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A major cause of his team’s humiliating loss to Team Mexico on March 12, according to De Rosa, was the difficult balance required to maintain rational pitching.
Professional clubs fear the risks of having their players participate in the World Baseball Classic while MLB’s regular season is just around the corner. The problem is only magnified when it comes to launchers.
De Rosa threw no less than eight pitchers as Team USA was humbled by Team Mexico 11-5. Their opponents from Mexico got 15 hits despite none of them pitching more than three innings.
He was eager to blame pitching as the cause of his team’s woes following their loss at Chase Field in Arizona. De Rosa discussed how he must respect the reality that overexertion poses a serious risk to players and, consequently, their parent clubs in a post-match interview with ESPN.
He described how he had to urge players to compensate for limitations on pitch counts by citing the current rules. A strict limit of 65 pitches per arm was enforced by MLB teams.
However, some athletes have difficulty getting insurance approval to compete in the World Baseball Classic, such as pitcher Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After giving up a 2-run home run to Joey Meneses in the first inning for the San Diego Padres starter Nick Martinez was removed. Brady Singer, a standout pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, gave up another two-run home run to Meneses in the fourth, however, the game really started to unravel. He pitched 59 pitches in just two innings while giving up four earned runs.
Joey Meneses, a player for the Washington Nationals, was essential as Team Mexico scored four runs in the fourth inning and four more in the eighth to complete an 11-5 triumph. It is the second worst loss Team USA has ever suffered in a World Baseball Classic game.
Team USA still possesses some of the best pitchers in the World Baseball Classic despite the pitching slump
De Rosa knows his club has some of the best bowlers in the world, although he cited limitations on pitching as a significant challenge. Now all that needs to be done is to ensure that the shutouts, setups and starters work together in a way that will lead to success as the tournament progresses.
