Roman's monster Classic doesn't surprise his teammates in the slightest

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Another magical moment by Roman Anthony in the World Baseball Classic -- this one a go-ahead solo shot that led Team USA to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Team Dominican Republic in the semifinals on Sunday night -- left his teammates at Red Sox camp in equal parts shock and awe at the 21-year-old’s latest accomplishment.

Right? Well, not really.

The scary thing about what Anthony is doing on the international stage is that those who know him best have come to expect such things.

“I'm super proud of him. He's just such a special kid,” said Red Sox veteran shortstop Trevor Story. “It's kind of crazy to say, but I was expecting him to do something like that. It really is crazy to say, just given his age and where he's at in his career, but he’s earned that just by the way he goes about his business and the confidence that he carries. I’m so happy for him. It’s such a unique thing to play in this tournament and for your country, and he’s obviously relishing it.”

Anthony is relishing in it by raking in it. In six games, he has a line of .318/.423/.591 with two homers and a team-best seven RBIs.

His big homer that propelled Team USA to Tuesday night’s final against either Italy or Venezuela (8 p.m. ET, FOX) took place less than a week after a three-run homer by Anthony was the difference in Team USA’s 5-3 win over Mexico.

You can only wonder what the South Florida native might have in store for a grand finale in Miami.

Projected to emerge this season as one of baseball’s newest stars, Anthony has done nothing to dim those expectations while playing on a roster that includes Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

“Sometimes it feels like guys are out of place [around established stars] when they’re that young, but not him,” said Story. “He seems to be one of the guys that people gravitate towards. And, yeah, he’s just a unique person and player.”

For perspective on how swiftly Anthony’s rise from prospect to primetime player has gone, you need to recall only the last WBC.

Three years ago, on a bit of a whim, Anthony arranged for a group outing with some of his Minor League teammates to buy tickets for the Classic final that pitted Team USA against Samurai Japan. The group of prospects drove across the state from Fort Myers to Miami and witnessed an all-time classic, with Shohei Ohtani striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to win it for Japan.

Now, Anthony has a chance to help avenge that loss three years later as the starting left fielder who was added to the roster early in Spring Training when Arizona’s Corbin Carroll had to bow out with a broken hamate bone in his right wrist.

When he attended that last WBC, Anthony had just been drafted by the Red Sox out of high school eight months earlier. Of course he loved the fan experience. But it is nothing like what he will feel Tuesday in what will be the biggest game to date in his young career.

“I can tell you that being on the field is a whole lot better,” Anthony said.

Consider that current Red Sox No. 1 prospect Payton Tolle is 18 months older than Anthony.

“I've been impressed by how he handles it, how he goes about his business,” said Tolle. “And sometimes you want to be like, ‘Roman, you just hit that ball 400 feet. Like, have some emotion about it,’ but it's been really incredible to watch him and watch him work.”

Perhaps first baseman Triston Casas put it best when explaining why Anthony is so comfortable in the big moments.

“He's almost made for these kinds of moments,” Casas said.

Which has Red Sox players looking forward to an October of Anthony on the field instead of being shut down with an oblique injury like he was during the team’s three-game playoff run last year.

“You see how his heartbeat stays pretty steady no matter what, and that obviously plays really well in the postseason,” Story said. “I’m excited to have him for the whole year.”

No matter how things turn out on Tuesday, Anthony won’t look or act like the youngest player, even though he will be just that.

“He fits right in,” said Tolle.