Network on Tuesday. “So, the way the schedule lines up, this is an important game for us.”
DeRosa then made some lineup changes ahead of Team USA’s final pool play game against Italy, saying in that same interview that he wanted to get some players “off their feet.”
His team then took an 8-6 loss to the Italians, putting Team USA in jeopardy of getting knocked out of the tournament.
Following that game, DeRosa claimed that he misspoke and was aware of Team USA’s situation in pool play.
“I misspoke,” he said. “I was on ‘Hot Stove’ with a couple of buddies today and completely misread the calculations. We knew Mexico was going to play Italy and running all the numbers with if we lost tonight with the runs allowed and runs scored and outs.
“So, I just misspoke.”
Team USA will now play the Dominican Republic in the semifinal round.
