WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. -- Both Tanner Roark and Daniel Murphy have played in the postseason, and they both said the atmosphere in the World Baseball Classic matched that intensity. Roark and Murphy both returned to Nationals camp Friday morning fresh off Team USA's championship run in the Classic and raved about their experiences.
They both pointed specifically to their matchup against the Dominican Republic in Miami, which will go down as one of the best games in the history of the Classic, as one of the experiences they enjoyed the most.
"It's some really high intensity games in March," Murphy said. "I've never been a part of that before this early."
• Spring Training: Info | Tickets | Schedule | Gear
"I think the game in Miami was by far the loudest game I've ever been a part of," Roark said. "And coming in with a runner on first, it was absolutely insane. It was the loudest. And the dome was open. I can imagine if it was closed, how much louder it was with drums and horns. Every pitch, it was crazy."
The Nationals had been worried that both players were not getting enough work in to prepare for the beginning of the season, and the club will spend the final portion of this spring trying to get them prepared. Both players spent the day Thursday flying across the country, so even though manager Dusty Baker had Murphy in Friday's initial lineup, he decided to give him an extra day to work out and get back into the groove before he returns to Grapefruit League games.
Murphy did not get much playing time in the Classic. He played in just two games, both as a designated hitter, going 0-for-6 at the plate. Baker worried that Murphy was still struggling with his timing when he left camp and sitting on the bench for most of the tournament did not help.
However, Murphy did not seem concerned about his lack of playing time. He still took time to hit in the batting cage often and said he got a ton of work at second base before the games, including some help working with Tigers' second baseman Ian Kinsler. In fact, Murphy also spent time on the bench talking hitting with D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who finished as the runnerup for the National League MVP Award in 2015 -- an honor Murphy received in 2016 -- and other players whom Murphy described as "baseball rats."
"There were a lot of great conversations," said Murphy, who also connected with players such as the Rockies' Nolan Arenado and Giants' Buster Posey about their faith as Christians. "I think the physical work, I was able to get [it] in. So now I'm back to camp, let's see if I can find some game at-bats."
Roark did get more in-game action than Murphy, considering he got the start for Team USA in the championship round game against Japan. But the Nats capped him at 50 pitches, which he turned into four efficient, scoreless innings, after he had not faced live hitters in the nine days leading up to that start.
And even though he struggled in his 1 1/3 innings against the Dominican Republic, Roark credits that experience for teaching him how to stay calm during big moments.
"I think the Dominican game helped me relax a lot more, too," Roark said. "Just to breathe. If you don't breathe, you die. It's crazy, but it's true if you think about it. If you get up there and you don't breathe normally, you can't focus. You can't do all the right stuff. That's what helped out."