Team USA fans worried after manager hints at Merrill Kelly starting in WBC 2023 title game : "Lord help us"

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa announced that Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly is first in line to be the starting pitcher for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final. The USA reached the final after rolling over Cuba in a one-sided 14-2 win in the first semifinal.

The game saw more heroics from infielder Trea Turner, who hit two home runs to follow up his grand slam in the quarterfinals against Venezuela. Paul Goldschmidt was the other home run hero for the team, starting the scoring in the first.

Defensively too, Team USA looked strong as veteran All-Star Adam Wainwright started for them. The job was finished off brilliantly by relievers Miles Mikolas and Aaron Loup as they gave away just one run.

After the game, Mark DeRosa talked about the pitching rotation they will go with for the final. He hinted that Merrill Kelly is the first choice for the management who have to look after everyone's workload as the MLB regular season approaches.

Fans weren't happy at this announcement as Kelly didn't impress on the mound against Colombia. He surrendered two runs on four hits, with two walks and one strikeout across three innings.

There were calls for other options to be used in Merrill Kelly's place, with fans asking the management to bring in Kyle Freeland or Lance Lynn.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

Know More