Team USA is moving on.
With their 3-2 come-from-behind victory against Colombia on Wednesday night, the defending champions punched their ticket to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
Mike Trout led the way with three hits and three RBI in Wednesday’s game.
Following the win, manager Mark DeRosa could not contain has excitement and was clearly very proud of all of his players.
The former MLB star and current MLB Network analyst spoke with Jon Morosi after the game and was all smiles, expressing pride in his players and excitement for the opportunity to move on to the next round and continue Team USA’s run of success.
"What did I get myself into, JP?!" 😂
Despite the incredulity, @markdero7 could not stop singing praises of his @USABaseball players after the team secured a spot in the quarterfinals 🤩#WorldBaseballClassic | @jonmorosi | @WBCBaseball pic.twitter.com/BUEP7Rop8V
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 16, 2023
DeRosa praised Trout for his huge game and also gave starter Merrill Kelly some credit for being able to work through some tough spots, particularly when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the second inning.
The bullpen for Team USA was quite dominant on Wednesday.
After Kelly’s exit, Kendall Graveman, Daniel Bard, David Bednar, Jason Adam, Devin Williams, and Ryan Pressly each threw a scoreless inning.
DeRosa talked a bit about Bard’s bounce-back performance and stressed the importance of putting his players in positions to succeed, saying that ultimately, it comes down to their execution on the field during games.
DeRosa clearly liked what he saw and is excited for the opportunity to move on to the quarterfinals.
He acknowledged that it was no easy task to overcome Colombia, however, and praised them for their efforts in Wednesday night’s game.
NEXT: Mookie Betts Praises Mike Trout After WBC Win
