Mark DeRosa needed Tim Anderson’s bat in the lineup.
Canada started a left-hander in Monday’s World Baseball Classic matchup and the Team USA manager wanted to play both Anderson and Trea Turner.
The only issue? Both are shortstops — Anderson for the Chicago White Sox and Turner for the Philadelphia Phillies.
DeRosa asked Anderson if he’d shift to second base.
“I was open for it,” Anderson said. “It’s a matter of just getting comfortable and I got comfortable as the game went on. And I was able to complete the task.”
Anderson showed he’s very comfortable on the big stage too, going 2-for-3 with a triple, one RBI, one walk and two runs in a 12-1 victory in a crucial Pool C game at Chase Field. With a lead of at least 10 runs, the contest was called in the seventh per the rules of the first round of the tournament.
Anderson has excelled in the postseason and has collected a hit as a starter in the All-Star Game. He ended the inaugural Field of Dreams game in 2021 with a dramatic walk-off two-run homer.
On a roster filled with top-notch talent, he made his mark in another major event Monday.
“He’s a star,” said Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout, who was Team USA’s designated hitter. “There’s no way else to put it. I think when we went to Chicago, watching him play, I don’t think we got him out, to be honest.
“And I’ll put his swing the other way with anybody. I think that his approach — he knows the situation and he’s a ball player. And he’s doing anything to help the team win.”
That included playing second base Monday.
“It’s really not the first time I’ve played on the other side of the bag,” Anderson said with a smile. “With the shift, I stayed on that side.”
Anderson’s entire big-league career has been at shortstop. DeRosa said he first discussed the option of playing second with Anderson when he was named to the team “just because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching.”
Anderson cleanly fielded each of the four grounders hit his way.
He might have been at a new position, but Anderson was playing behind a familiar hurler with Sox teammate Lance Lynn starting.
DeRosa credited the right-hander for setting the tone that allowed Team USA to rebound from Sunday’s 11-5 loss to Mexico. Lynn allowed one run on two hits and struck out six in five innings.
He received plenty of offensive support early, with Team USA scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first. Anderson walked and scored during the inning, which featured a three-run homer by Trout.
Anderson drove in a run with a triple to right-center in the second and Turner hit a solo homer later in the inning. Those hits came against right-handed reliever R.J. Freure.
Anderson’s other hit came in the sixth, a single to right against lefty Adam Loewen.
“I think you’ve seen it over the course of his career, every year he’s gotten better,” Lynn said of Anderson. “And everybody tells him that he can’t do something, he’s going to prove you wrong and do everything that he can to win, no matter where he is, whatever the situation is, whatever situation you put him in.
“And that’s who he is. He’s going to win at all costs.”
Much like he has done with the Sox, DeRosa said Anderson has provided a spark for Team USA.
“What a talented ball player,” DeRosa said. “(He) wants the moment. Got an edge about him. It’s a feeling-out process at first. I think he wanted to let some people know how good he was in that dugout, in that clubhouse, the coaching staff on down the line.
“He has really caught a lot of peoples’ eyes on this team.”
Anderson had two hits and three RBIs starting at shortstop against Mexico.
“Being in the lineup with so many dudes, you ain’t really got to do too much,” Anderson said. “The whole goal is really to just pass the stick, and I think you saw it out of the gate (Monday). And we just kept pouring it on them.”
Team USA (2-1) concludes Pool C play Wednesday against Colombia. As Monday showed, Anderson is ready to contribute in any matter.
“I’m always out to prove something,” he said. “Just to be among some of the greats. I just get a chance for the world to see what kind of athlete I am and also the guys get to know what kind of person I am, human being.
“I’m just very thankful and blessed for this opportunity.”
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Source: Berkshire mont