NFL
By: Nicholas Mukhar
The World Baseball Classic took a dramatic turn for the worst this week, as Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing for Team Puerto Rico in the international tournament. Edwin Diaz’s injury came during Puerto Rico’s celebration following a win over the Dominican Republic and now threatens to cast doubt over the legitimacy of the WBC tournament itself. So will the injury quell enthusiasm for baseball on the world stage?
Player passion for the World Baseball Classic
If appetite for the World Baseball Classic does subside, it won’t come from the players. Following Diaz’s injury, Team Puerto Rico shortstop and Edwin Diaz’s Mets teammate Francisco Lindor told ESPN that playing in the WBC, “means just as much to all of us…” as the regular season. Team USA and Anaheim Angels star Mike Trout said recently that representing his country is the most fun he’s ever had on a baseball field. Trout’s USA teammate Mookie Betts said it would be wrong to blame Diaz’s freak injury on the World Baseball Classic, while encouraging even more players to participate in future WBC tournaments. And Team Venezuela’s Miguel Cabrera, who has participated in the WBC every year since the first edition in 2006, expressed great pride in playing for his country and said winning the Classic is a dream that he’d love to make a reality this year.
Clearly, players haven’t budged when it comes to their support for the WBC. Beyond the pride, they feel when playing for their country, there are also opportunities that the tournament presents for previously unknown ballplayers. Big league teams have been signing players to MLB contracts immediately following strong performances, during the middle of the WBC.
Take Duque Hebbert for example, a young Nicaraguan pitcher who signed with the Detroit Tigers shortly after a game in which he struck out a trio of MLB power-hitters. There’s also Milwaukee Prospect and Team Italy Outfielder Sal Frelick, who’s expected to make his major league debut with the Brewers in 2023 with a strong WBC performance.
Fan support for the WBC
Judging by the first-round TV ratings, the 2023 World Baseball Classic has delivered some clutch hits for the sport. Sixty-one percent of televisions in Puerto Rico were tuned to the WBC matchup between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, in which Edwin Diaz was injured in celebration.
Sixty- three million people watched Japan take on South Korea, easily eclipsing the most-watched World Series game which took place in 1980 and drew 54 million viewers, and rating higher than any televised competition during the Tokyo Olympics. In the United States, Team USA vs. Great Britain was the most-watched first-round WBC contest since 2009.
Overall the first round of the World Baseball Classic has set new record highs for both attendance and television viewership, indicating that interest continues to grow for baseball as a global game. It’s exactly what the sport needs at a time when the NBA and NFL are also playing and promoting their sports Internationally.
WBC will survive Edwin Diaz injury
Even as Mets fans rage against the WBC in the wake of Edwin Diaz’s injury, with many telling the New York Post that it’s, “a stupid tournament,” most players and fan’s passion for international baseball is only getting stronger around the globe. The pros of expanding interest in baseball and the discovery of soon-to-be major leaguers through their play in the WBC far out-weighing the cons of possible injuries that could just as easily happen during off-season workouts or spring training games.
The World Baseball Classic shines a spotlight on the unique styles of ball played worldwide. Team Japan’s precise hitting. The flamboyant and passionate style of South American ballers. Newly added tournament squads like Great Britain, the Czech Republic, and Nicaragua getting their first crack at international play. And with American interest in the WBC as high as it’s ever been, it’s a great segway into another MLB season.
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