Very cool moment for Venezuela!

So much consternation about the MLB aces pitching/not pitching for Team USA, and it ends up being the bats that underwhelm.

Karma

1 minute ago, pettie4sox said:

Karma

No White House invite for either team lol

at least Harper came up with a big moment to make it exciting...dull middle innings in this one

Edited yesterday at 03:00 AM1 day by caulfield12

Great game. Great tournament. It gets better every iteration.

Awesome tourney and congrats to the champs!!! Can’t wait until 4 years from now and the mini preview in the Olympics in 2 years

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Great game. Great tournament. It gets better every iteration.

Ohtani's greatness just amplified everything

and the quality of baseball around the world has definitely jumped the last decade...which is kind of the point of the tournament in the first place

Ozzie is happy. That's for sure.

1 hour ago, Chisoxfn said:

Awesome tourney and congrats to the champs!!! Can’t wait until 4 years from now and the mini preview in the Olympics in 2 years

Saw a story via the AP a day or two ago where the interim head of the MLBPA said if there is a lockout next year and/or if regular season games get cancelled it will put in jeopardy MLB players willingness to participate in an Olympic tournament.

6 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Saw a story via the AP a day or two ago where the interim head of the MLBPA said if there is a lockout next year and/or if regular season games get cancelled it will put in jeopardy MLB players willingness to participate in an Olympic tournament.

I was wondering if the opposite would happen - would the players use it to sponsor themselves and generate revenues while on lock out - but maybe there is something that would prevent them?

You also wonder while on lockout would the Japanese league find ways to lure existing MLB talent or would those owners not cross the line (for a lack of a better term).

1 hour ago, Chisoxfn said:

I was wondering if the opposite would happen - would the players use it to sponsor themselves and generate revenues while on lock out - but maybe there is something that would prevent them?

You also wonder while on lockout would the Japanese league find ways to lure existing MLB talent or would those owners not cross the line (for a lack of a better term).

And who's going to insure all those star players for essentially one month or so??

Would rates be too high like they were with Lindor and Correa for PR?

Japanese teams also have strict limits on foreign players allowed per team.

Journeymen might go...but few US stars would. Unless their situation was similar to Trevor Bauer or E.Clase.

Edited yesterday at 05:58 AM1 day by caulfield12

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/world-baseball-classic-kyle-schwarber-mason-miller-among-team-usa-players-to-immediately-take-off-silver-medals-045751342.html

1/4th of Team USA ditches their silver medals

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/live/world-baseball-classic-venezuela-takes-down-team-usa-in-championship-game-stunner-230000808.html

USA-Venezuela has meaning beyond baseball

It is also a victory with an unavoidable political side. President Donald Trump poked Venezuela about the country becoming the 51st state via social media after its win over Italy on Monday and appeared to do so again immediately after the final pitch Tuesday. Suárez, the hero of the night, had his United States citizenship application canceled in December by Trump’s administration. And the game was held only a couple of months after the U.S. government removed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro from the country.

Edited yesterday at 06:35 AM1 day by caulfield12

Final spot next WBC USA team: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (23)

We have room for one more player and should probably go with another infielder. We could add another first baseman, but the top contenders -- the Cubs' Michael Busch and Yankees' Ben Rice -- are both left-handed-hitters like Kurtz, so that would be kind of pointless. Alonso will be coming off his age-33 season, a bit past his prime and probably a DH by then anyway. So, let's add that infielder and go with Cholowsky, a UCLA star who looks like a lock for the Chicago White Sox as the first pick in the 2026 draft. He's advanced enough that he's expected to quickly reach the majors. Maybe Cholowsky won't play much, but he can soak in the knowledge of being around all the best players in the game.

ESPN.com

Way-too-early 2029 World Baseball Classic Team USA roster

Team USA just lost to Venezuela -- but the future is still bright. Here's who could play for the U.S. in the next World Baseball Classic.

Edited yesterday at 09:16 AM1 day by caulfield12