The one person who didn't want to see Miller vs. Tatis? Craig Stammen

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When Team USA edged the Dominican Republic in a thrilling 2-1 victory in their World Baseball Classic semifinal contest on Sunday night, Padres manager Craig Stammen was certainly watching like much of the baseball world.

But it wasn’t easy for the first-year skipper to take in. Because had the game continued for one more batter, it would have been San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., facing Padres closer Mason Miller. But Miller struck out Geraldo Perdomo looking to seal the win.

“It was a great ninth inning for Mason, and a tough ninth inning for the Dominican team,” Stammen said. “I know there were probably a few people wanting to see Mason Miller vs. Fernando Tatis Jr.; I was not one of those people.”

Stammen said that while he loves the drama of the tournament, he’d rather not see two of his best players square off against one another with Opening Day just 10 days away.

“It didn’t really matter how it ended, to me, but I just didn’t want those two to have to face off against each other in that tense of a moment,” Stammen said. “I wanted them to stay teammates, stay in good graces with each other.”

Now that Team USA has advanced to the WBC championship game against the winner of Monday night’s semifinal matchup between Italy and Venezuela, it’s possible Miller pitches again before the tournament ends.

That, of course, is another example of how two managers -- one for Team USA in the Classic and the other who manages a specific player or players on that team during the regular season -- have to communicate about a player’s usage.

For Stammen and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, that has been a smooth -- if challenging -- process, and Stammen is confident that the right thing will happen if Miller’s name is called on Tuesday night in Miami.

“It’s very difficult,” Stammen said. “And the whole country wants Mason Miller to pitch the ninth inning on [Tuesday]. And you’ve got Mark DeRosa ... there’s a lot going on behind the scenes on who he can pitch, when he can pitch and how he can pitch it.”

Stammen appreciates the difficult task DeRosa, and for that matter, any manager who is at the helm of a World Baseball Classic squad, has to undertake.

After all, you’re not just managing a player on your team, but also a player on someone else’s.

“They’ve got a tough job,” Stammen said. “They’re managing that team right now, but they’re not the manager of that player overall in Major League Baseball. So, definitely a tough position for him and Andy [Pettitte] managing the pitching staff.

“They’ve done a great job so far. They’ve been very communicative with us and understanding of our situation with Mason and I’m sure with Mason and the rest of the pitchers on the staff.”