HOUSTON — The party was long over at Daikin Park, with a sellout crowd having long gone home Monday night, but inside the privacy of their own clubhouse, Team USA decided to have their own get-together.
They sat around for about two hours after their 5-3 victory over Mexico, told stories, talked about life, and reminded each other that they still need four more victories to go where they ultimately want to go in the World Baseball Classic.
It was old-school bonding, just like back in the day, when players routinely hung around the clubhouse long after games and talked ball, without rushing back to their hotel rooms to play video games.
This USA team has been together for only a week, but they feel like they’ve known each other for years.
And, oh yeah, they can play a little ball too.
Paul Skenes pitched like the guy who is the greatest young pitcher in baseball. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., making two spectacular plays, looked like the best young player in the game.
Roman Anthony looked like a guy who will one day be the face of the Boston Red Sox franchise.
And, yes, there is Aaron Judge, showing just why he’ll be going to the Hall of Fame one day.
The sellout crowd of 41,678 at Daikin Park watched him all but guarantee the U.S. a berth in the quarterfinals Friday night in Houston.
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Team USA now stands atop Pool B play with a 3-0 record, and can clinch the top seed with a victory Tuesday night over Team Italy. They would then have two full days off before they play again at Daikin Field against Puerto Rico, Cuba or Canada.
And plenty of time for everyone to continue to extol the greatness of Judge, who has put this USA team on his back this tournament, with his teammates in awe the more they’re around him.
“Obviously, one of the best players to have played this game,’ USA third baseman Alex Bregman said.
Judge’s heroics began in the third inning when Mexico threatened USA starter Paul Skenes for the only time in his four-inning outing. They had Joey Ortiz on first base after second baseman Brice Turang’s error, and Jarren Duran hit a hard liner to right field, with Ortiz trying to advance to third.
Judge had other ideas.
While Ortiz raced towards third base, Judge snagged the ball on one hop, and threw a 92-mph laser to third baseman Alex Bregman, who tagged Ortiz for the inning-ending out.
“I mean, unbelievable throw to nail him at third,’ Bregman said.
Said Skenes: “One of the best throws I’ve seen.’
Judge barely had time to acknowledge the cheers from his teammates when he stepped to the plate with Bryrce Harper on first base. He belted a 2-and-1 slider from reliever Jesus Cruz the opposite way into the right-field seats.
Judge started his home run trot, pointed and gestured towards the USA bench as he circled the benches. The blast kick-started the USA offense, and by the time the inning ended, they had a 5-0 lead after 21-year-old Roman Anthony’s three-run homer, becoming youngest American to homer in the WBC.
“It was big time just to get that momentum,’ Bregman said late Monday night, “and capitalize on it offensively was huge.’
It turned out that the USA would need every bit of that offensive outburst with Mexico refusing to go away. Duran of the Boston Red Sox hit two home runs to provide late-game drama at the lightening round of the night. They threatened again in the ninth on Joey Maneses’ leadoff single, but Garrett Whitlock closed out the game with three consecutive strikeouts.
The Air Force Academy duo of Skenes and Griffin Jax kept Mexico’s offense in check during their two stints, delighting the Air Force Academy baseball team, who was invited to stay an extra day in Texas after playing Baylor over the weekend.
Skenes, who spent two years at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU, gave up just one hit in four shutout innings, striking out seven batters. The former cadet was so fired up that he threw 21 pitches registering at least 97-mph on the radar gun the first two innings. And Jax, the first Air Force Academy graduate to reach the major leagues, shut down Mexico’s last rally in the eighth by coming in and inducing Alejandro Kirk into an inning-ending double play.
“Nice to feel like I’m doing something,’ Skenes said after his first WBC start, “rather than just taking up a hotel room and eating all the free meals. Good to go out there and do my job.’
And if it wasn’t the AFA duo shutting down Mexico, there was USA shortstop Bobby Witt to snuff it out, making two you-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it plays with throws from his knees.
“Bobby’s two plays,’ Bregman said, “were spectacular.’
Judge was so euphoric that when Witt came into the dugout after throwing out Nick Gonzales in the fifth innig, he got into his face, and yelled, “Are you kidding me?”
And now, the rest of the World Baseball Classic are uttering the same refrain about Team USA.
They are supremely talented. They play well together. And, yes, as Monday evening’s late get-together showed, they have morphed into a close-knit family, too.
“This team,’ DeRosa said, “is different. It’s special. And I’m proud to be part of it.’