Team USA manager Mark DeRosa blames parent club pitching restrictions for World Baseball Classic defeat to Mexico

Former player Mark De Rosa is Team USA's manager for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. De Rosa pointed to the intricate balancing act required to maintain sensible pitching as one of the major reasons for his team's humiliating loss to Team Mexico on March 12th.

With the MLB regular season around the corner, pro clubs are wary of the risks associated with allowing their players to compete in the World Baseball Classic. When it comes to pitchers, this concern is only mutiplied.

During Team USA's stunning 11-5 loss at the hands of Team Mexico, DeRosa trundled out no fewer than eight pitchers. Despite none of them logging over three innings, their Mexican counterparts knocked 15 hits.

"Mark DeRosa ready to lead Team USA for WBC" - Bob Nightengale

Following the loss at Chase Field in Arizona, he was quick to identify pitching as the source of his team's issues. In a post-game interview with ESPN, De Rosa explained how he has to honor the fact that overexertion is a major threat to players, and by extension, their parent clubs.

Referencing the rules in place, he explained how he has to push players to make up for restrictions on pitch-counts. MLB teams have placed a hard limit of 65 pitches per arm.

Additionally, some players are struggling to attain insurance clearance to participate in the WBC, as was the case with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

In a quote to the LA Times, DeRosa took veiled aim at teams who were apprehensive about releasing their players:

"It shouldn’t be as difficult as it was to put a roster together"

Starter Nick Martinez of the San Diego Padres was pulled in the second inning after surrendering a 2-run home run to Joey Meneses in the first. But the game really began to fall apart after Kansas City Royals star Brady Singer surrendered another 2-run home run to Meneses in the fourth. He lasted only 2 innings, surrendering 4 earned runs and throwing 59 pitches.

"BREAK OUT THE HOME RUN SOMBRERO! Joey Meneses homers AGAIN and Mexico leads USA 7-!" - Fox Sports: MLB

Washington Nationals player Joey Meneses was pivotal as Team Mexico scored 4 runs in the fourth inning and another 4 in the eighth inning to cap off their 11-5 victory. It represents the second-worst loss ever endured by Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.

Despite pitching jam, Team USA still has some of the best arms in the World Baseball Classic

Although he identified the pitch-count regulations as a major challenge, De Rosa knows that he has some of the best pitchers in the world on his team. Now, it is just a matter of ensuring that starters, set-up men, and closers are synchronized in a way that will spell success as the tournament matures.