Facing the Dominican Republic’s Gregory Soto with one out in the top of the fourth, Roman Anthony‘s 421-foot solo shot to center gave Team USA their first lead of the semifinal game.
The deciding lead and final score, it turned out. Two hours after the Red Sox wunderkind’s blast, Team USA won 2-1 to advance to the winner-take-all game for the third time in tournament history.
“When I hit it I kind of just blacked out,” Anthony told Kevin Burkhardt, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez on the FOX Sports postgame show. “I was, in my head (saying to the ball), ‘Just please go, please go.’ ”
Anthony, 21, has hit .318 with a 1.014 OPS in six tournament games thus far. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, there have been seven home runs by players younger than 22 in this year’s WBC. Two of them belong to Anthony, who was only invited to join Team USA in mid-February when Arizona Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll suffered a broken hamate and was forced to drop out.
“It’s been a blessing just to represent this country,” Anthony said. “Going into spring training (I) didn’t expect it. Heading into my first full year (in the majors) I thought was going to be in Fort Myers the entire time. And then when I got the call, it was a no-brainer.”
“I think for me, coming in the biggest thing is understanding the group that I have around me, right?” Anthony continued. “The knowledge, the experience, so many guys who have impacted this game in such amazing ways. So for me it’s about coming in here and learning as much as I can. But at the same time, competing my tail off every single day.”
Just 71 games and less than half a season into his promising major league career, Anthony has already proven he can more than hold his own among the veterans on the field and in the clubhouse. That became clear almost immediately when he made his big-league debut in Boston last June 9, less than a month after his 21st birthday, and his reputation as both an uber-talented athlete with a prodigious level of plate discipline, and a mature, even-keeled, humble and hardworking person, has only spread around the league since.
“Some guys was asking about you,” Ortiz said to Anthony, “and I told ’em that you are the complete package. You are a great athlete, good listener, your work ethic is on another level.”
Rodriguez, whose near-trade to the Red Sox and subsequent redirect to the New York Yankees in February 2004 made him one of the most polarizing figures in the two teams’ storied rivalry, also had high praise for Anthony.
Quadruple Hall of Fame praise.
“When you see a kid like that, whether it’s Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams or Derek Jeter or Big Papi, there’s some people that just have the It Factor,” Rodriguez said.
Anthony hit .292 with a .859 OPS in his rookie season last year. Last month, Red Sox manager Alex Cora named him leadoff hitter for the upcoming season.
But before Anthony can play in his first MLB Opening Day next week, he will try to win it all on the global stage. Venezuela and Italy play their semifinal game Monday to determine who will face Team USA in Tuesday’s WBC final.
