The WBC is Great

 

            The World Baseball Classic has came to an end and Japan has come out on top for the 3rd time in the history of the tournament. The classic was everything and more that I expected it would be and I cannot wait until 2026 when the next one takes place.

            With all of the teams that competed in the tournament, from the start Japan looked like they were going to be very hard to stop. They were the only team that went undefeated during the two week span as well.

            The clear favorites in the tournament was the US, Dominican Republic, and Japan as well. The fact that the Dominican Republic couldn't even make it out of the first round was shocking to me with the star power that they had. 

            There were also a couple of sleeper teams which surprised people in Mexico and Cuba who made it all the way to the final rounds of the tournament. Lots of major league players participated for their respective countries, but still a lot of players declined the invite and remained in spring training.

            This was the one thing that I did not like. Everyone should be willing to play in these games to represent their countries. The thing that is making these players not want to play in these games is the risk of injuries that they could sustain which could end their major league seasons. I get this but injuries can happen anywhere, even in spring training.

            The WBC did great things for the sport of baseball as a whole. People from all around the world were tuned in and a shocking stat showed that over 97% of households with a television in Japan were tuned into the finale. 

            Making the game more global will only do good things for the sport. This year the classic had a couple of European teams in Great Britain and the Netherlands in the tournament. Europe is the main area in the world where I believe baseball is not spread to as much and needs to be more incorporated. To get these teams into the classic and have a fanbase cheering for them back home is just one step in the direction of expanding baseball to Europe.

            The final two games of the tournament were absolutely awesome to watch as Japan took on Mexico and came back from down a couple runs in late innings to walk it off in the 9th. Then the last game came down to the final out as well as two teammates in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout faced off to determine who would come away with the championship. 

            Many say it was a scripted ending but scripted or not, it was epic seeing two of the best players, if not the best, square off to determine who would take home the baseball olympics. The WBC is a great tournament and I wished it happened more often than every four years. Congrats to Team Japan and in 2026 the US will have a chance to avenge their championship loss once and for all.