WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - CANADA VS UNITED STATES

March 13, 2023

Mark DeRosa

Chase Field

Team United States

Postgame Press Conference

USA - 12, Canada - 1 (7)

Q. In the interview room you were talking about your script. It seemed like it worked flawlessly particularly with Lance Lynn starting the way he did and of course the offense?

MARK DEROSA: What Lance did tonight was huge. Huge for us to kind of reset the bullpen. It kind of went perfect. Nine runs in the first. Everyone was relaxed. Everyone was a part of it, passing the baton.

Mikey went deep. Trea Turner went deep. But the story for me will be Lance Lynn taking it right to 65 pitches, getting through five innings, allowing Miles to come in with a clean inning, no traffic. Everything we needed.

Q. It feels like you talked a lot about Tim Anderson all week, and this worked again tonight. Is there just something in his eye right now that you see? By the way, did you have to tell the White Sox he was moving to second?

MARK DEROSA: I discussed it and asked T.A. about it when he was named to the team just because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching, him and Trea. It seemed like an obvious fit to try and see who could go over there, feel more comfortable going over there. And he said he would have no problem doing it.

What a talented ball player, honestly, giving us a spark, giving us an edge in the lineup, in the dugout. No, I wanted him in there today. Today was a big game for us.

But I know the offense broke out. I loved it. I loved everybody contributing. But for me the story was what Lance was able to do. Period.

Q. Can you imagine being 19 and having to face that lineup?

MARK DEROSA: No, I can't. I can't, honestly. It's a big ask. I'm just glad the guys settled down. He was a little erratic in the first inning. They were taking walks. Everybody was passing the baton. It was nice.

Mookie didn't try and do too much. Last night I felt like everybody was trying -- you could see, when they would swing and miss they would step out of the box, there was this big deep breath, everyone was trying to get that big knock to get us back into it.

Tonight Mookie, bullet to right to get us going. Mike gets the walk and it just starts flowing. Next thing you know it's bases loaded with Nolan up. Nowhere for him to go, but I mean that's a tall ask.

Q. With a night like this, does it feel maybe the tension has dissipated a little bit, especially offensively?

MARK DEROSA: Obviously we turn our attention to Colombia, and we'll be ready to go and understand the magnitude of that game.

I just think for us, with some of the stipulations and parameters that we're playing under to protect certain pitchers, or your entire pitching staff, really, we needed to reset in a big way after last night. And Lance provided it -- and Miles.

Q. Getting back to Tim, what is he like in the clubhouse, in the dugout. You've talked about this, but what is it about him?

MARK DEROSA: Wants the moment. Got an edge about him. I think he came in here -- I do think, when you play in the WBC, you try and kind of -- it's a feeling-out process at first. I think he wanted to let some people know how good he was in that dugout, in that clubhouse, the coaching staff on down the line. He has really caught a lot of people's eyes on this team.

It happens. I remember in '09 walking away from this getting on the plane to go back to Cleveland being, like, wow, Jimmy Rollins is a hell of a lot better than I gave credit for him on a nightly basis. A couple of other players, there's certain guys when you spend two and a half, three weeks with, kind of jump at you.

And for me -- you kind of know going in, Mookie and Trout and Nolan and those guys are going to impress you. But he's got quick hands. He reminds me of my old teammate, Michael Young, who is on the coaching staff. I'm telling Mikey all the time, Mikey, he's you, man. He plays with an edge. Lightning bat speed. Takes his knocks the other way.

And I know he's never gone over to second base. I would have liked him in some situations to see if he moved back on to the grass a little bit, but he didn't feel comfortable doing that. So I think it will be a work in progress.

But he'll see some shortstop as well. But I thought that was eye opening today, kind of a must-win game for us. I wanted him in the lineup.