Mar 14, 2026
3 min read
Team USA Manager Mark DeRosa said he was happy his squad had "new life" at the World Baseball Classic after prematurely declaring that his team had reached the quarterfinals.
HOUSTON -- Manager Mark DeRosa says his premature comments that the U.S. has already made a trip to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic before meeting Italy are just an "overconfident statement" and reiterated Thursday that he knows nothing is guaranteed at that point.
DeRosa made the statement on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" before the U.S. lost control of its WBC fate with an 8-6 loss to Italy on Tuesday.The United States advanced to the quarterfinals against Canada on Friday after Italy beat Mexico 9-1 on Wednesday.
"During 'Hot Stove,'" said DeRosa, "it was a statement of overconfidence at the end. And it was my fault. I feel good about where we are after Mexico."
DeRosa also talked about the new beginnings of the U.S. star team.while a loss to Italy killed its title hopes.
"It's definitely a new life for the kids," he said."I put myself in trouble. Real hats off to Vinnie Pasquantino and Italy. Going into that game with more confidence and more awareness."
DeRosa's comments before the Italy game drew a lot of attention after that loss, especially since he kept regular starters Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman, Brice Turang and Byron Buxton out of his starting lineup.The US needed to beat Italy to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.The loss left them hanging on to a series of tight ends awaiting the outcome of Wednesday's Italy-Mexico match.
He explained the decisions on Thursday.DeRosa said he wanted to start Ernie Clement and Paul Goldschmidt because they could end up playing key bench roles at some point.He also said he was limited in the pitchers he could use because of "guardrails" set by MLB teams, which typically limit how much their players spend in the WBC because of injury concerns.
"When I looked at the lineup, I felt confident — the bottom line," DeRosa said. "I also look at it from a player's perspective. For example, Bryce Harper struggled a little bit. I know it's been three games, but I've played with him for a long time, so I'm like, 'Okay, maybe we can move him up every day. We're going to Goldie. Like Holly, if maybe athing, we will put it back.
DeRosa also mentioned before Tuesday's game that some of the American players were "pulling."The team buses left later than usual after Monday night's win against Mexico as the players stayed in the locker room to celebrate the victory.
"Listen, me hanging out in a clubhouse is the dream I've been building," DeRosa said."You have to take things very quickly and build a team. For the players to call the coaches, for us to spend time together, to have a big win that we haven't had in 20 years, I looked around the room and that's really special to me."
"We didn't forget that we had to come out and play well against Italy. They played like hell. They punched us in the mouth early. They came up big. We went into the game ready to win it. I think there's some false narratives out there. But no, I knew very well that we had to win in all scenarios that could happen."
The United States makes changes to its pitching staff after pool play and quarterfinals.
Left-hander Tim Hill and right-handers Will Vest and Tyler Rogers replaced two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough.DeRosa said left-hander Matthew Boyd also left Team USA to return to the Chicago Cubs' spring training camp.
"And I completely understand that," DeRosa said."There is a lot of pressure from the parent clubs to prepare these guys for the start of the season.
"If he's going to be the opening day starter for the Cubs, we're going to guarantee him innings -- the game dictates now. The pool game is a different animal. Trying to weave our way through it from a pitching standpoint, all bets are off now."
