DeRosa: Team USA ‘got a huge wake-up call’

Thursday, March 12View Online Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know in baseball, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. Leave it to Team Italy to come through for a guy named DeRosa. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa returned to Daikin Park for his club’s World Baseball Classic workout Thursday afternoon, having survived the public backlash over comments he made on MLB Network earlier in the week that indicated he thought his club had clinched a quarterfinals berth before they actually had. He had also survived the potential math that could have ousted his inordinately talented team well ahead of schedule. Thankfully for both DeRosa and the Americans, The Boot made it all moot. “Fortunate to be in,” DeRosa said. “Italy played 4-0 in pool play. Very underestimated coming into this thing, certainly not anymore. Hat’s off to them. They bailed us out.” Italy’s 9-1 thumping of Mexico in the Pool B finale gave the Italians the pool’s top seed and the U.S. the second seed with a 3-1 mark. Now the U.S. is on to Friday night’s quarterfinals date with its Canadian neighbors to the north (8 p.m. ET, FOX). But what of DeRosa’s remarks that the U.S. had “punched our ticket” before they had? DeRosa was adamant that he and his players entered the Americans’ loss to Italy on Tuesday aware that they had not clinched. “Overly confident statement on ‘Hot Stove,’” he said. “Period, the end. And it’s my fault. I felt good about where we were after Mexico. “I was well aware that we had to win that game based on all the scenarios that could take place. … We knew there were tiebreaker rules involved.” Click here to read the full story >> — Anthony Castrovince BREAKING DOWN QUARTERFINALSAfter a thrilling round of pool play, the World Baseball Classic is about to level up. Eight teams — two from each pool — are still alive in their pursuit of a WBC title as the event takes on a tournament-style, single-elimination format. Here’s a quick primer on each matchup: Korea at Dominican Republic(Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2) The Dominican Republic hit a WBC-high 13 homers and outscored opponents 41-10 to sweep through pool play. The DR, which won the 2013 tournament, has a chance to advance to the semifinals for the third time (also 2006). Korea squeaked through Pool C on a tiebreaker and is looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009, when it lost to Japan in the finals. The DR and Korea have never met in WBC play before. USA at Canada(Friday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX) It seems like USA vs. Canada is everywhere these days. It’s been a one-sided rivalry in WBC play at least: Canada won the first matchup in 2006 and the Americans won the next four. This is the first time Canada has advanced past the pool stage, while Team USA is seeking its third championship game appearance (one win). More >> Puerto Rico at Italy
(Saturday, 3 p.m. ET on FS1) Italy looks to keep its magical run going after its stunning 4-0 surge through Pool B. This is the third time that Italy has advanced past pool play, and it’s still looking to win a game in the quarterfinals. Puerto Rico, which is 2-0 vs. Italy all-time in the WBC, went 3-1 in pool play and is hoping for its third trip to the final and first tourney title. Venezuela at Japan
(Saturday, 9 p.m. ET on FOX) These first-time WBC opponents come with different Classic pedigrees. Japan, which steamrolled through Pool C, has made the semifinal round in all six previous tournaments, including three titles. Venezuela has only advanced past the quarterfinals once, losing to Korea in the 2009 semis. While Japan is a force to be reckoned with, Venezuela’s roster is in a strong position to advance to the next round.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM POOL PLAYBefore we turn the page on pool play, let’s take a look back at the best moments from the World Baseball Classic’s opening round. 1. Puerto Rico’s epic walk-off HR on home soilMere hours after Team Netherlands’ Ozzie Albies hit the first walk-off home run in WBC history, Puerto Rico’s Darell Hernaiz provided the second — a 10th-inning crush job to defeat Panama. Watch the absolutely electric reaction from the home team and crowd inside Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium as the ball sailed into the left-field seats. It’s impossible not to get goosebumps. Full story >> 2. Italy beats Team USAThe espresso was flowing as Italy went up big early before withstanding a late rally to stun the Americans, capped off by Greg Weissert’s strikeout of Team USA captain Aaron Judge. Full story >> 3. 17-year-old gets Judge to GIDPTeam Brazil right-handed pitcher Joseph Contreras, the son of former MLB pitcher Jose Contreras, is still finishing up high school. Team USA’s Aaron Judge is one of the greatest hitters in history. But games aren’t played on paper. The teenager amazingly got the three-time MVP to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded on Friday. Full story >> 4. Witt’s glove work impresses SkenesBobby Witt Jr.’s dazzling defense at shortstop in Team USA’s win over Mexico had everyone impressed, including Paul Skenes. The ace’s awestruck reaction after one of Witt’s gems went viral instantly, even catching the attention of the pitcher’s girlfriend, Livvy Dunne. Full story >> 5. Three homers for PasquantinoRoyals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino produced the first three-homer game in WBC history in Team Italy’s win over Mexico last night that sealed a trip to the quarterfinals. Read our full story and don’t miss this video of all three homers called in Italian! — Thomas Harrigan and Brian Murphy COUNTDOWN TO OPENING NIGHTOpening Night is less than two weeks away, and Netflix is getting us in the spirit for a season-opening showdown. The streaming service released a special promotional trailer for the MLB Opening Night clash between the Yankees and Giants. First pitch from Oracle Park is set for 8:05 p.m. ET on March 25. Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and 11-time All-Star Albert Pujols headline the on-air talent team announced for the game, which will be Netflix’s first regular-season MLB broadcast. Click here to watch the trailer, and you can set a Netflix reminder to watch the game. PLAY DAILY WALKOFFPut your baseball brain to the test with Daily Walkoff, where you can find 30 brand-new trivia puzzles every day, one for each team. Play Daily Walkoff >>

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