MIAMI — Imagine, for a moment, you are Roman Anthony , Red Sox wunderkind .
Imagine that, at the age of 21, you are taking part in a best-on-best tournament, humbled to be part of a talent-laden roster and yet more than holding your own with the greatest players in the game, all together on the biggest stage.
Imagine that you are now doing so in the ballpark at which you attended plenty of games as a boy, then a teenager, sitting in the stands and in awe of Giancarlo Stanton , Christian Yelich and other former Miami (née: Florida) Marlins.
Imagine, too, that the last time the World Baseball Classic was held, it was staged here, at LoanDepot Park, and you attended with some other Red Sox prospects, all about to begin their professional careers.
Imagine that, after not being initially selected to the Team USA roster, you were a late addition for an injured player and you've become a key member of the team. That team features superstars like Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber , and yet, you have fit right in.
And imagine that, with your team's spot in the tournament on the line, in a win-or-go-home game, it is you — not Judge, not Harper, not Schwarber — who belts what turns out to be the game-winning homer.
On a night when, across the country, the film industry celebrated its best and brightest, the storybook career of Roman Anthony continued to unfold. Except this wasn't scripted or staged. Hollywood would have rejected this storyline because it would seem too implausible, too hard to believe.
But it really happened. It's really happening to Roman Anthony, age 21, and starring in his own life story.
"Yeah, Roman's special," said Team USA manager Mark DeRosa after his squad held off a mighty Dominican Republic lineup 2-1 to advance to the WBC title game. "He's a special kid. Twenty-one years old, to be able to handle the moment ...The quality of at-bat is a testament to the kind of player he is right now and is going to become. Just special, to stand in there, left-on-left against (reliever Gregory) Soto, work the count and get a pitch to drive.
"So yeah, I expect big things from him."
Before the game, both Judge and Harper extolled Anthony's many virtues . They noted his poise and maturity, his talent, his curiosity, his preparation and professionalism.
And just in case anyone thought that was all hyperbole, Anthony went out and proved his teammates' talking points. In a 1-1 game in the fourth inning, he got a sinker up in the zone and drilled it out to right-center.
Team USA collected just one more hit after that, but the homer stood up as the difference maker.
"There was just so much talent on the field, both sides," gushed DeRosa. "You knew it was going to come down to one swing of the bat."
You might have expected that one swing of the bat to come from another source. Instead, it came from the kid outfielder who has barely used up his rookie eligibility in the big leagues, who was a paying customer to the event just three years ago.
Anthony is preternaturally talented, and, win or lose Tuesday, the lone question remaining is this: What does Anthony do for an encore?
His homer was his second of the tournament. He's knocked in seven runs, collected seven hits, facing some of the best competition in the world. He's not intimidated or in awe.
If he's good as part of his introduction, what is he capable of for a full season?
In a post-game press conference, Anthony was modest to a fault, intent to credit his teammates and remind everyone how much he's learning and how grateful he is to be here.
"This is a bit of a full-circle moment," he said, seated next to Baltimore 's Gunnar Henderson , another uber-talented 20-something who also belted a solo homer. "This has been a dream of mine since as long as I can remember watching this amazing event. You couldn't ask for a better atmosphere this early in the year. Just being around these guys and competing day-in, day-out has been an unbelievable experience."
He has teammates who've won individual awards and championship rings. Anthony, meanwhile, is looking forward to his first Opening Day.
Imagine being 21, and already on top of the baseball world. Imagine you have your far more established teammates in awe of your talent and your potential.
Imagine, in other words, being Roman Anthony.
Imagine.
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