FORT MYERS, Fla. – The goal remains the gold, but for Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, getting to the World Baseball Classic semifinals comes with layers of meaning beyond just what he’s trying to accomplish as a member of Team USA.

As a kid from South Florida, Anthony’s coming of age as a baseball fan took place at LoanDepot Park in Miami – the same venue where he’ll take the field as a member of Team USA on Sunday. While Anthony got to check off a number of firsts in his rookie season with the Red Sox in 2025, he never got the chance to play in Miami or the state of Florida because he was on the injured list at the end of the season when the Red Sox traveled to Tampa Bay.

Before Anthony left Fort Myers for the WBC at the end of February, he took a moment to consider what it would mean to advance to the semifinals – with the US set to play the Dominican Republic on Sunday night – and play close to home.

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“You talk about getting to represent this country, and then not only that, but now you’re in Miami and playing close to home, playing for the best country in the world, for me, it’d be an unbelievable experience that I’m looking forward to,” said Anthony. “A lot of friends and family I’m sure would try to get out there. I haven’t played there yet in the big leagues, and haven’t really gotten to play anywhere close to home yet, so it’d be exciting.”

Anthony experienced the 2023 WBC as a fan, driving across Florida from Fort Myers with other minor league teammates to experience the international competition as a spectator.

There will surely be an element of accomplishment in setting foot as a player in the ballpark where he used to aspire to one day take the field. Anthony was at least somewhat measured in assessing this hometown milestone.

“[LoanDepot Park] is definitely one where you see it and you go there as a kid and you dream of playing there. But not only there – also everywhere else. All of them – playing all 30 [big league ballparks],” said Anthony. “I was never really too big of a fan of any one [team] growing up. But I watched a lot of Marlins games there, watched [Christian] Yelich play there, watched [Giancarlo] Stanton play there, José Fernández, Dee Gordon – all these guys growing up.”

Now, Anthony – who is hitting .316 with a .435 OBP, .474 slugging mark, and one homer in the WBC – is in a position where another kid from South Florida might attend the game at LoanDepot and look to him as a vision of possibility. Anthony doesn’t take that full-circle development for granted.

“I try to set that example anywhere I play at any time,” Anthony said. “I feel like there’s always somebody who’s watching. It might be a fan, it might be someone’s first game, or someone’s first experience of getting to see me in person. I don’t take that lightly. I take pride in going out there and playing my tail off every single day with what I’ve got that day to try and make sure I not only maximize what’s inside of me, but for everyone else watching as well.”

Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.