Red Sox players were fantastic in the World Baseball Classic

“Me and Roman were like, ‘Man, it’s going to be a little different going back to Fort Myers after this,’” Whitlock mentioned.

Still, the Sox have discovered motive to be enthusiastic about how their players have carried out on an elevated March stage. As a gaggle, they’ve had a spectacular event.

“It is amazing seeing my teammates doing a really good job in this tournament, because that gives them the opportunity to be ready for the season,” mentioned Abreu. “If they keep doing that, we’re going to have a really good season with the Red Sox.”

Anthony, who’d been unable to expertise the playoffs final yr because of the indirect harm that ended his yr, has been one in all the greatest players on the area for a loaded Team USA. His .318/.423/.591 line — together with a go-ahead, left-on-left homer in the semifinals against the Dominican Republic — bolstered the sense that he is a budding star.

“Playing in this game and playing in this tournament the way he has has obviously shown everybody what we all know about him,” mentioned Team USA (and former Sox) teammate Alex Bregman. “I feel like he’s going to be one of the best players in the game of baseball for a long, long time. I feel like there will be many playoff runs for him, and he’ll lead many teams to the postseason.”

Abreu authored a seminal second in the event and in Venezuelan baseball historical past with his go-ahead homer (and epic bat flip) in opposition to Japan in the quarterfinals. Jarren Duran was electrical for Mexico, slashing .333/.412/1.000 with three homers. Masataka Yoshida (.375/.444/.813) excelled for Japan. Nate Eaton even took Tarik Skubal deep for Great Britain, and slashed .316/.316/.579.

Anthony, conscious of solutions the Sox will likely be power-deficient, took some amusement at the present of muscle by his Boston teammates in the event, and what he would possibly say about the adequacy of their thump.

“I mean, the bar isn’t very high. Nobody seems to think any of us has any power, or any of us is going to hit many home runs,” Anthony mentioned. “So it’s easy [to exceed expectations] when the bar is set low.

“It’s funny, but we know the players that we are, and we know how we work, and we believe in our ability and what we can do, what we’re going to do this year. When [you] look at all these guys [in the WBC]I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.”

Added Whitlock: “We know we’ve got juice.”

The eye-opening performances have not been restricted to the batter’s field. Whitlock (three scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts coming into Tuesday) was dominant in the late innings, together with in an ideal inning of labor in the semifinals.

“Garrett Whitlock doesn’t get enough love,” mentioned Team USA supervisor Mark DeRosa. “He’s one of the best relievers in the sport.”

Greg Weissert was equally spectacular as the nearer for Team Italy, firing 3⅓ scoreless innings and recording a tournament-high three saves. Brayan Bello allowed one hit and struck out seven over 5 innings in his begin for the Dominican.

There were exceptions. Both Contreras and Suarez had solely restricted taking part in time in the event, and can now must get on an accelerated monitor to be prepared for the begin of the season.

That mentioned, in practically each WBC sport, it felt like there was a noteworthy contribution from a member of the Red Sox — making the event one thing of a showcase for the staff’s potential. The players hope they’re going to have the ability to carry the power of what they’ve skilled — and their on-field manufacturing — into the common season.

“It’s not surprising to see what these guys are doing,” mentioned Anthony. “It’s not surprising to see a guy like Wilyer hit a ball into the second deck. But to see him and the passion for his country, this event brings out the best in you. To see that, you can’t help but be excited as a Red Sox player, as a fan, whatever it may be, watching everyone do their thing.”

Alex Speier could be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. observe him @alexspeier.