United States national baseball team

United States National Baseball team

Country	United States of America
Federation	USA Baseball
Confederation	COPABE
Manager	Davey Johnson
IBAF World Rank	2nd
Uniforms
World Baseball Classic
Appearances	2 (First in 2006)
Best result	4th (1 time, in 2009)
Olympic Games
Appearances	4 (First in 1992)
Best result	1st (1 time, in 2000) 3rd (2 times, most recent in 2008)
World Cup
Appearances	24 (First in 1938)
Best result	1st (4 times, most recent in 2009) 2nd (7 times, most recent in 2001) 3rd (4 times, most recent in 1984)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances	16 (First in 1973)
Best result	1st (2 times, most recent in 1981) 2nd (4 times, most recent in 1993) 3rd (2 times, most recent in 1979)
Pan American Games
Appearances	15 (First in 1951)
Best result	1st (1 time, in 1967) 2nd (9 times, most recent in 2011) 3rd (3 times, most recent in 1991)

The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.

The team is controlled by USA Baseball.

World Baseball Classic

In June 2005, Major League Baseball announced the formation of the World Baseball Classic, a 16 nation international competition to be held in March of 2006 for the first time. A month after this announcement, the IOC voted to eliminate baseball from the 2012 London Olympic games, leaving the WBC as the only international tournament to feature American professionals.

Though the U.S.A. has its own team in the WBC, American born ballplayers could be found on the rosters of several other clubs as a result of the unique rules of this tournament. A player is eligible to participate on a WBC national team if:

• The player is a citizen of the nation the team represents.
• The player is qualified for citizenship or to hold a passport under the laws of a nation represented by a team, but has not been granted citizenship or been issued a passport, then the player may be made eligible by WBCI upon petition by the player or team.
• The player is a permanent legal resident of the nation or territory the team represents.
• The player was born in the nation or territory the team represents.
• The player has one parent who is, or if deceased was, a citizen of the nation the team represents.
• The player has one parent who was born in the nation or territory the team represents.

2006

On January 17, 2006, the United States announced its provisional 60 man roster (52 players in all), and whittled down the star-studded squad mixed with youth and experience to just thirty players on February 14, 2006. All teams participating in the tournament needed to have at least three catchers and thirteen pitchers. Sixteen of the thirty Major League clubs were represented on the 2006 squad, including multiple representatives from the New York Yankees (4), Houston Astros (3), Washington Nationals (3), Atlanta Braves (2), Boston Red Sox (2), Chicago Cubs (2), Colorado Rockies (2), Houston Astros (2), and Texas Rangers (2). The fact that four Yankees were selected for the squad irked Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was opposed to the WBC being held in the middle of spring training to the point where at his team's complex in Tampa, Florida, he posted a sign apologizing for their absence and mocking the tournament in the process. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig promptly ordered him to take down the sign the next day.

Manager Buck Martinez brought his 17 years of professional experience as a major league catcher, and 1+ seasons as Toronto Blue Jays' (2001-2002) skipper to the U.S. team. Former big league managers Davey Johnson and Marcel Lachemann served as hitting coach and pitching coach, respectively. Rounding out the coaching staff for Team U.S.A. were Reggie Smith (hitting), Ken Griffey, Sr. (first base), and John McLaren (third base). A number of former players helped including Rick Sutcliffe, Rick Eckstein (bullpen coach), Tony Dello (left-handed batting practice) and James Grady (bullpen catcher and right-handed batting practice). The front office staff comprised Bob Watson, Paul Seiler, Eric Campbell, Ray Darwin, Dave Fanucchi, Rob Butcher, Evan Howard (WBC Team Coordinator), Reggie Younger (Travel Director), Phyllis Merhige (Senior VP, Club Relations), and Tyson Steele and Matt Weiss (Equipment Managers). Dave Tumbas and Greg Keuter served as trainers.

Team U.S.A. hosted Pool B of the four pool round-robin tournament. Along with fellow North American rivals Canada and Mexico, the U.S. hosted the South Africa. Round One games were held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona and Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona. The top two teams to emerge from Pool B advanced to Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California were the U.S. and Mexico. In the second round, they faced the top two teams from Pool A, Japan and Korea.

Round One

• March 7
  • USA 2, Mexico 0 (Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ)
• March 8
  • Canada 8, USA 6 (Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ)
• March 10
  • USA 17 vs. South Africa 0 (stopped in 5th inning due to Mercy Rule) at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Round Two

• March 12
  • USA 4, Japan 3 (Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA)
• March 13
  • Korea 7, USA 3 (Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA)
• March 15
  • USA 1, Mexico 2 (Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA) The United States is eliminated from the competition.

2009

Team U.S.A. competed in Pool C of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, along with Italy, Venezuela and the host nation, Canada. The U.S. won the pool opener against Canada by a score of 6-5, and secured advancement into Round 2 by defeating Venezuela in a 15-6 slugfest. Venezuela, however, came back to defeat the U.S. in the championship game of Pool C, 5-3.

On March 14, in their first match of round 2 against Puerto Rico, in Miami, Florida's Dolphin Stadium, the United States was mercy ruled for the first time in international competition, losing 11-1 in seven innings. Adam Dunn and Captain Derek Jeter were among the ones to voice their distaste with the severe beating. Manager Davey Johnson even stated "I should have stayed there," referencing a wedding he was at earlier in the day.

Team U.S.A. came on strong the following day against the surprising Netherlands (who had already eliminated a tournament super power: The Dominican Republic), jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning, and winning 9-3. With Puerto Rico losing to Venezuela 2-0 the following day, the U.S. would face Puerto Rico once again in the qualifying round. The loser would be eliminated from the tournament.

A solo home run by Alex Rios gave Puerto Rico an early 1-0 lead as the two teams battled back and forth for most of the game. Leading 4-3 heading into the ninth inning, Puerto Rico added an insurance run, making the score 5-3. Following singles by Shane Victorino and Brian Roberts, and a walk to Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Youkilis worked a patient walk to cut the lead to 5-4. Up stepped the New York Mets' David Wright, and on a 2-1 pitch he looped a single that just stayed fair into right, that brought in Roberts and Rollins to win the game 6-5. With the Win the U.S. secured a spot in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic, and eliminated the Puerto Rican team. The United States would go on to lose to Japan 9-4 in the second semi-final.

Roster

Name	Position	Number	Organization	B/T	Height	Weight	Birth Date
Heath Bell	Pitcher	99	Miami Marlins	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb	09/29/1977
Jonathan Broxton	Pitcher	51	Los Angeles Dodgers	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	290 lbs	06/16/1984
John Grabow	Pitcher	34	Chicago Cubs	L/L	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lbs	11/04/1978
Jeremy Guthrie	Pitcher	46	Baltimore Orioles	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lbs	04/08/1979
Joel Hanrahan	Pitcher	38	Pittsburgh Pirates	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	250 lbs	10/06/1981
LaTroy Hawkins	Pitcher	42	Milwaukee Brewers	R/R	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lbs	12/21/1972
J.P. Howell	Pitcher	39	Tampa Bay Rays	L/L	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lbs	04/25/1983
Ted Lilly	Pitcher	33	Los Angeles Dodgers	L/L	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lbs	01/04/1976
Matt Lindstrom	Pitcher	29	Colorado Rockies	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lbs	02/11/1980
Roy Oswalt	Pitcher	44	Houston Astros	R/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lbs	08/29/1977
Jake Peavy	Pitcher	22	Chicago White Sox	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lbs	05/31/1981
J.J. Putz	Pitcher	23	Arizona Diamondbacks	R/R	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lbs	02/22/1977
Scot Shields	Pitcher	62	Los Angeles Angels	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lbs	07/22/1975
Matt Thornton	Pitcher	37	Chicago White Sox	L/L	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	235 lbs	09/15/1976
Brad Ziegler	Pitcher	31	Arizona Diamondbacks	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lbs	10/10/1979
Chris Iannetta	Catcher	26	Colorado Rockies	R/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	225 lbs	04/08/1983
Brian McCann	Catcher	16	Atlanta Braves	L/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lbs	02/20/1984
Mark DeRosa	Infielder	7	San Francisco Giants	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lbs	02/26/1975
Derek Jeter	Infielder	2	New York Yankees	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lbs	06/26/1974
Chipper Jones	Infielder	10	Atlanta Braves	S/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lbs	04/24/1972
Evan Longoria	Infielder	13	Tampa Bay Rays	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lbs	10/07/1985
Brian Roberts	Infielder	6	Baltimore Orioles	S/R	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lbs	10/09/1977
Jimmy Rollins	Infielder	1	Philadelphia Phillies	S/R	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	175 lbs	11/27/1978
David Wright	Infielder	4	New York Mets	R/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	208 lbs	12/20/1982
Kevin Youkilis	Infielder	21	Boston Red Sox	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	220 lbs	03/15/1979
Ryan Braun	Outfielder	18	Milwaukee Brewers	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lbs	11/17/1983
Adam Dunn	Outfielder	17	Chicago White Sox	L/R	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lbs	11/09/1979
Curtis Granderson	Outfielder	28	New York Yankees	L/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lbs	03/16/1981
Shane Victorino	Outfielder	50	Philadelphia Phillies	S/R	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lbs	11/30/1980

Olympic Games

Olympic medal record
Men’s Baseball
Gold	2000 Sydney	Team
Bronze	1996 Atlanta	Team
Bronze	2008 Beijing	Team

Although single exhibition games had been played in conjunction with five previous Olympics, the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California was the first to feature a tournament in the program, and also the first time that the sport was played in Olympics held in the United States. Eight teams competed in the tournament held at Dodger Stadium. Cuba, after winning the gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games, was to participate, but did not as a result of the Soviet-led boycott. The US national team finished second to Japan, however, no medals were given as Baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport.

The US won its only gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Baseball had its debut as an official medal sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The US finished fourth, behind Cuba, Japan and Chinese Taipei. In 2004, the US had to face the embarrassment of not even qualifying for the Olympics in Athens, Greece.

The United States qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics by winning the American Qualifying Tournament. They won the Bronze medal at the Beijing games, finishing behind South Korea (Gold) and Cuba (Silver).

At the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on July 8, 2005, baseball and softball were voted out of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, becoming the first sports voted out of the Olympics since Polo was eliminated from the 1936 Summer Olympics.

{{MiLB roster

| TeamName=USA Baseball Olympic Team
| Pitchers=

• 40 Brett Anderson
• 34 Jake Arrieta
• 30 Trevor Cahill *
• 47 Jeremy Cummings
• 45 Brian Duensing
• 39 Kevin Jepsen
• 15 Brandon Knight
• 21 Mike Koplove
• 49 Blaine Neal
• 37 Jeff Stevens
• 29 Stephen Strasburg *
• 35 Casey Weathers

| Catchers=

•  6 Lou Marson
• 19 Taylor Teagarden *

| Infielders=

• 18 Brian Barden *
• 17 Matthew Brown *
•  2 Jason Donald
• 10 Mike Hessman
•  3 Jayson Nix
• 26 Terry Tiffee

| Outfielders=

• 24 Dexter Fowler

{{MLBplayer| 7|[[John Gall

| Manager=

• Davey Johnson *
• Bob Watson (General Manager of
  USA Baseball Professional Teams)

| Coaches=

• Reggie Smith (Hitting)
• Marcel Lachemann (Pitching)
• Rick Eckstein (Bench/3rd Base)
• Dick Cooke (Auxiliary Coach)
• Rolando de Armas (Auxiliary Coach)

| BC1=#002868
| BC2=#BF0A30
| FC1=#FFFFFF
| FC2=#FFFFFF
| Date=2008-08-15
| MLBAffiliation=Major League Baseball
}}

Amateur World Series/IBAF World Cup

The U.S.A. lost the inaugural Amateur World Series in 1938. The U.S. won its first Amateur World Series in 1973, and repeated a year later.

In 1988, the Amateur World Series became the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) World Cup.

Since 1938, the U.S. has won fifteen medals: four gold (1973, 1974, 2007, 2009), seven silver (1938, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1988, 2001), and four bronze (1939, 1940, 1982, 1984).

2007

The U.S. was in group A of the 2007 IBAF World Cup, along with Chinese Taipei, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Italy, Spain and South Africa. The U.S. went 6-1 to win their group, with their only loss coming on November 9, 2007 against Italy. It was the U.S.'s first loss to Italy in 21 years and the first time it ever lost to Italy with professional players, as the team consisted of Major League players and top minor league prospects.

This one loss, however, would be their only. The U.S. went on to beat Korea, Netherlands and Cuba to capture the gold.

2009

In Round 1 of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, the U.S. (2-1) finished second in Group E and advanced with first-place Venezuela (3-0). In Round 2, the U.S. was joined by the nine other first- and second-place teams from Round 1, four wild-card teams, and the two principal host teams (Italy and the Netherlands). The sixteen teams were divided into Groups F and G. The U.S. (7-0) defeated each of the other seven teams in Group G. In Round 3, the first four teams in Group F were re-named Group 1 and the first four teams in Group G were re-named Group 2. The U.S. finished first in Group 2 with a record of 7-0; Cuba finished first in Group 1, with a 5-2 record. In the Final Round, Group 1 and 2's fourth-place teams competed for overall seventh place; the two third-place teams competed for overall fifth place; and the two second-place teams competed for the bronze medal. In the gold-medal game, the U.S. defeated Cuba, 10-5.

Tournament awards were given to Justin Smoak (MVP) and Todd Redmond (best won/loss average (pitcher)). Smoak (first base) was also named to the tournament All-Star Team, along with Jon Weber (outfield) and Terry Tiffee (designated hitter).

Intercontinental Cup

The Intercontinental Cup is a tournament between the members of the IBAF. It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999. Since, there has been a competition in 2002 & 2006, both of which, the U.S. has chosen to sit out. As with many international baseball competitions, it has been dominated by Cuba, who has won ten gold & three silver in the 16 tournaments. Japan is second in medal ranking, with two gold, five silver & five bronze, and the U.S. is third, with two gold, four silver & two bronze.

Future big leaguers to have competed in the Intercontinental Cup for the U.S. include Joe Carter, Terry Francona, Mickey Morandini, John Olerud & Robin Ventura.

Pan American Games

The U.S. and Cuba have been arch rivals at the Pan American Games ever since the event began in 1951. The U.S. has finished second behind Cuba eight of the twelve times they have brought home the gold. Likewise, when the U.S. won the gold medal at the 1967 Pan American Games, Cuba finished second.

In total, the U.S. has won one gold medal, nine silver medals and three bronze. The only games the U.S. failed to medal in were 1979 and 1995. For the 1995 games, the U.S. did not send their national team, but instead the St. John's University baseball team, who finished 0-4 against the international All-star teams. The 16th Pan American Games are to take place in October 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It will be the largest multi-sport event held in Mexico outside Mexico City.

2007

The U.S. competed in Group A at the 2007 Pan American Games, along with Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Brazil. The U.S. emerged out of Group A with a 3-0 record, and defeated Mexico 2-1 in the second round to set up a championship game against their nemeses, Cuba. Cuba won the gold for the tenth time in a row, while the U.S. settled for the silver. The bronze was awarded to both Mexico and Nicaragua as rain canceled their bronze medal match up.

Haarlem Baseball Week

Main article: Haarlem Baseball Week

World Port Tournament

Main article: World Port Tournament

Placings

World Baseball Classic

• 2006 : 8th place
• 2009 : 4th place

Olympics

• 1992 - 4th
• 1996 - 3rd
• 2000 - 1st
• 2004 - Did not qualify
• 2008 - 3rd

Amateur World Series

1938 : 2nd 1939 : 3rd 1940 : 3rd 1941 : 6th place 1942 : 5th place 1943 : Did not participate 1944 : Did not participate 1945 : Did not participate 1947 : Did not participate

1948 : Did not participate 1950 : Did not participate 1951 : Did not participate 1952 : Did not participate 1953 : Did not participate 1961 : Did not participate 1965 : Did not participate 1969 : 2nd 1970 : 2nd

1971 : Did not participate 1972 : 2nd 1973 : 1st 1974 : 1st 1976 : Did not participate 1978 : 2nd 1980 : 4th 1982 : 3rd 1984 : 3rd

Baseball World Cup

1986 : 4th place 1988 : 2nd 1990 : 7th place 1994 : 8th place

1998 : 9th place 2001 : 2nd 2003 : 5th place 2005 : 7th place

2007 : 1st 2009 : 1st 2011 : 4th place

Intercontinental Cup

1973 : 3rd 1975 : 1st 1977 : 2nd 1979 : 3rd 1981 : 1st 1983 : 2nd

1985 : 6th place 1987 : 2nd 1989 : 6th 1991 : Did not qualify 1993 : 2nd 1995 : Did not qualify

1997 : 4th 1999 : 4th 2002 : Did not qualify 2006 : Did not qualify 2010 : Did not qualify

Pan American Games

1951 : 2nd 1955 : 2nd 1959 : 3rd 1963 : 2nd 1967 : 1st 1971 : 2nd

1975 : 2nd 1979 : 4th 1983 : 3rd 1987 : 2nd 1991 : 3rd

1995 : 10th place 1999 : 2nd 2003 : 2nd 2007 : 2nd 2011 : 2nd

Collegiate National Team

USA Baseball also fields a Collegiate National Team which has 22 members of top collegiate baseball players in the country, consists of five infielders, four outfielders, two catchers, nine pitchers and a pair of two-way players. The 2010 team has three veteran players returning from the 2009 National Team: pitchers Gerrit Cole (UCLA), Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and infielder Brad Miller (Clemson). The team is scheduled to compete in exhibition games across the U.S. and overseas against the world's top baseball talent, including teams from Canada, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands. Their playing schedule begins on July 6 at Cary, NC and ends on Aug. 8 in Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo, Japan. The 2009 team won the World Baseball Challenge in Canada.

Players who taken the field for the Collegiate National Team and have gone onto Major League Baseball success include such notables as Jim Abbott, Troy Glaus, Todd Helton, Ryan Howard, Barry Larkin, Tino Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, David Price, Huston Street, Mark Teixeira, Troy Tulowitzki, Jason Varitek, and Ryan Zimmerman.

See also

• United States at the team sports international competitions
• USA Baseball
• USA Baseball National Training Complex
• Major League Baseball
• Puerto Rico national baseball team