Former major leaguer Ryan Dempster of Gibsons and his Team Canada teammates struggled at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), losing three straight games and failing to advance to the second round.
Dempster, who turns 40 in May, decided earlier this year to don the maple leaf one more time. His last major league game was for the Boston Red Sox during the 2013 World Series.
Dempster was the starting pitcher in game one against the defending champions from the Dominican Republic on March 9. Canada lost the game 9-2
Dempster went two innings, giving up seven hits and 4 runs with one strikeout on 49 pitches. That strikeout came against Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista in the first inning.
“It was very special for me to put Canada across my chest for the first time in 23 years and represent the country. I know I didn’t go out there and get us a win, but I like to think that I represented us in a very classy, hard-working way as Canadians do and I think that’s a great thing,” Dempster told reporters after the game.
Dempster also started in Canada’s March 12 game against the U.S.A., which they lost 8-0. Dempster was pulled in the first after giving up two hits and three runs on 24 pitches.
In a post-game press conference, Team Canada manager Ernie Whitt was asked if it might have been too much to expect Dempster to pitch so soon after the tough outing in game one. “Probably so,” admitted Whitt. “He gave it his best.”
Canada’s other loss was a 4-1 decision against Colombia on March 11.
Whitt also said a lack of current major league players put Canada at a disadvantage. They were the only team without an active MLB pitcher in their rotation. “For us to compete at this level, at the WBC, we have to have all of our professional players. We just can’t put our roster up against teams like the Dominican [Republic] and the United States if we don’t have all of our big league players,” said Whitt.
Dempster offered some final thoughts via his @Dempster46 Twitter handle on Monday: “Thanks to everyone with Baseball Canada, the players, coaches, and staff. What a blast. Honoured to be out there one last time!”
