Mark DeRosa was all smiles before the World Baseball Classic began.
The television broadcaster was like a boy with a chest full of expensive toys known to man. He had all the best action figures: Superman, Batman, Captain America, in the form of Aaron Judge.
He was unstoppable. He assembled the best collection of talent ever for the WBC.
On Tuesday, though, while watching from the dugout as the team from Venezuela celebrated their 3-2 victory over Team USA, he wasn’t having fun anymore.
It was a tumultuous tournament for DeRosa, who was being heavily criticized by fans and pundits alike, even when the team was winning.
From not understanding the tiebreak rules correctly during interviews to bizarre lineup choices that didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason, the only thing DeRosa could have done to appease his detractors was to win a championship with a team worth over $300 million.
It didn’t happen, though. Although Bryce Harper came alive in his final at-bat of the tournament to tie the game late in the eighth inning, everything came crashing down moments later when Venezuela took the lead again.
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DeRosa had Mason Miller ready to go in the bullpen in a tie game with Venezuela running out of available arms, but instead went to Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock gave up a walk to his first batter, and DeRosa didn’t budge, not changing pitchers until it was too late and his team was done.
Before the final strikeout of the game to seal the championship for Venezuela, thousands of fans on social media were already calling for his dismissal as manager.
While the rest of Team USA will now return to their baseball teams, looking towards redemption and a chance at the World Series, DeRosa will have to sit with the loss as he returns to MLB Network.
Baseball at the Summer Olympics is only two years away, but after this WBC, it’s difficult to see any world where DeRosa gets his own shot at redeeming himself on the global stage.
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