The Boston Red Sox lost 8-7 to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon at JetBlue Park. Boston put the tying run on second base with nobody out in the ninth inning but couldn’t bring him home.
Ranger Suarez worked three innings in his final spring appearance before leaving to represent Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Willson Contreras went 2-for-2 with a home run that cleared the Green Monster. He also heads to Venezuela when the tournament begins this week.
On Sunday, Roman Anthony was with MLB Network’s Chris Young to explain how he ended up on Team USA’s roster. The Red Sox outfielder walked through the sequence of events that turned an unexpected phone call into a childhood dream realized.
Anthony Explains How the WBC Call Happened
Anthony entered spring training believing his focus would be simple. Prepare for his first full season with the Red Sox. Work on his game. Get ready for Opening Day.
Team USA’s roster was set. The World Baseball Classic wasn’t part of his immediate plans.
Then Corbin Carroll got injured. The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder had to withdraw from the tournament. A roster spot opened up. The dominoes started falling quickly.
“Came back in the clubhouse one day and saw the unfortunate news about Corbin,” Anthony told Young. “Hope he’s doing alright. At that point, AC had mentioned something to me and Bregman was texting me a little bit. That night, got to speak with DeRo, which was unbelievable.”
Alex Cora brought it up first. Alex Bregman, Anthony’s former teammate in Boston, started sending texts about the possibility. Mark DeRosa, managing Team USA, called that evening to extend the invitation.
Anthony didn’t need time to think about it.
“For me, growing up, it’s been a dream of mine,” Anthony said. “Coming into spring, didn’t really expect it. I thought they had the roster set already. So for me, it was about just coming in and getting ready for my first full year. And then got that call, got approval from the team, all the guys. For me, it was a no-brainer. It’s a blessing for sure.”
Anthony is 21 years old. He will be the youngest player on Team USA’s roster. The tournament has been part of his life since childhood. He grew up watching it. In 2023, he and some teammates drove to watch the championship game in person. Team USA faced Japan. Ohtani got Trout for the final out. Anthony sat in the stands.
This time, he gets to play instead of watch.
A Collision Nearly Changed Everything
Friday brought a moment that could have ended Anthony’s WBC opportunity before it started.
The Red Sox faced Atlanta in spring training. A fly ball went to left-center during the game. Anthony ran toward it from left field. Ceddanne Rafaela came over from center. Both players thought they had it. Neither one backed off.
They collided. Hard.
Both players went down. The concern spread through the dugout and into the stands. This was Boston’s starting left fielder and their Gold Glove center fielder lying on the field days before the World Baseball Classic was set to begin.
Anthony eventually got up. The collision knocked the wind out of him and caught him awkwardly on his arm, but nothing serious. Rafaela’s hamstring tightened up. Cora pulled him from the game as a precaution. Both players avoided injury.
😳
Who The Red Sox Are Sending to the WBC
Sunday’s game against Baltimore showed the roster depth Boston will lean on during the WBC. Contreras kept hitting. His two hits and home run pushed his spring average to .426 with a 1.563 OPS. Another new addition, Caleb Durbin added a pair of hits including an RBI double. Kristian Campbell smoked a line drive at 106.9 mph that got tracked down in deep right.
Suarez completed his final spring appearance before Venezuela. He threw 45 pitches across three innings, giving up one run on two hits with two strikeouts.
The Red Sox organization is multiple players to the WBC. Anthony and Garrett Whitlock represent Team USA. Rafaela plays for the Netherlands. Jarren Duran suits up for Mexico. Wilyer Abreu joins Contreras and Suarez with Venezuela. Brayan Bello pitches for the Dominican Republic.
Team USA opens tournament play March 6 against Brazil in Houston.
GettyRed Sox’s Roman Anthony
Final Word for the Red Sox
Roman Anthony walked through how an unexpected phone call turned into an opportunity he never saw coming. Carroll got hurt, and the pieces fell into place quickly.
Anthony didn’t hesitate when the invitation came. Growing up, he watched the World Baseball Classic with his family. Now he gets to play in the tournament wearing Team USA’s jersey.
Anthony will spend the next few weeks competing alongside some of baseball’s biggest names on an international stage. Then he’ll return to the Red Sox and begin his first full MLB season.
For him, accepting the invitation was simple. A no-brainer. A blessing. A childhood dream he didn’t expect to live this soon.
The opportunity came. He took it.
Red Sox Get Notable Roman Anthony Quote on WBC Selection