In terms of viewership, the 2017 World Baseball Classic drew the most attention it ever has. Reasons include high-magnitude games involving many great MLB players, and games that had the atmosphere of a playoff game in October. The final game between the U.S and Puerto Rico (an 8-0 US win) drew 2.3 million viewers, and was the second most viewed telecast in the history of MLB network. Due to the risk of injury and the fact that it starts right in the middle of spring training, many MLB stars often pass on the chance to play for their country. This year though, countries saw numerous star players that were willing to commit to playing in the tournament. All of this created a level of intensity that had not been seen before in the World Baseball Classic.
“I think that because so many more MLB players played, [in the WBC] the games were much more exciting and fun to watch,” Newtown High School sophomore Todd Petersen said.
Fans of baseball do not want to watch players give little to no effort. In previous tournaments, fans have watched games with atmospheres comparable to spring training games with empty stadiums, and players no one had ever heard of before. The first round saw a underdog team, Israel advance to the second round after upsetting South Korea. At the same time, two countries known as baseball giants, the Dominican Republic and the US played each other in front of a packed crowd in Miami, Florida. The two squared off against each other again in the quarterfinals, and Adam Jones, centerfielder of the Baltimore Orioles, put the San Diego crowd on their feet by robbing teammate Manny Machado of a home run in the seventh inning.
“ That was an amazing catch, and it showed how much the players cared about winning, which was nice,” NHS sophomore Shea Talbot said.
After the quarter finals, four teams, (the US, Japan, Republic of the Netherlands and Puerto Rico) remained. Puerto Rico provided all kinds of excitement for fans, with their passionate play and team decision to dye all of their facial hair and hair blonde.
“Puerto Rico made the games a lot of fun, because they played so loose and just had fun, so as a fan it was fun to watch,” NHS sophomore Michael Cotton said.
The Puerto Ricans were led by veteran catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, and young stars Carlos Correa of the Astros and Francisco Lindor of the Indians. In the first semifinal game, the Puerto Ricans continued their hot streak, and knocked off the Netherlands to advance to the Championship Game, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The US faced off against Japan, who had won the tournament two times before. In a pitcher’s duel, the US rode Tanner Roark for four shutout innings, and pulled out a 2-1 victory, to punch their ticket to the final vs Puerto Rico.
In the final game in front of a crowd of over 51,000 people, US starter Marcus Stroman became unstoppable. The Blue Jays ace, and graduate of Duke University, dominated through 6 innings, not allowing a single hit.
“Watching (Stroman) pitch was awesome because he was in complete control, and couldn’t be touched,” Petersen said.
By the time Stroman allowed his first hit in the seventh inning, the US already had a 4-0 lead. Singles by Brandon Crawford (Giants), Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins) and Andrew Mccutchen (Pirates) padded the USA’s lead, and in the end the Americans won 8-0. After all, Stroman’s performance and the energy displayed by all the teams, makes people wonder just how competitive the next tournament will be in 2021.
Image Courtesy of MLB.com