After a surprising loss to Italy in the tournament, the American baseball team has advanced to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic.
The U.S. team defeated Canada 5-3 on Friday night to secure a spot in Sunday’s semifinal against the Domino Republic.
The USA previously lost 8-6 to Italy, almost knocking them out of the tournament.
Yankees star Aaron Judge said, “Guys were really locked in. We saw a different level of focus recently during our practice and then even in pregame today. It felt like the guys were locked in and ready to go.”
Star player Aaron Judge noted that the team “held on” and showed a much higher level of focus during practice and before the game in Canada.
The team and their manager, Mark DeRosa, were heavily criticized after the loss to Italy, especially since DeRosa had confidently predicted that they would advance before the game even started.
“There’s a lot of noise going on about that. And I think it just speaks volumes for the players in this room, the manager we have, everyone. Whatever is said about us, whatever happens, we still have work to do on the pitch,” he said.
The other players also said they don’t listen to ‘outsiders’.
According to first baseman Bryce Harper, public opinion doesn’t matter because those people aren’t part of the inner circle.
He said, “People are going to have their opinions about us. I don’t think any of them are going to be at our dinner table or our Thanksgiving dinner, so it doesn’t really matter what anyone says.”
Logan Webb, who pitched nearly five scoreless innings, said the team felt new energy after getting the second chance.
Third baseman Alex Bregman praised his teammates for staying calm and focusing solely on the present moment instead of worrying about past mistakes.
Bregman said, “They’re worried about that play, that moment, that pitch, the next pitch. And it was just a good, good reaction today.”
