Roman Anthony wasn’t even supposed to play in the World Baseball Classic this year. But when Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll broke his right hamate bone, Anthony got the call, less than a year after he got the call up to the majors with the Boston Red Sox.
The 21-year-old Anthony fit right in with Team USA on Tuesday during its 15-1 exhibition win over the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona. He towered a two-run homer over the right-field wall in the sixth inning. Two innings earlier, his former Red Sox teammate, three-time All-Star Alex Bregman, smacked a solo shot to center.
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They were part of a star-studded lineup leading a Team USA roster that’s motivated to pick up where America left off in a record-setting Winter Olympics.
Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes previewed what’s to come on the mound with four strikeouts and no walks in three innings pitched.
On the heels of the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold in Italy, the Americans on the diamond are eager for redemption after the team it fielded in the WBC three years ago fell to Japan in championship game.
The journey officially begins on Friday when Team USA opens Pool B play against Brazil. But the Americans teased their potential three days earlier against a Giants squad that even offered up some minor leaguers to don the stars and stripes as reserves in a exhibition that included a bonus 10th inning.
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Here’s a look at the lineup Team USA manager Mark DeRosa trotted out:
Fittingly, Team USA captain Aaron Judge got the Americans on the board first with a two-RBI single to center. Judge’s hit followed a double from Harper and a leadoff single from Witt.
Giants shortstop Willy Adames doubled off Skenes in the bottom of the first and actually scored later in the frame, representing Skenes’ lone earned run of the afternoon.
That one run is all that San Francisco mustered against Team USA.
Bregman’s homer lifted the Americans to a 3-1 lead. Then Harper drove a two-run single to right, making it a 5-1 game in the fifth.
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One inning later, Anthony tattooed a pitch from Blade Tidwell. The long ball traveled 394 feet.
In the seventh, Team USA got an assist from a few Giants minor leaguers. Charlie Szykowny doubled, scoring Pete Crow-Armstrong. And Dakota Jordan as well as Gavin Kilen each notched RBI singles to stretch the lead to 10-1.
Doubles from Gunnar Henderson and PCA that same inning, plus a bloop single from “Big Dumper” Cal Raleigh in the ninth, rounded out Team USA’s scoring.
The Americans enjoyed an abundance of runs Tuesday. While their talent-laden pitching staff has commanded attention ahead of this year’s WBC, they’ll likely need their bats to stay hot throughout the next two weeks if they want to win the tournament.
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