SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The vibes at Hiram Bithorn continue to be elite and I’ll certainly share highlights from last night’s disappointing loss to Canada. First, however, we need to spend some time on former Cub and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, who made a mindboggling series of decisions and missteps that has the fate of the United States team out of their own hands and entirely dependent on tonight’s action between Mexico and Italy.
Yesterday morning on Hot Stove DeRosa said this:
Except DeRosa was wrong. The United States had not clinched, they needed to beat Italy to do that. Short of beating Italy they needed to control a complex set of Runs Allowed/Defensive Outs statistics that aren’t generally used for tie-breakers in baseball due to the World Baseball Classic’s unique tournament structure and use of the mercy rule. Curiously, MLB Network has since removed that video from their site and posts, but as the kids say: the internet is forever.
In fairness to DeRosa, MLB.com had reported that Team USA had clinched. I read those pieces yesterday morning and Monday night. They have been edited to reflect the more complicated picture. But while that’s an inexcusable lapse on MLB’s part, the manager of Team USA has to know the rules of the tournament. Last night in the pregame he mentioned that the team celebrated their first victory over Mexico in 20 years (¡VIVA MEXICO!) in the clubhouse until 12:30 AM before deciding to ride into a meaningful game against a solid Italy team of MLB regulars with this lineup:
Couple this with riding rookie Nolan McLean for 3 innings in which he gave up two hits, three earned runs while walking two and giving up two long balls, followed by 2.1 innings of Ryan Yarbrough giving up an other three runs, two of which were earned. There just really wasn’t a sense of urgency from the Americans. They were down 8-0 in the sixth inning with bats like Bryce Harper and Brice Turang on the bench, and DeRosa casually letting Clayton Kershaw warm up with the bases loaded in the eighth:
I have to believe at this point someone informed a member of the Team USA coaching staff that they had not, in fact, clinched a spot in the Quarterfinals and that runs allowed was a key factor of their shot to get there, because Mason Miller entered in the ninth. Additionally, the only reason this situation is somewhat possible for the United States to overcome is that Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had himself a game, blasting two long balls that accounted for four of the American’s runs. That dinged Italy’s runs allowed enough to make this a manageable, but nerve wracking enterprise. PCA joined Ken Griffey Jr. and Trea Turner as the only other players who have hit multiple home runs in a World Baseball Classic game for Team USA:
It sets up a wild situation for tonight’s win and your in game between Mexico and Italy. Basically, if Italy wins, Italy and the USA advance. If Mexico scores 5+ runs, Mexico and Italy advance. If Mexico wins and scores 4 runs or less Mexico and the United States advance. It’s an absolutely wild development for a stacked USA team that was considered the strongest roster the USA has ever sent to the World Baseball Classic.
Meanwhile, here in Puerto Rico I had the time of my life at Hiram Bithorn Stadium as Canada won a tight game against the home team. Honestly, the only thing that could have made it better was a victory for the Boricua. The vibes were elite despite another series of rain delays. And while I’m a Wrigley Field seventh inning stretch purist for life, this alternative absolutely played on Tuesday night in San Juan:
The vibes in Puerto Rico remain undefeated, even if the home team did not. The love the crowd showed their team as they played their last game in San Juan before heading to Miami for the quarterfinals has to be felt in person and the afterparty outside the stadium lasted a solid hour after the defeat.
I can’t even be mad at Yadier Molina here, y’all:
And with that, I’m heading to Hiram Bithorn one more time to watch Canada and Cuba face off in a game that will determine which of those teams will advance to Miami along with Puerto Rico. Te amo, Puerto Rico, this has been a béisbol experience beyond words in any language.
