TAMPA, Fla. – Two summers ago, Scott Richmond hooked up with the independent ball Wichita Wingnuts as a way to prepare for the Pan American Games, intent on representing Canada one last time before calling it a career.
Instead, the right-hander from North Vancouver, B.C., simply couldn’t walk away, finding professional renewal in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League while remaining a fixture on the national team well beyond the 2015 gold medal championship in Toronto.
"It’s hard to get out of here," Richmond quipped after throwing two innings in a 10-4 loss Wednesday to the New York Yankees in Canada’s final World Baseball Classic warmup.
A third turn at the Classic – in 2009 Canada saved him to pitch in a game it never reached, while in 2013 he was injured and forced to withdraw – is the latest unexpected turn for the 37-year-old.
Following the tournament, the father of three will pick up his family and rejoin the Fubon Guardians, having helped the EDA Rhinos win the CPBL last year, opportunities he never envisioned when he pitched in the American Association.
"The team in Wichita I was playing for was like, ‘Yeah, you can get ready for (the Pan Ams), no problem, but we’re going to need you to come back after.’ I was like, ‘Ugh, I just want to be retired,’" he recalled. "It was all fine, I came back, did well, then the Premier 12 was right there, and it was like, ‘Well, I’m throwing well, so keep that going.’ Then (the Rhinos) liked the way I was throwing and it snowballed."
Against the Yankees, he allowed a Jacoby Ellsbury double in the first, before Matt Holliday poked a two-out, two-run homer to right field that barely carried over the wall in right, tying the game 2-2.
"It was a fly ball to right field and it just kind of squeaked over so I could have gotten out of it with less runs on the board. But it’s the game," said Richmond, who felt like he was in typical spring form. "A lot of arm side misses, not staying through it and just trying to make the next pitch, trying to make the adjustment. Overall it felt pretty good, my body felt pretty good so I’m looking to build off it."
Manager Ernie Whitt said Richmond could be used in a variety of ways during the Classic and whenever he gets on the mound, it will add another element to his unique baseball adventure.
In 2007, after bouncing around at U.S. colleges and pitching in three independent league seasons, he attended a tryout with the Toronto Blue Jays at the Bobby Mattick Training Center in Dunedin, Fla., earning himself an invitation to spring training. Shortly after, Baseball Canada’s Greg Hamilton called and invited him to pitch at the IBAF World Cup.
"To that point that was the best 24 hours of my life," said Richmond. "Then the Blue Jays signed me (Oct. 20, 2007), they didn’t want me to go over there unsigned. It’s been fun being back here 10 years later."
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FLEXING: Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Eric Wood hit two of Canada’s three home runs against the Yankees and finished the day 3-for-4 with a double, as well, essentially forcing his way into a start in Thursday’s Classic opener against the Dominican Republic.
"We’ll sit down as a staff and talk about it," manager Ernie Whitt said, "but he made a pretty good showing, so I might be pretty stupid by not putting him in the lineup. So I guess you could say he’ll probably be in the lineup."
The 24-year-old third baseman from Oshawa, Ont., posted a .782 OPS over 118 games during a breakout 2016 at double-A Altoona, landing himself a spot in the Arizona Fall League. He also showed well in 25 games of winterball with Gigantes in the Dominican Republic, hitting three homers with 12 RBIs, to help put himself on the map.
Canada can use either Wood or Jamie Romak at third base, with Romak also in the mix for right field with Rene Tosoni and Michael Crouse. Wood also added a fine defensive play at third base, and clearly Whitt is leaning toward using the hot hand.
"I’m just trying to do anything I can do to help the team win, whatever my role is I’ll be ready for it, I’m excited," said Wood, one of five national team first-timers. "I’m seeing the ball well, keeping the momentum going from last year and the spring. I hope to keep it going in Miami."
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PICKING IT: Eric Wood made an error in the sixth but made up for it brilliantly in the seventh, when he dropped to snag a hot smash by Pete Kozma and from one knee threw out Clint Frazier at home to save Chris Leroux a run.
"I was playing in because we were trying to cut the run down at home, so when the ball was hit hard, I knew I had some time," said Wood. "When I caught the ball I knew, hey, take your time, pick up the target and make an accurate throw."
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YARD WORK: Highly touted Seattle Mariners prospect Tyler O’Neill hit the other Canadian home run, a two-run shot lined over the wall in right off Luis Severino in the top of the first. The 21-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., is expected to be Canada’s left-fielder during the Classic.
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LINING UP: Ryan Dempster will face the Dominican Republic on Thursday in his first outing of consequence since helping the Boston Red Sox win the 2013 World Series and he’ll certainly have his hands full.
The Canadians are realistic in their expectations, however, and simply want him to keep the game from getting away.
"They can hit, they can pitch, they can run – it’s a superstar team," Ernie Whitt said of the Dominicans. "Hopefully we can keep them off stride a little bit, change up their timing on the hitting part of it. I’d like to score early and then see how they handle the pressure of being behind. That to me is the best case scenario, if we can get the lead and see how they handle that."
Philadelphia Phillies prospect Nick Pivetta starts Saturday against Colombia in Canada’s second game with the starter for Sunday’s first-round finale against United States undecided. The Canadians won’t make a determination as to who starts that one until they see how they emerge from the first two games.
Ernie Whitt named Andrew Albers, Chris Leroux and Scott Richmond as possibilities for that one.
"We have some options," said Whitt. "Hopefully we’ll come out of the first two games healthy with two wins and then we’ll see where we go from there."
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QUOTABLE: "I just want to go out there and help. I’m always a big guy in the clubhouse, I love to keep the guys loose and have fun. I’ve been doing this a long time – I haven’t been pitching on the WBC stage – but I’m supporting the guys, I’m pumping their tires and I’d love to get out there and contribute." – Scott Richmond on participating in the World Baseball Classic.
