LOS ANGELES — Netherlands manager and Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens walked into a crowded press room after losing a dramatic 11 inning epic to team Puerto Rico with a familiar look. Meulens’ demeanor wasn’t that of a manager losing a spring training game in mid-March, but one who just lost the biggest game of the season.
“Guys started really pouring their hearts into it,” he said of both team’s performances. “Both sides, the guys were pouring their hearts into it. … Compared to the World Series, I think that was the same case.”
Meulens isn’t the only coach or player who likens the WBC to playoff or World Series baseball, and you could see it from the player reactions during Monday’s tense game that eventually saw Puerto Rico move on to the final. You could see it in the way Francisco Lindor pumped up the Puerto Rican faithful before heading to the dugout moments after an inning ending double play. Or through Netherlands pitcher Tom Stuifbergen’s fiery reaction after veteran catcher Yadier Molina popped up in a crucial spot. Or after both teams poured out of the dugout when one of their teammates hit a big home run. This is not exhibition baseball to these players; these games are as important to them as any they’ve ever played. The fantastic drama of the 2017 tournament is a byproduct of that passion.
The 2017 World Baseball Classic has undoubtedly been the most dramatic, and most successful of its kind so far. Fan attendance has been the best in tournament history, with nearly a million fans going to the games around the world so far. The level of play has been outstanding with comeback wins, late inning drama and underdog stories aplenty.
There are still some elements of the WBC that need reworking, like starting the 11th inning with two baserunners or the varying replay rules according to round. Possibly the tournament’s biggest problem is the fact that it takes place smack dab in the middle of spring training. It will always be a source of stress for MLB GM’s and managers whose players go to represent their countries.
Yet the tournament works because the players, both young and old, genuinely love it. Take Yadier Molina for example, a player who has won nearly every award imaginable and owns two World Series rings. Puerto Rico third baseman (and Houston Astros shortstop) Carlos Correa told reporters Monday that after their victory over the Dominican Republic in San Diego, Molina told the team that it was the best game he’s ever been a part of.
“I think he’s having a great time,” Correa said of Molina, “this is one of the greatest times he’s had. To be one of the older guys teaching the younger guys but at the same time having fun like a little kid, he’s having a blast.”
Hearing that kind of passion from someone as accomplished as Molina should show skeptics that the WBC isn’t going away anytime soon. There is one thing that seems to be holding it back though, but that could be resolved as soon as this evening.
Fans in the United States don’t appear to have the same fervor for the tournament as their counterparts, even though team USA’s players seem to care deeply about the results. There are plenty of factors going against them, most important being that the team has never advanced further than the semi-finals despite baseball being, ya know, the great AMERICAN past time. It would help legitimize the tournament in many fans eyes if the country that invented baseball actually played the best baseball. American baseball fans also get to watch the best players in the world in Major League Baseball every day from April to October, something many international fans can’t do. And there is another pretty big tournament that goes on in March that seems to catch a lot more eyeballs than the WBC, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
Despite those factors, a victory over Japan could prove to be a breakthrough for the WBC in the United States. Team USA had arguably their biggest victory of the tournament last week, defeating team Venezuela in a game that featured two moments, Adam Jones’ game saving catch and Giancarlo Stanton’s go ahead monster shot, that will surely become iconic if they can move on to the championship round. Everyone loves a winner, especially in this country, and a USA win would go a long way to validating the WBC to American fans.
What if that doesn’t happen though? What if Japan topples the mighty Americans once again to move on to their 3rd final in 4 tournaments? If American baseball fans don’t care, is the WBC doomed to fail? Not necessarily, in fact not likely. This is only the 4th edition of the WBC, so there’s still plenty of room to grow and evolve. In fact, in just a little over ten years it’s already grown quite a bit and differentiated itself from traditional baseball. The tournament brings out a side of the players we seldom see during the grind of a 162 game MLB season, one that is less restrained, more emotional and frankly more fun. International fans love it and come out in droves when their team plays in their home country. And if you’re a baseball fan, what’s not to love? The idea of an international baseball tournament the likes of FIFA’s World Cup is exciting. Admittedly, previous versions of the tournament haven’t lived up to that lofty billing, but 2017 has gotten pretty darn close.
The ultimate goal of the WBC was to grow the sport internationally and create interest and excitement about baseball in places where it either was never there or beginning to fade. It’s safe to say it has done that, reinvigorating interest in baseball in Puerto Rico, making the Netherlands into a legit baseball superpower and making Israel baseball relevant thanks to their improbable run.
There are still kinks to work out, but the WBC is here to stay. If the lack of US success in the tournament still holds you back from getting into it, well then that’s your loss, because this is some of the best baseball has to offer.
