Longoria joins Team USA for semis

Quincy1,000+ posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:00:00 PM

Longoria joins Team USA for semis
Rays' third baseman takes place of injured Braves slugger
By John Schlegel / MLB.com

Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays will be donning the red, white and blue this weekend, replacing Chipper Jones on Team USA's roster for the semifinal round of the World Baseball Classic.
Team USA made the announcement Thursday night, bringing the 23-year-old third baseman to the rescue to help a roster that has been depleted by injury through the first two rounds. That includes Jones, who suffered an oblique muscle strain in his right side after playing in four games in the tournament.

"We're obviously disappointed to lose a player the caliber of Chipper Jones, but at the same time so very fortunate to add a player as talented as Evan Longoria," USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler said in a statement. "With the opportunity to make a roster change, Evan is too valuable not to have on our club."

Longoria, the unanimous choice for 2008 American League Rookie of the Year, hit 27 homers with 85 RBIs last year, helping lead the Rays to the World Series. An All-Star as a rookie, Longoria hit six postseason homers, including four in the American League Championship Series.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (left side), first baseman Kevin Youkilis (sprained left ankle, left Achilles tendinitis) and reliever Matt Lindstrom (strained right rotator cuff) also were injured during the second round, which concluded Wednesday with the U.S. and Venezuela advancing from Miami's Pool 2 to the three-day finale of the Classic.

In the first semifinal at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, Venezuela will take on the runner-up from Pool 1, meaning the loser of Thursday's Japan-Korea game. Then Team USA will make its Classic semifinal debut against the Pool 1 winner at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The victors of those two games will meet for the World Baseball Classic title at 9 p.m. Monday at Dodger Stadium.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

3/20/094:39 AM

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Quincy1,000+ posts

Longoria Heeds Call, Headed To Team USA

By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 19, 2009

Updated: 02:16 am

PORT CHARLOTTE – Everything always seems to work out for Evan Longoria.

After spending most of the week hoping for a call from USA Baseball to step in as an injury replacement for the final round of the World Baseball Classic, Longoria finally got it Thursday night. The third baseman is headed to Los Angeles – his hometown, conveniently enough – to join Team USA.

Longoria likely will fly to California on Friday ahead of the USA's semifinal game Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. He had been scheduled to start at third base and bat third for the Rays in a Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, but that can wait. Instead he'll step in for the injured Chipper Jones on a U.S. squad that has been decimated by bumps and bruises.

"We're obviously disappointed to lose a player the caliber of Chipper Jones, but at the same time so very fortunate to add a player as talented as Evan Longoria," USA Baseball executive director and CEO Paul Seiler said in a statement. "With the opportunity to make a roster change, Evan is too valuable not to have on our club."

He could end up playing the field, as the remaining third baseman, David Wright, cracked a toenail when he fouled a ball off his foot Wednesday night and played the duration of the game in pain. Longoria was scratched from the Rays' lineup Wednesday and sent home, suffering from flu-like symptoms that have been sweeping through the clubhouse lately, but he felt better Thursday morning and played in the Rays' loss to St. Louis in the afternoon.

All the while, Longoria was hoping his cell phone would ring, and he was ready to wait until the last possible minute if necessary.

"We're far enough along in our camp and I'm in good enough shape now that if they asked me to go tomorrow at some point I'd probably still be ready, barring the club saying they're not going to let me go," Longoria said.

That wasn't an issue, and several hours later Longoria got the word he had been awaiting.

Left off Team USA's final roster in deference to the more established third basemen Chipper Jones and David Wright, Longoria would seem a good bet to replace the injured Jones if the U.S. advances to the final round of the event.

"I talked to U.S. manager Davey Johnson right before the thing started and he said if they needed somebody I would be the first in line," Longoria said Monday. "If it happens, it happens - I'll be ready to go. I'd be happy to go."

3/20/095:02 AM