As Spring Training is in full swing for all MLB Teams and Organizations, there was another baseball game going on that the rest of the world was tuning in to watch.
The World Baseball Classic championship game was played Wednesday, March 22nd. The appeal factor in this game? The two remaining teams were the United States of America and Puerto Rico. The two teams got to play at Dodger Stadium in California for the final matchup in front of 51,000 fans. The WBC is organized in a 4-pool manner. Teams that played in the tournament included Chinese Taipei, Israel, Korea, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Australia, China, Cuba, Japan, Canada, Columbia, Dominican Republic, USA, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Neither the United States nor Puerto Rico had ever won the WBC, but Puerto Rico finished as runner up in 2013 to the Dominican Republic. This was be the first time the U.S ever played in the Championship game.
The United States sent Blue Jays right-handed Marcus Stroman to the mound for his 3rd start in the 2017 WBC. While Puerto Rico started Mets right-hander Seth Lugo. The two teams faced one another in the second round of the WBC; Stroman and Lugo were both on the mound. The Puerto Ricans won the first match between the two teams.
As the game played out, the US came out on top. They defeated Puerto Rico by an 8-0 final score to win the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship. Stroman, the US’ pitching choice, was the star of the show. He had 6 no-hit innings.
Previously, team USA’s best finish had come in 2009 when the team finished third place overall. Early in this WBC’s play, the US seemed as if they were going to have another disappointing year. However, that was not the case this year. With stars on their team like Marcus Stroman and Ian Kinsler the team was able to come out on top.
The World Baseball Classic is an interesting tournament that brings baseball fans from all over together. In the midst of crazy, never ending spring training, fans still turn their attention to this can’t miss event. It showcases the best players from all over and allows for some interesting match ups. It’s definitely interesting to see that a lot of MLB players really come from all over.
The World Baseball Classic championship game was played Wednesday, March 22nd. The appeal factor in this game? The two remaining teams were the United States of America and Puerto Rico. The two teams got to play at Dodger Stadium in California for the final matchup in front of 51,000 fans. The WBC is organized in a 4-pool manner. Teams that played in the tournament included Chinese Taipei, Israel, Korea, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Australia, China, Cuba, Japan, Canada, Columbia, Dominican Republic, USA, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Neither the United States nor Puerto Rico had ever won the WBC, but Puerto Rico finished as runner up in 2013 to the Dominican Republic. This was be the first time the U.S ever played in the Championship game.
The United States sent Blue Jays right-handed Marcus Stroman to the mound for his 3rd start in the 2017 WBC. While Puerto Rico started Mets right-hander Seth Lugo. The two teams faced one another in the second round of the WBC; Stroman and Lugo were both on the mound. The Puerto Ricans won the first match between the two teams.
As the game played out, the US came out on top. They defeated Puerto Rico by an 8-0 final score to win the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship. Stroman, the US’ pitching choice, was the star of the show. He had 6 no-hit innings.
Previously, team USA’s best finish had come in 2009 when the team finished third place overall. Early in this WBC’s play, the US seemed as if they were going to have another disappointing year. However, that was not the case this year. With stars on their team like Marcus Stroman and Ian Kinsler the team was able to come out on top.
The World Baseball Classic is an interesting tournament that brings baseball fans from all over together. In the midst of crazy, never ending spring training, fans still turn their attention to this can’t miss event. It showcases the best players from all over and allows for some interesting match ups. It’s definitely interesting to see that a lot of MLB players really come from all over.