Three years ago Aaron Judge refused to play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He had just signed a $360 million contract with the New York Yankees and said his focus was on preparing for the upcoming season. An international event, he maintained, would be an unnecessary distraction.
Sometime between 2023 and 2026 Judge must have undergone attitude replacement surgery.
This year he not only agreed to participate in the Classic but willingly accepted the nomination to become the captain of the United States team. After the semifinal round of the tournament, he declared that the WBC is “bigger and better” than the World Series.
If you’re gasping at that you should know that I’m gasping too.
I don’t believe many peopled would agree that the WBC is bigger than the World Series, but the fact that a player would even make such a remark shows me one thing.
The World Baseball Classic is all grown up. It has become an adult in the world of international sport.
The first WBC, played 20 years ago, was bitterly denounced by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Other owners did their best to ignore it, as did most of the rest of the sports world.
Some countries embraced the concept, but not the United States. After our players won the championship in 2017 no one knew what to do with the trophy.
Times have changed.
The U.S. didn’t win the trophy this year and it seems the whole nation wants to make a scapegoat out of Manager Mark DeRosa, who tapped Garrett Whitlock to pitch the ninth inning of the championship game when Mason Miller was available. Whitlock gave up a run that carried Venezuela to the championship. It was a game played in a packed stadium and viewed by millions on television.
Second-guessing the manager is a time-honored baseball tradition.
Now, it seems, the WBC has also become a time-honored baseball tradition.
Soccer, basketball, rugby, cricket and ice hockey all have well-established events in which professional athletes play for their respective national teams. Baseball can now join the others. The World Baseball Classic has established itself as that event.
And yet …
Unlike the other ones, this championship is awkward. It will probably always be awkward.
It is played during spring training. Even though the games are played with palpable intensity and emotion, the athletes playing them are in the process of rounding into shape.
Spring training is the time when players prepare for the long season ahead. Pitchers stretch out their arms and pitching coaches carefully monitor everyone’s pitch count. Activity for other players is monitored as well. Not too little and not too much.
Exhibition games are played, but the results aren’t important. The focus is on having the team ready for Opening Day.
Except during the years when the WBC comes a-calling.
The game’s best players are plucked out of this atmosphere and thrust into a situation where results are a paramount. They wear national uniforms, parade with national flags and play for managers who are expected to produce victories.
There are rules limiting pitch count, but there are no rules pertaining to other players. The manager can play his star player every inning of every game and leave another languishing on the bench. He can utilize one pitcher’s maximum pitch count and keep another nestled in the bullpen the entire time. That’s not how spring training works but it becomes a reality in the WBC.
Every game is significant. Pool play consists only of a single round-robin among the five teams in each pool. Eight teams advance to the quarterfinals, which are a best-of-one series.
The semifinals and championship are also a best-of-one.
Doing all of this in the middle of March is very awkward.
I ask myself, isn’t there a better way?
The answer is no.
There is no other time of the year that would be practical. Pool play could be a double round-robin and elimination pairings could be played as a best-of-three series, but that would add another week or 10 days to the event, and that wouldn’t be practical either.
This is the way it’s got to be, and that’s not bad.
The WBC will remain awkward, but no longer will it be ignored.
A FEW WBC STATISTICS: The United States scored 44 runs in seven games, but 15 of them came against Brazil. It was limited to 29 runs in the other six contests … Japanese shortstop Sosuka Genda had a .667 on base percentage. In 15 plate appearances he had five singles, four walks and was hit by a pitch … Junior Caminero of the Dominican Republic was one of three players to hit three homers. He was the only player to ground into three double plays … America’s Ernie Clement drew seven walks and did not strike out even once … In six games the Dominican Republic pitching staff compiled a 1.98 ERA … An-Ko Lin of Chinese Taipei managed only one single and no walks in 15 plate appearances. He batted .318 last year in his country’s domestic league … In five games opponents batted only .174 against Puerto Rican pitching and did not hit a home run. However, that same pitching staff issued 25 walks and hit eight batters … Venezuela’s Luis Arraez has led the major leagues in singles each of the last three seasons, but in the WBC he turned into a slugger. He batted .308 and his eight hits included two homers and four doubles … Phillies pitchers gave a good account of themselves. Christopher Sanchez of the Dominican Republic led in strike outs with 12. Italy’s Aaron Nola led in innings pitched with nine and finished with a 1.00 ERA … Brazil had only 14 hits in four games. The team batting average was .130 … Italy won five games and Greg Weissert saved three of them.
Former Hall of Fame voter Jay Dunn has written baseball for The Trentonian for 58 years. Contact him at jaydunn8@aol.com
