Two former MLB stars will be back in the dugout next March as coaches.
First-ballot Hall of Fame center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. and five-time World Series champion pitcher Andy Pettitte are joining manager Mark DeRosa’s Team USA coaching staff for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday.
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Griffey and Pettitte are set to make their professional coaching debuts as the team’s hitting and pitching coaches, respectively. DeRosa, who played for eight different teams during his 16-year MLB career, is also joined by bench coach Jerry Manuel, first base coach Lou Collier, third base coach Dino Ebel and bullpen coach Dave Righetti.
The Team USA coaching staff is here, and The Kid is a part of it. 👀 pic.twitter.com/o02EaJR1Nn
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2022
Griffey, who played 22 years in MLB, is a 13-time All-Star. The 1997 American League MVP had a career slash line of .284/.370/.538 with 630 home runs and 1836 RBIs. Griffey played with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox.
Pettitte is a three-time All-Star, who played for the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in his 18-year MLB career. For his career, Pettitte is 256-153 with a 3.85 ERA and recorded 2,448 strikeouts.
Next year’s World Baseball Classic is set to begin on March 8, with the tournament’s semifinals and finals on March 19 through 21 hosted at the Marlins’ LoanDepot Park.
Team USA won the last installment of the international competition in 2017, defeating Puerto Rico 8-0 in the final at Dodger Stadium.
(Photo: Mark Cunningham / MLB Photos via Getty Images)