SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers reliever Sam Dyson threw just 12 pitches in a scoreless inning for the United States against Japan on Tuesday in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic.
That's why Rangers manager Jeff Banister was fine with Dyson pitching in the championship game Wednesday against Puerto Rico. Banister relayed that to Team USA manager Jim Leyland.
"I talked to Jim prior to the first outing," Banister said. "I talked to Sam also, 'Let's get through the first one and see where you are pitch-count-wise and how you feel and make a decision after that.'"
Other clubs weren't as flexible with how their pitchers were used in the tournament.
"The only question we had was the actual pitch count and how efficient he was the first night, which really allowed us to give the go-ahead for the second night," Banister said. "If he goes out and throws 25-30 pitches the first night, it'd probably be a little challenging to send him out the next night. I appreciate the fact that Jim reached out to me and talked to me about it. That's the ultimate respect I have for Jim and why he's been a great manager over the years."
Dyson needed just 15 pitches to close out the seventh inning in Team USA's 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico. He struck out two of the three batters he faced. Overall, Dyson pitched six innings in the tournament and did not allow a hit or walk while striking out four.
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"Dyson was lights-out," Rangers reliever Tony Barnette said. "You don't need me to say that. Everybody who watched or saw the stats ... he's on the path to perfection."
The workload for Dyson and and left-hander Alex Claudio, who also participated in the Classic, is about normal for a reliever at this point in the spring. The only difference is it has been done in high-intensity games.
"I've asked our coaching staff to watch for it, the intensity level these guys are in, the adrenaline of what they're going through," Banister said. "When you go through things like that and it's over, there is an adrenaline letdown. You've got to flush that out. It's like the season has ended. So what we've done is try to get those guys back in a game quickly. Not get caught by that jet lag, if you will."
Dyson's work for Team USA is one reason why this has been an encouraging spring for the Rangers' projected bullpen. Claudio, who pitched in the tournament for Puerto Rico, did not allow a run in four appearances.
It's also been positive and productive for the relievers left in Arizona, even if they are pitching in a less intense environment.
The combination of Keone Kela, Matt Bush, Tanner Scheppers and Jeremy Jeffress have pitched a combined 20 1/3 innings in the Cactus League, allowing just three runs, one earned, on 15 hits, seven walks and 17 strikeouts. Barnette has a 9.82 ERA because of a bad outing on March 5. He allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings over his past three outings.
"Everybody seems healthy," Barnette said. "That's all we want. We're all very confident in our own abilities. You saw what we did last year. If we can build off that, good things will come."