The WBC has been successful again. But the best pitchers in the US were left out.

“Mexico! Mexico!” chants exploded in the lobby on Sunday as soon as the Chase Field gates opened. The chorus was so loud that people on the field turned around to see what was happening. It was two hours before the first pitch between Mexico and the United States, and the excitement already seething.

A sold-out crowd of 47,354, evenly divided between passionate parties, watched Mexico shocked the US with an 11-5 win.. The performance was a resounding success. Baseball World Classicin the fifth iteration and for the first time since 2017.

The interest in the WBC, a subject endlessly discussed in the weeks leading up to each one, is being expressed by many fans and players. This was evident from Miami to Japan, where at one point more than half of the households in the Greater Tokyo area watched the home team play South Korea. There were electric atmospheres and raw emotions. October conditions reappeared in March.

But the event still does not take place where all its participants imagine. Inflections for smoothing exist. Most of them are off the field, but there is one noticeable obstacle on the field. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, who played for the USA at the 2006 WBC World Championships, has broached the subject several times over the past week.

“From a serving standpoint, they needed to start a little earlier and pick up the pace a little earlier,” DeRosa said. “But I think if it goes where it needs to go, some big league clubs should be ready to be a little bigger… OK, be smart about these guys playing. “

There was a star-striped elephant in the room.

The problem that DeRosa described is not universal. While Team USA’s line-up for this year’s position is the most talented in its WBC history, attracting the best starting pitches available is a major hurdle for Team USA alone. Take a look around the tournament. The best pitchers from other applicants participate.

Shohei Otani plays both sides for Japan entering the contract season with the Angels. Julio Uriaswho should also become a free agent this winter, went to Mexico on my first Saturday. Sandy Alcantara became the Dominican Republic’s first player after winning the NL Cy Young Award and leading in innings (228⅔) last season.

Shohei Otani, one of baseball's top pitchers, plays for Japan against China in the World Baseball Classic.

Shohei Otani, one of baseball’s top pitchers, plays for Japan against China in the World Baseball Classic on Thursday.

(Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press)

Pablo Lopez (Venezuela) and Jose Berrios (Puerto Rico) were the best starting pitchers from their countries last season and both are involved. Even veteran left-hander José Quintana was set to play for Colombia after a resurgent season before he suffered a rib injury last week.

Team USA, meanwhile, has one of the best rotations of the tournament, but far from the best they could have put together.

Last season, 13 U.S. pitchers ranked in the top 20 ERA Major Tournament Qualified Pitchers and 14 ranked in the top 20 in FanGraphs WAR. None of them participate in the WBC. Only one of them, San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb, is known to have originally been a Team USA fan. He withdrew before the start of spring training.

Of the seven foreign-born pitchers who have finished in the top 20 in the ERA, two are not in the WBC: Quintana and Framber Valdes, who originally said they would play for the Dominican Republic but withdrew after heavy workload. in October for the Houston Astros.

Team USA’s rotation took two hits when Clayton Kershaw and Nestor Cortez were forced to pull out. Last month, Cortez suffered a hamstring injury. Kershaw failed to provide the necessary insurance Kershaw had a 2.28 ERA in 126⅓ innings for the Dodgers, while Cortez had a 2.44 ERA in 158⅓ innings for the New York Yankees. Events have reduced the star power of personnel pitching.

Without them, Adam Wainwright, Nick Martinez, Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Kyle Freeland, Miles Mykolas and Brady Singer are starting options on the American roster. The group teamed up for seven All-Star Games appearances.

There are 10 active American-born major league players with Cy Young awards. No one is on the USA team pitchers.

Wainwright, 41, took down Great Britain in one round in four innings in Team USA’s first win on Saturday. Martinez, a late addition to the list, surrendered three runs out of five hits in a 2⅔ inning against Mexico on Sunday.

Wainwright enters his 17th and possibly final season with St. Louis. Louis Cardinals. He’s close to 200 career wins after going 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 191 ⅔ innings last season. The right-hander explained that serving for Team USA was a longtime goal after he was cut from the US 2004 Olympic qualifying team. This was his last chance.

“It’s a big part of my story, but it also left a void in me that I’m ready to fill,” Wainwright said. “I’m happy to represent our country.”

There are workload restrictions on the tournament, but major league clubs still consider WBC pitching a high risk — and for good reason. Throwing a baseball is an unnatural hand movement. Injuries are common. Franchises invest millions of dollars in the best starting pitchers. Front offices rely on them to win and keep job security. The timing—during spring training, right before the start of the season—adds to the anxiety.

As a result, tournament teams are wary of kickers and pitchers. Managers are tasked with implementing plans with pitching clubs in preparation for Opening Day by trying to win competitive, adrenaline-pumping games. It’s a difficult balance. DeRosa experienced it in Sunday’s defeat.

“There are a lot of guys who mean a lot to these major league baseball clubs and their seasons,” DeRosa said after the game. “I’m not going to do anything that could put them in danger.”

There is no perfect place on the calendar for this event. Major League Baseball is determined to succeed in this tournament, and that takes some risk whenever it’s played. Wainwright wants stakeholders to know that Team USA’s pitchers are in safe hands.

“I think there is one thing that people, fans and teams need to understand is that there are professional Major League Baseball practice staff who know how to keep their players in the same way that regular practice staff would.

“When we come here, we don’t [unqualified] professionals to keep us where we need to be. … Whatever program we have with our own teams, they are ready to apply it here.”

MLB clubs were allowed to disqualify players if they met certain injury-related criteria. This could explain several absences. But that doesn’t explain why so many of America’s top starting pitchers for the 2022 season aren’t in this tournament.

“If it goes where it needs to go, then all the teams, all the countries, are going to want what they call the best players,” DeRosa said. “And it shouldn’t be as hard as putting together a squad. But I completely understand.”

Bringing in the best American starting pitchers is not a requirement for WBC success – the United States produces more than enough talented pitchers to power a strong rotation – but it will further legitimize the event as it continues to grow. There is already interest. The proof was there Sunday night at Chase Field.