To say the World Baseball Classic went the way Team USA and their manager, Mark DeRosa, wanted would be a massive understatement.
One of the unquestioned favorites to win the tournament alongside Team Japan due to their All-Star roster and championship pedigree, Team USA just couldn't get anything going offensively, especially when it counted, watching the score go from 2-0 to 2-2 before Eugenio Suarez hit a go-ahead double that the best collection of American bats the country could assemble couldn't muster another run down the stretch.
Asked about the team's unfortunate end and whether or not he would be willing to coach the squad again in the future, manager Mark DeRosa made his desire clear while talking to reporters: He would love to return if the team would have him.
“It would be 100 percent yes to do it again. Love to get over the finish line,” DeRosa said via The Athletic's Evan Drellich. “Why? If you saw how hurting the guys are in the locker room now, you’d know why.”
Now understandably, immediately after the game might not have been the best time for DeRosa to stump for another gig, as fans were rightfully upset by how the Classic shook out for Team USA and weren't particularly high on his choices with the clipboard as the team tried to bring his offense to life. Still, when cooler heads prevail, who knows? Maybe DeRosa will be back, or maybe Team USA will go in another direction, choosing one of the dozens of qualified options who could potentially bring another gold medal back to the US of A.
