WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - UNITED STATES VS COLOMBIA

March 15, 2023

Mark DeRosa

Chase Field

Team United States

Postgame Press Conference

USA - 3, Colombia - 2

Q. From a game-management standpoint you're coming off an off day, everybody's rested, you're able to go to Kendall Graveman in the fourth inning. How much easier is it when you don't have to worry about piecing?

MARK DEROSA: No doubt. But they've all got to be great. I was saying it to Ken outside. It comes down to the players. You can sit up all night and script it and plan it. But they've got to execute.

And I thought -- I mean, God, could they have done better? Devin Williams threw one pitch the entire pool play and looked like midseason form out there. David Bednar's heater is exploding. Jason Adams has electric weapons to go to.

It was nice to see Bard bounce back. And Pressly's been in the biggest moments in the big leagues in the last, seems like, five, six years.

So just awesome domination and execution by those guys. And just proud of Mikey getting that big hit -- Trout -- getting us the lead. It comes down to those guys.

Q. Throughout even the run-up to this tournament and certainly this week, you've talked repeatedly about how important it was for you to send guys back home healthy. How much dread did you feel that something like happened to Edwin Diaz would happen on your watch?

MARK DEROSA: I didn't see it. I'm not familiar with what --

Q. He got hurt, perhaps badly hurt during the celebration when Puerto Rico won?

MARK DEROSA: Really? I just feel for Edwin. I feel for the Mets organization. Just an unbelievable moment. We were watching that game. I had to hit the dugout around the seventh inning so I kind of lost track of it.

Guys get super excited playing for their country. It's a shame that something like that had to happen. I hope he's all right.

Q. Guys talked about how they joined up after Mike did. A lot of guys followed his lead. Do you think that he kind of ramped up his own game knowing that he was, I guess, in a way, a guy pulling the bus, guys following him?

MARK DEROSA: I think he's just one of the best players of all time at the end of the day. And he was coming off 16, 17 at-bats in Spring Training. And no one's in midseason form like that.

But I think some of these games that we played, I think Mexico woke us up. I think a couple of great ABs in the Canada game. But that bullet he hit to right to start it off was pretty special. He looks really good at the dish. He's just super confident in what he's able to do. Just a big moment for him.

Q. Team-wide, are you satisfied with the execution level up and down the lineup as well as on defense right now?

MARK DEROSA: Certainly some guys I'd like to get going -- Goldy, Alonso. T.A. had been a spark plug. I know he had a tough night, but, man, looked pretty darned good at second base.

Certainly you'd like everybody to be banging at the same time. But that's just the game.

I'm happy we're getting on a plane going to Miami with a chance to take on Venezuela. That's what I'm happy about.

Q. You were the last American to have a three-hit, three-RBI game in this, in the tournament. And you've just mentioned the few at-bats these guys have had in Spring Training. The ones that aren't banging -- did you have any advice for them? How do you lock in?

MARK DEROSA: Yeah, that's a good question, Jesse, because I certainly didn't have the career of some of these guys are having or any of these guys are having, to be honest with you. But you do see some things. And you'll throw some stuff out at the cage.

I certainly will talk to Pete. He looks like he's jumping a little bit, getting a little overextended with his stride. But that's why we have Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Young here.

I throw tidbits of information to them if I see something that I feel I can help them with. But for the most part, I try and let my coaches do their job.

Q. Do you have a starter for your quarterfinal game?

MARK DEROSA: No, we'll talk about it tonight and on the plane and tomorrow. We've got time to announce that.

Q. Just before the tournament, there was talk about Mookie playing second base. Was that a decision that you guys made or the Dodgers?

MARK DEROSA: No, I definitely intended in pool play to get Mookie some run at second base. But once the Mexico game happened and we were fighting for our lives, a couple of elimination games, losing, and we don't potentially get out of here.

I felt that would be unfair to him. I know he could do it, but at the same time I felt that would be unfair to stick him over there.

I felt like Tim had earned the right swinging a hot bat and willing to go over there. Still got Jeff McNeil, who probably swung it the best I've seen him swing it today in batting practice and underneath.

I just told these guys, look, it's going to take all of them. It really is. So I just didn't want to put Mookie in that spot.

Q. Can you describe the importance of Mookie's base running to that, taking the extra bag and the read on Trout's?

MARK DEROSA: These are the best players in the world. I'm not surprised, but, yeah, it lights me up. I saw exactly what you saw. That's why you teach fundamentals and the kids at home -- and to hit the cut-off man or keep it head high. As soon as he saw that ball was being shot to home, I saw him tear around first base.

He's a special player. He's an instinctive player. Guy came up as a second baseman, and if Dustin Pedroia is not there he never moves out to right field, so he decides to move out there to get his bat in the line-up and he's the best right fielder in the game. He's great at probably everything he does.

Q. A few days ago, just because you're having to piece the pitching puzzle together, you had to leave Daniel Bard out there to get you through the game. Was it important for you to get him back in a spot where he can do what he does best?

MARK DEROSA: Yeah, we were talking about it on the bench. I keep reiterating this point, but you've got to trust the name on the back of the jerseys. I know we're playing for the one on the front, but Daniel Bard has been one of the most electric closers in the game recently.

And his numbers, when you look at them, analytically, it doesn't matter who gets in the box, left or right. Yeah, I trusted he was going to go in there and perform, and he did that.

Q. Gone through this pool. Is the team able to exhale going to Miami?

MARK DEROSA: No doubt. You can tell. These guys are jacked up. I can't say enough about sitting up at night with the coaches and kind of trying to plan -- and I don't want to say script because that's not fair; it's in pencil -- but it couldn't have worked out better.

And for them to be as sharp as they were with minimum workload -- I mean Daniel Bednar's fastball was exploding through the zone. And Devin Williams threw one pitch the entire pool play. When he came out in the eighth, I wanted to believe we were going to get the nasty changeup and the electric heater. But you just don't know based on lack of use. And he couldn't have looked better.

And I wanted him to have a moment to kind of become part of the team. I felt like I let him down only giving him one pitch and getting us out and then having to go to Pressly.

That's been the toughest thing. You get these guys hot, you've got to bring them in. There's no double barrel down there. There's no get a guy up and then, oh, it might change.

Like, I would have loved to have potentially brought Adam Ottavino in instead of Kendall Graveman, but I got Graveman up because the inning looked like it might get away from Kelly, and he was my best option at that moment.

Then once you get them hot you've kind of got to honor the fact that he's got to come into the game. I just thought they rolled out there and were just absolutely nasty.