The compliments for this year’s World Baseball Classic have steadily been flowing in from fans, athletes, media personalities and countries across the glove.
FS1’s David Ortiz exclaimed MLB “killed it with this tournament” because the “environment, the energy in this building is different than any other game.”
His FS1 colleague Alex Rodriguez said MLB “has hit the lottery” with this year’s event. For the “first time in a long time in talking to a lot of those players over there, they’re really enjoying representing the U.S., being in this moment.”
That’s a small sample of the accolades the series has garnered and rightfully so for the games have been exciting.
But it’s the reactions and support of the fans from participating countries that have far exceeded the fandom of normal MLB fans and games. That’s what drives baseball traditionalists crazy.
And that’s why the World Baseball Classic is so important.
These are purists like longtime journalist Keith Olbermann.
When Edwin Diaz and Jose Altuve were injured, media pundit baseball purists like Keith Olberman took to twitter to torch the Classic.
“First Freddie Freeman, now Edwin Diaz,” tweeted Olbermann. “The WBC is a meaningless exhibition series designed to: get YOU to buy another uniform, to hell with the real season, and split up teammates based on where their grandmothers got laid. Call it off. Now.”
Those injuries were unfortunate and they will have an effect on the players and the Mets and Astros, their respective teams.
But if you watched them during the Classic and asked them if they regretted playing in the Classic, I bet you they would say “no” without hesitation or regret.
Why? Because it wasn’t just about a win. It has significance beyond sports and trails into cultural pride.
When Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic, that victory was for the entire island of Puerto Rico and every Boriqua across the world.
If you’re from New York, you understand the significance of that match-up.
You don’t think it meant even more that Japan beat the United States in Tuesday night’s championship game in Miami? Did you see the celebration at the mound after the last out? For a culture that is normally reserved in celebration, they let loose on the mound.
How about Mexico outfielder Randy Arozarena? You don’t think he was loving every minute of their run?
These moments exemplify the significance and importance of the World Baseball Classic.
Traditionalists can cry all they want, but they’re the reason why baseball’s growth and separation from the boring, almost emotionless and relatively stagnant mindset and flow of the game has been hampered.
They long for the days of murders row and mild-mannered players. They don’t want the Jose Bautista bat flips, vibrant hair colors or durags. That’s why some railed against the fans jubilantly expressing their pride, heritage and love during the games.
Their feathers were ruffled by the enthusiasm, colors, pageantry and demonstrative reactions players unapologetically released while representing their country.
But guess what? That’s exactly what the game, and fans, have been clamoring for and need.
And that’s exactly why the World Baseball Classic was not only an absolute success but also an absolute must for the future. Need proof? How about the almost 70 million Japanese fans tuning in to watch their country play Korea? If you know world history and current events, you understand why that game was so important.
On Tuesday night in front of a sell-out crowd of over 36,000 in Miami, superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out Angels’ teammate and fellow superstar Mike Trout on a ridiculous slider. Where else would fans get to see that match up with that caliber of player in that situation with global bragging rights on the line?
That gave Japan, who went undefeated in the WBC, its third World Baseball Classic title (2006, 2009, 2023) and Japan is the only team to win multiple Classics.
Baseball is a global game, and the World Baseball Classic gives fans across the world an opportunity to show their pride and appreciate some of the best in the game from other countries. It also gave players the opportunity to let their guard down and have fun while playing hard, something many in baseball have tried to damper.
In a relatively divided world, the World Baseball Classic gave us all an opportunity to come together and celebrate without the politics, divisiveness, lies, ignorance, hate and threats that plague countries across the globe.
All the more reason for the World Baseball Classic to continue.
