...
By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Scapegoats are a time-honored tradition in the sporting universe, and in the aftermath of Team USA's surprising, potentially disastrous loss to Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, everyone is looking for someone to blame.
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa is facing the brunt of much of the criticism, originally stemming from his appearance on MLB Network before the game on Tuesday, in which he mistakenly claimed his team was through to the quarterfinals before that night's outcome had been decided.
DeRosa was told before the game that the outcome still could lead to his team's elimination, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. But some lineup changes DeRosa and his staff made led some to suggest that winning wasn't the Americans' most important objective of the night.
Read More on MLB
...
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt got his first start of the tournament with Bryce Harper on the bench. Gunnar Henderson was at third base and Ernie Clement at second, while Alex Bregman and Brice Turang took seats. Will Smith caught instead of Cal Raleigh, and Pete Crow-Armstrong played center field over Byron Buxton.
DeRosa understood the optics of the situation, as it may have looked to some as if the Americans had their "B" lineup on the field. But he argued that the loss was not a result of any specific lineup changes.
“I get it with the lineup but, the guys that were in there hit,” DeRosa said, per Rosenthal.
While there are nuances to the debate, the fact was that most of the "second-teamers" came to play, as Henderson and Crow-Armstrong accounted for three home runs and five of the team's six RBIs. Smith went 2-for-4 with a double. Goldschmidt and Clement went a combined 1-for-5, while their pinch-hit replacements, Harper and Turang, went 1-for-3.
Whoever deserves the blame for the Americans arriving in this predicament, the simple fact is that either Italy must defeat Mexico on Wednesday night, or Mexico must score five-plus runs. Otherwise, DeRosa's juggernaut roster will be headed out of the tournament in a pool play shocker.
More MLB: MLB Draws Heavy Criticism for Taking Down Embarrassing Mark DeRosa Clip
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines