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Whether USA or Puerto Rico wins, we’ll have a first-time WBC champion
Wednesday’s Say Hey, Baseball is all about the finals of the World Baseball Classic.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
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It’s finally here! It’s World Baseball Classic finals time. Well, not right now, not unless you happen to be reading this at 9 p.m. ET, but at that time Wednesday night, it’s definitely WBC finals time. It’s the USA vs. Puerto Rico in a battle of who can win their first-ever World Baseball Classic championship. The USA has never even made the finals before but earned entry after defeating two-time tournament winner Japan on Tuesday, while Puerto Rico came close in the last WBC in 2013 before falling to the Dominican Republic in the championship game.
The U.S. might have built the best lineup we’ve ever seen, even if Jim Leyland is prone to forgetting that Paul Goldschmidt is a guy who should be in every one of them. Don’t sleep on Puerto Rico’s roster, though, considering they’re undefeated in this tournament and understandably so when you take a look at who is on it: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, Yadier Molina, and thanks to the graciousness of the Mariners, they also have strikeout artist Edwin Diaz in their bullpen for one more night. Sorry, U.S. hitters.
Can you imagine that there are some people out there who believe that the United States and Puerto Rico should only have one team in the WBC, à la the Netherlands bringing in players from Aruba and Curaçao and so on, since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the U.S.? Do they never want their own countries to win another WBC ever again? Keep these two separated! Just maybe put them in the same starting pool next time so you can maybe Highlander one of the two out of the way earlier.
- Grant Brisbee has some thoughtful, uh, thoughts on why it’s both a good and bad thing it took the USA so long to make a World Baseball Classic final.
- Andrew Miller gets all the attention because he’s Andrew Miller, but Luke Gregerson has a filthy breaking ball that clinched USA’s victory and sent them to the WBC finals.
- The Braves are reportedly still interested in prying Jose Quintana away from the White Sox.
- Speaking of the White Sox, they are rebuilding, but they aren’t adding all those shiny new youthful pieces to the big-league roster just yet, based on their recent cuts.
- They did sign Tim Anderson to a long-term extension on Tuesday, though, and here are the contract details.
- Hyun-jin Ryu is looking like his old self in spring training, and that’s good news for the Dodgers’ rotation.
- Viva El Birdos wonders if an entire career with the Cardinals would help Yadier Molina’s Hall of Fame chances.
- The Indians are the “new Cubs” but apparently that doesn’t get you a Sports Illustrated cover.
- Barry Bonds just joined the Giants front office, so here is my new favorite Barry Bonds fun fact.
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