Team USA manager Mark DeRosa wants to set the record straight regarding the criticism he 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 negative backlash he received from fans for some of his decisions in the tournament, and his answer was simple.
“I have an undying passion for this and an undying faith in every person on this list.” DeRosa said on the Fox broadcast Regarding how he approached taking over leadership in the United States
“I don’t think there are A and B, they’re all A.”
DeRosa’s comments come after the Team USA captain made some blunders during this year’s WBC, including when he claimed his team had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals even though that was not the case.
“I respect Italy. It’s strange, we want to win this game even though we’re in the quarterfinals because Mexico is already playing Italy (Wednesday),” DeRosa said during an appearance on MLB Network on Tuesday. “So, the way the schedule is arranged, this is an important game for us.”
DeRosa then made some lineup changes ahead of Team USA’s final pool game against Italy, saying in the same interview that he wanted to get some players off their feet.
His team then suffered an 8-6 loss to the Italians, putting Team USA in danger of being eliminated from the tournament.
After that game, DeRosa claimed he misspoke and was aware of Team USA’s position on pool play.
“I misspoke,” he said. “I was at the Hot Stove with a couple of my buddies today and I completely misread the math. We knew Mexico was going to play Italy and they were going to run all the numbers if we lost tonight with a run, run and out allowed.”
“So, you misspoke.”
Team USA will now play the Dominican Republic in the semifinals.