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How the World Baseball Classic Changed Baseball
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- Опубліковано 21 бер 2023
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The WBC literally had a Hollywood ending. If you were to ask any baseball fan before the tournament what they wanted to see, they would say Ohtani vs Trout in 9th inning with two outs. Absolutely incredible tournament
Seriously it was awesome. Bummed the US didn't win, but losing to Japan and OHTANI isn't shameful.
Literally?
It was so good. Would've loved for team USA to have won, but Japan deserved it. They have crazy good players.
The WBC fixes the problems with the mlb
I am not a big baseball fan, but I don't understand how I can hear these sports media pundits claiming this tournament means nothing... it's like they have no idea of the pride you get for representing your country. Getting to see these great athletes compete and all the great fanbases come together to watch is a gift. Reminds me of the feeling of the World Cup. Incredibly well made video and thanks for sharing
You nailed it. Nothing like the best on best from every country and it works for every sport.
They are in denial. Nothing is more important than their team winning
Congratulations, Japan. I'm American, but lucky to live in Kyoto. Proud to root for both teams. Brings me back to my childhood in Seattle watching the Mariners of the 90's and 2000's.
Wow Ichiro ＆Sasaki ！
I lived in Tokyo/Yokosuka 5 years and was blessed to watch the Swallows and Giants play lots of games at Jingu. Such great memories!
Growing up in Texas, I was raised on the Astros but would also secondary the SoftBank Hawks thanks to my brother who loved Japanese things
@追分356 and Griffey and a rod and Randy Johnson and a ton more. I grew up watching that team and going to games in the king dome. Good times as a baseball fan.
15:43 Kazuhiro Sasaki, one of the legendary pitcher at the Mariners, provided live commentary on TV, screamed crazy and lost his word when Murakami hits a walk-off...
As an Italian, a country in which baseball is just a niche sport, the WBC was for me the occasion to get to know what the game is about.
It was really cool not only to see our national team journey, but also to understand the emotions that this sport can bring during the final and the games before.
From now on, will surely follow more.
Baseball got a new fan
It's a beautiful game and this is a great way to showcase the game worldwide.
Ancient Rivalry in WCS? Yes!
MLB/WBC intensity & passion?? ABSOLUTELY!!
Welcome to the fascinating and unpredictable world of baseball!
Piazza
Nice. Do many Italians know the rules of baseball? Is there any kind of league?
One thing that most American Sports Fans will never understand is that the national team is ALWAYS more important than your preferred club. I’d give ANY resource from my club to support the National Team. No matter which sport, no matter the situation. The National Team puts your country in the map. This may not be important to the USA, but it’s for almost any other country.
we’re so selfish dude it’s nuts
And that’s because up till now, no one else has really played our sports 😅 It’s hard to put everything we have into Olympic basketball, for instance, when we win it every year, no contest
well with baseball its weird bec it doesnt have a strong national team history, this tournement isnt even 20 years old. and also the huge majority of talent in that tournament is playing in in the domestic league in the US so that is the only league that it is really taking away from for the most part, even all the players on like italy and teams like that are just americans with some italian heritage
@Brodie Morris its also because the players on the teams arent from the nations they play for, for the most part at least. fucking mike piazza was the manager for the italian team had 25 players who were from the USA and like 5 from Italy, 1 from san Marino, a venezuelan, brazilian and domenican.and for israel every single player but one is from the US and doesnt even have Israeli citizenship, unless you are inclined to believe that people like Danny Valencia, CJ Stubbs, Alex Dickerson and Ty Kelly have a storied Jewish lineage. Mexico had 12 players from USA guys like Alek Thomas who idk how he is mexican or Austin Barnes.
*every other country
WBC meant so much for us Taiwanese people, even though we didn't advance because of the rules, we were still happy with the result, and we know the potential of our young players. We're gonna fight back next time. LETS GO TEAM TAIWAN
Nice 👍👍
Taiwan played really well! Just gave up too many runs against them, this time. We'll be back for sure!
加油！
The American players who participated have my respect. Telling coaching staffs to ignore restrictions, rallying amongst each other. It was very cool to see as an American fan who wants to see baseball grow
I like this comment but the part where you said “I wanna see baseball grow” is so funny to me
@SimonSays62 Why 😭
I think baseball can be as big as cricket or basketball are internationally.
@de132 bro imagine if you could convert some cricket fans to baseball fans - that alone would make it rival soccer at the world stage. That would be so cool for the sport.
@de132 cricket isn’t globally popular, India just has a big ass population.
Absolutely dude. Seeing that not only the teams, but also the public didnt give a damn about WBC, watching the players ignoring all the BS Is priceless.
I'm Japanese-American and watching the WBC has become a religious sport gathering for my family, just like the FIFA World Cup, Winter and Summer Olympics, and NBA Finals. My family and relatives in Japan absolutely love baseball and the atmosphere between a WBC game and an MLB game is day and night comparison. If only the US could take the WBC more seriously like the other teams, they could've built a baseball Dream Team! But I'm so proud of my home country winning the WBC!
The finals was absolutely tragic for the US offense. They stranded every single player they had on base in the only time they scored was solo home runs and they only lost by 1. I'm never going to root for Japan because they have won the things 3 goddamn times now. 😂
@When Is dinner I would root for team USA, but its hard to root for a team where their best players aren't even in it. Its like watching the '04 US Olympic Basketball team.
What does nba final has to do with all this?That game is not even international let alone every once 4 years.
@Oscar Zhang The NBA Finals aren't international, but my family (being huge basketball fans) love watching it. Sometimes we'd even have mini family gatherings at each other's house watching the game. Thats why it has such an importance equivalent to the other sporting events listed.
@Yesnog05 That's a relatable lists of events, my family is similar in that my dad is always glued when the olympics are on as well the NBA finals and the family at large tunes into FIFA. Seeing Messi's magical run come to fruition is something else. They don't watch baseball though and I'm trying to get them into it, and using Ohtani as the selling point.
That '04 team was pretty loaded though. It had Tim Duncan, Lebron and Allen Iverson still and all others were allstars. Imo, it was more stacked than the recent teams. Like the tokyo 2020 team only had Durant as a top top player. No Curry, Lebron or Kawhi Leonard. So I don't blame lack of top talent for the 04', they just underperformed.
It’s a shame that many US fans and Media didn’t care about this tournament. This tournament shows that baseball is growing.
IKR. It's like EPL is important but fifa world cup makes EPL watched world wide. Same for WBC. If WBC were like the World Cup, MLB would be so much more enriched. Americans are short-sighted
US citizen living in Japan. The championship match was the stuff of legends. I knew the sentiment of the fans back home, but it was great to see the US give it their all. Hopefully the MLB teams and other critics of the tournament will see this and learn to appreciate the worldwide appeal that it brings to the sport.
Well said!
I’m Mexican, and only watch fútbol. I’ve never cared about baseball. I didn’t even know the word baseball classic was going on until Mexico kept advancing and everybody kept talking about it. I was able to catch Mexico vs Japan and then watched Japan vs USA final. Had so much fun watching the games and it made me very interested in the sport. Can’t wait for the next one! I’ll try to watch it from beginning this time.
I'm a college student doing a semester abroad in Tokyo. Unfortunately I never got to go to a game, but we went to what's basically a sports bar, and holy crap. They passed out noisemakers to everyone who came in, people were ordering rounds for everyone, it was insane. This was in the group stage. I couldn't get into a bar during the finals because we couldn't find one that had even standing room left. We watched from the street.
As an American, I got more invested in the WBC than in any baseball game this past year, save the AL playoffs. It’s the best example of baseball on the international stage. Japanese baseball is the most pure form of the game, and their high school tournaments are a sight to behold, something I hope to be able to experience. It’s a shame that the players are discouraged by their MLB teams from participating. This is how you grow the game
Agreed
Good take
Fully agree, MLB = Show; Baseball= far east
this is the best way to advertise the sport internationally.
Exactly. Like, the World Cup had to grow to become where it is today.
I used to worry that only a few people, including we Japanese, would pay attention to this tournament, but now I am very happy to feel that the enthusiasm is shared by people all over the world.
As an Australian, beating South Korea and seeing you guys lose to amateurs confirmed my suspicions that the sport is a complete joke.
@BTF_Flotsam tbh you acting like things like this could never happen in any other sport, baseball can be a game of miracles, you just don't understand. cheers.
@Anthony Marino Dumb luck and random chance happens in every sport, as well as games like roshambo.
@BTF_Flotsam I can understand why the British sent you Aussies' flawed genetic pool as far away from the UK as possible.....
WBC has an enormous international following and that’s exactly what will grow Baseball beyond the US. It was amazing to watch and I for one as a Die hard Yankees fan would rather watch the WBC than truly meaningless spring training games where guys could get hurt just the same. WBC is the World Cup for Baseball and the real “World Series”.
I don't know why I write to you after all of these messages but as a Mexican following Baseball for over 40 years I can say I love baseball more than ever. I'd seen your videos before and I appreciate how objective, precise and honest you are. I hope baseball and all of its culture continues to be known everywhere. Looking forward to more of your videos.
It was honestly so amazing watching both the Japan-Mexico semis and Japan-USA finals. I didn't know until this year that this tournament even existed (thx mom for hording it to yourself lmao). That semi final between mexico and japan honestly felt like it had come out of a sports manga it was so amazing. I was watching the finals right before I had to leave for my flight to Japan for vacation.
As a Mexican-American who loves Japanese culture, I have to say, the WBC was much more fun to watch than any MLB game I've caught on TV :D
I wish you could've mentioned how Team Mexico took almost the entire country of Mexico by storm. Baseball is popular in Mexico and it's safe to say that it's the #2 sport in the country. #1 is obviously soccer, but lately, Mexican soccer fans feel so disenfranchised by the Mexican soccer federation for subpar performances from the national team, the league being mediocre, complaceny, more Mexican matches in the US than in Mexico and overall corruption. Many gave baseball a chance and are now so proud of Team Mexico for making a deep run and consider Randy Arozarena a national icon for expressing his gratitude, love and respect for Mexico and its people.
I'm so glad we don't have to wait 4 years until the next one!
When’s the next one?
@Diogo GF It's every 3 years now, so 2026.
@Miscellaneous Productions Thx
@Miscellaneous Productions actually guys, it's every 4 years. However due to the pandemic they had to adjust a bit. So we had one in 2017...pandemic...2023,2026,2029...2033 and then from there every 4 years.
@Jesse Cruz But really they should just make it every 3 years permanently. This isn't the Olympics.
Ohtani vs. Trout for that final at bat is absolutely legendary, and will go down as one of the all-time greatest at bats in baseball history.
As a Met fan, it was sad to see what happened to Diaz and my mood was somewhat soured on the WBC however as time went on and the more insane stuff happened in the tournament, I realized that I shouldn’t blame the tournament and I love how this event brought the world together for baseball.
Dude got hurt in an absolute freak accident that had nothing to do with baseball. It's not like he blew out his arm on the final pitch. He got injured in his leg jumping up and down.😂
@When Is dinner true, and besides, it's their countries they're representing, I'm sure they'd happily get injured wearing their country's flag once every 3-4 years, instead of sitting and watching just to play another season with their team in the US, which after all it's just a job and a new contract offer can change it in the blink of an eye
@MrDeath5300 if it were me I'd much rather get injured after clutching up for my country rather than get injured playing some meaningless spring training game
And this is exactly the problem. If MLB really cares they'd stop the season for two weeks and play it. But they don't care enough for that, so you get guys ramping it up when they're still getting ready for the season, and boom injury.
I’m a Puerto Rican,baseball is something special in our culture . Everybody or almost everybody loves it. Me personally had not watched MLB or baseball in some time before the WBC started. I watched the classic in support of my homeland and I don’t regret it,it was some of the best baseball I personally have seen. Made me be aware of the sport again and I’m gonna be tuning in for some MLB games when I have the chance.
México 🇲🇽 cayó en la raya 🤙🏻Felicidades a Japón 🇯🇵 🏆
As an Angels fan i has no idea who to root for, but i was on the edge of my seat with Trout and Ohtani. What an amazing game.
Really? You didn't know who to root for? You couldn't pick between America and the enemy? That's so sad.
@Carl Helms That's certainly one of the takes of all time.
"The enemy" lol
I was watching a Mexican broadcast of the championship, and one of the guys talking said “I was asked by people If I knew about baseball, and how much they loved it. They never experienced anything baseball related before this.” The fact that people who have never seen or cared about baseball turned their head because of this league is truly wonderful.
Yeah absolutely. With this performance of México, baseball can get more popularity than in other years in my country México controlled only by soccer, even people who never watched baseball before , they enjoyed the game with Japan.
@Edd Rodríguez Mexico played great. The whole tournament was a blast to watch.
Im half japanese half canadian, always thought baseball was super boring to watch, but I decided to watch the Japan vs Mexico and Japan vs US games and I had some of the most fun watching sports in my life
Mexico vs Japan and Japan vs USA got me into baseball, right now I’m playing the show 22 and reading a lot about baseball statistics and found this cool book called “watching baseball smarter” pretty fun and informative, still deciding with team to follow in the mlb, may be halos because Ohtani
I really enjoyed the WBC. Baseball is a minor sport in Australia, and although some of our guys were playing in the minors in the states and Japan I feel like the showing Australia put in deserved a mention in this video. We beat the Czech Republic who was noted to be Japan's biggest competition? In short, great video but don't forget about the mammoth effort from the Aussies!
He probably had to cut the video short. But Aussies played great too!
The WBC has made me a baseball fan! I'm interested in MLB now and I'm excited to pick a team to root for. Can't wait for the next WBC, I'm so proud of Mexico! I'm excited for the future of baseball!
This brought a tear to my eye. So long has I thought baseball, a game that I love, was dead. Little did I know, it was more alive than ever!
I love how Yu Chang debated sitting out so he could focus on making a MLB roster but by playing he submitted one of the best resumes possible to make one
What a great summary of the WORLD CUP of BASEBALL !!, congrats Japan for the winning, you deserve it🎉🎉🎉
yes, this was exceptional.
It's pretty sad that America downplays the WBC. Just look at all the other countries. You can just see the passion and what the WBC means to them. The crowds gave me the chills. I loved it.
But I bet those same people watched the FIFA World Cup but isn't watching any of the European leagues.
The ironic thing is it was created by the mlb to gain more worldwide popularity.
The Us has had a “get paid” culture in pro sports. They’ve been downplaying All-Star games since the 1970’s. It is natural to want to play your best in these games. The MLB teams themselves promote this culture because they view themselves as footing the bill for these players. They’ve tried to downplay this tournament as an All-Star tournament (which it is), but the problem is that the foreign born players don’t share that mindset. I think there’s going to be a further attempt to denigrate and micromanage this tournament even more by the mlb management in the next running. I think that eventually the American players will buy in further and play as passionately as everyone else.
@KiteSC The FIFA World Cup (and the sport in general) isn't as big of a deal in the US as it is elsewhere, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't watch the World Cup or any of the European leagues.
"This tournament means nothing"
These types of tournaments creates legendary moments and inspires the next upcoming players from around the world. This tournament means everything, to every baseball fan.
I'm not a big baseball fan, yet alone watch the MLB. But seeing how every country seemed to have a great history and story behind them I was hooked on watching it. Games were exciting and very entertaining. You could feel the passion the players had playing for their countries. The name on the jersey mattered to them. It was awesome!... that being said I don't understand why sports analysts in the USA were against it saying its meaning less. I get that they can get hurt and all that but that happens in every sport. You don't see all the others sports complain about it and say it doesn't mean anything. It means everything to them.
Sohei Ohtani and WBC are the two reason I got into baseball. I grew up playing basketball but, baseball is just different! Wow I'm proud of these countries who represented. Baseball is an amazing sport ! I am now a fan for life.
I’m a cards fan and was excited for Lars nootbar he was playing good for us and this just helps his confidence and game.
The 2023 WBC was the best tournament I have ever seen. Great plays by Mexico, Venezuela, Taiwan, Japan , USA etc. I am totally for this tournament and hope that it will still continue. If you want Baseball to be a world sport, you have to let this continue otherwise it will be just another American sport.
The Mexico Vs Japan semi final I thought was one of the best complete games of baseball I've ever seen, what a tournament, well done everyone.
Definitely top 5 for most people. Most people's top 5s list probably have 2-3 games from WBC 23'.
I agree, and also the one between Venezuela and DR was my favorite, the energy inside the stadium was spectacular. I'm biased because I’m Venezuelan 😂
That game was crazy good
It’s like watching an excellent duel between Chapuline Colorado vs Kamen Rider. And they’re both grasshopper cyborgs.
@Santiago Heat it was crazy loud...you should be proud of your team and supporters 😊
As someone who has never been interested in baseball, the moment I saw a clip of Yu Chang's HR against the Netherlands and the insanity that followed, I was INVESTED.
Based Maqwell
I’ve never been a baseball fan and In 2017 I was in the Marines, stationed in San Diego and one my friends who’s really into baseball wanted us to go with him to watch the US vs Dominican Republic game so we went. I had never heard of the WBC so had no clue what to really expect.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that game was one of the best live sporting events I’ve ever experienced. The crowd was so live, people were doing the wave, chanting, just having fun all around and then when Adam Jones made that catch on Manny Machado I remember the entire stadium just erupting with excitement and celebrating. It was hands down one of the best memories I have. I never realized how fun baseball could be to watch until that day.
I never understood the hate for this tournament, this is literally the equivalent to what would be the FIFA World Cup but obviously for baseball. I think it’s great that we can see these players represent their country and the positives is that baseball will just get even more popularity globally within time.
Being in Loan Depot Park for pool play and the DR vs PR game was electric. It brought chills to my skin and tears to my eyes. I’ve been to each edition of the WBC in Miami and it’s gotten better and better.
It will take a few more classic world baseball classics like this and MLB teams will eventually be on board...It's a shame they can't see what this will do for the game's popularity in the long term
That Czech team was a great story...So many interesting plotlines in this tournament...Ending couldn't have been scripted better...Shohei's legacy, if it already wasn't cemented as one of the greatest, definitely is now
The argument that "it doesn't mean anything" is funny. It's sports, bro. None of it means anything. If anything these games have more meaning because there are entire countries to the fanbase with real world reasons to have rivalries. Sidenote, loved watching the Taiwan games. The passion from the crowd was unbelievable. Almost made it feel like these silly ball games have meaning!
I agree. It's the same thing with dumb NBA players wanting nothing to do with the Olympics for so long. Like, what means more than that in sports?
I agree if anything these mean more. its not just country pride, its facing the best in the world.
To you it’s entertainment but to the owners it’s a waste of money toward that player that just got hurt and ruins your chance to win the WS…The WBC is very cool but I see where the owners are coming from because at the end of the day playing a sport like baseball is a job and those players are expected to do that job. Don’t cancel the WBC but at the same time take into consideration what the owners say because how would you feel if someone you are paying gets hurt doing the same job they are supposed to do for you.
Professional sports means money. As I'm sure you know money makes the world go round.
facts, its all just as meaningless to humans in the grand scheme. Buts also facts that from an owners/business perspective they do have better interests here. This creates a dilemma, as an NHL fan who has frequently seen the league block players from playing in the olympics, this can be very frustrating.
Esta es la clase de magia que la Copa Mundial de fubol tiene y que la serie mundial de baseball nunca tendra. Jugar con el equipo nacional es por puro amor al juego.
This is what baseball needed! These men have brought excitement back into the world of baseball.
We didn’t win 🇩🇴🇩🇴, but I have to say this was the best baseball classic I’ve ever watch, I didn’t miss a single game.
Even as a Red Sox fan living in Boston for 25 years, these WBC games were some of the most fun i've ever had watching baseball! This tournament has unbelievable potential. ... just wait until Team USA adds some actual pitching
The reason im even getting into baseball was partially thanks to the WBC. I thought it was really cool hearing about it, and I began a slow interest in the game. I went to my first baseball game in like a decade last week. It was super fun!
This was the best world baseball classic to this point. Something special clicked with this one. It has set the tone for the next WBC tournaments to come. Baseball is back to having incredible prestige, influence worldwide like never before.
The rest of the storybook is to be written and I can't wait to see what is in store.
I love baseball and I'm already excited for 2026.
USA got their passion back & lost. Hear dude say it was the most fun he had put a smile on my face.
@Lincoln Salmon Trout has already committed to play in 2026 (he'll just be 34 years old still). I think he will spend the entire year in the lead up to it next time getting guys to sign on. And this won't be prime Trout at this point recruiting. This will be veteran Trout as he transitions to 40-50 homer power annually Trout with over 100 career WAR recruiting the guys that chose baseball over sports in part because they watched him growing up. This team was incredible, but the next Team USA could be the greatest roster ever assembled. I would be shocked if we don't get at least 3 ace pitchers and at least 3 of the top 10 relievers in the sport to sign up. Along with a lineup of guys like Adley, Gunnar, Witt, Corbin, etc. alongside the veteran superstars. Hopefully we get Judge next time to backup Trout and hopefully, Harper, who wanted to play this time, will be healthy. If we actually send all our stars in pitching along with hitting, this tournament may get closer to the level I think it will ultimately reach - right on par with the WC and Olympics as the pinnacle of international competition.
@Lincoln Salmon Trout said Ohtani won round 1. IDK but baseball and sports in general always gives you revenge.
You're right: the WBC did feel special this year. I can think of three factors:
1) It's the first world-wide tournament post-pandemic that actually meant something to Americans. The World Cup might have been that event for most of the world, but none of the games were in the US, and most American soccer players aren't well known. The WBC both played games in the US and had household names playing: Trout, Ohtani, Turner, Schwarber, etc. Add the large Latino population in the US, and you're going to have some PASSIONATE fans at the game.
2) Take all those reasons from #1, multiply their magnitude by 3, and apply it to Japan. Japan had kept its pandemic restrictions for longer (remember they had limited crowds for the Tokyo Olympics, so what was supposed to be a huge event for them was severely muted), so I think Japan REALLY needed a reason to come together and cheer. What better way than to cheer the greatest Japanese baseball team ever assembled.
3) This might be me getting too political, but I've personally become cynical of pro sports. I'm from Oakland, so I grew up a Warriors, 49ers, & A's fan (the Raiders were in LA when I was growing up, and when they returned the Raiders were insanely dysfunctional), and after seeing both the Warriors & Raiders leave, with the A's on the verge of leaving, I don't feel like my local teams are "mine." Even though I still love watching the Warriors, at the end of the day I know that my fandom is ultimately about making some billionaire owner richer.
But the WBC isn't about billionaires: it's about grown adults with the heart of kids playing for their country. We get to see world-class athletes put everything on the line for pride. It's rare, and it's cool.
My cynical side says that it won't be long before the WBC gets corrupted by money and politics like FIFA and the World Cup are (and knowing Rob Manfred, it's likely to be sooner than later) but for now the WBC is still novel enough to retain its innocence and just be about baseball and country. I'll enjoy that while I can.
I think it was Ohtani and Trout. It feels like the final was destiny. The final ending with Trout and Ohtani on a 3-2 pitch? Just seems like it was ordained by God.
Can’t help but smile when you see trout and ohtani squaring off at the plate for the biggest at bat in world history. What an amazing epic moment in baseball history.
Great video! I really hope the USA's best pitchers are able to compete next time. The WBC is so much fun, and it makes baseball better by infusing the passion and different styles of countries around the world. It would be great too if they could just have a two-week All Star break, hold the WBC then, and also have an international home run derby. Looking at the list of potential pitchers from the USA, if you just selected for durability by taking the pitchers who have thrown at least 170 innings in the last three full seasons, you would have a rotation of Cole, Nola, Ray, Musgrove, and Wainwright. Wainwright did pitch in the WBC, but he is also near the end of his career. Imagine how exciting it would be if even one of the current top starters pitched for team USA.
People saying this tournament means nothing is why baseball is dying in America. This tournament gave me so much pride in my country and baseball.
Not everything in life is about money, WBC is the only baseball game I watch now and this is coming from a former baseball player myself.
I have to admit I wasn’t as sold on the WBC before this one, but I decided to give this one a chance and I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t watch too many games live because of late/weird start times, but I tried to catch up as best I could. Trea Turner’s grand slam against Venezuela may be one of my favorite baseball moments ever.
The ignorance of some networks and casters, particularly in America to write off the WBC just feels so insane. This WBC has brought so many fans to the game and reignited the excitement in so many ex-fans. Ohtani is the only reason I keep up to date with the mlb anymore and to see so many people reflect this is exciting. The WBC bridges the international audience with the MLB and this most recent tourney is a prime example of that. I hope that sentiment of the tournament continues to change for the better and that more american fans see the value in it.
Anyone criticizing the WBC is just scared of it not being “America’s sport” anymore. But it already isn’t. And it makes it wayyyy more fun to watch. And ironically, more of the US will watch baseball now!
I think it was also pretty telling the backlash a lot of those people were getting. I wish the video would've touched on that a bit more, but players/former players and fans came down pretty hard on those hating on the WBC.
@Mike O'Malley I think it has more to do with these baseball "experts," and pundits not identifying with the World Cup element of sports. For them, it's all about the Show. If it's not a World Series, it doesn't matter. For the casual fan, I think we can see the excitement and get behind the idea that this is HUGE. It's insanely fun to have each country going for "gold," every few years. The viewership refelcts as much.
Money talks. Goose that lays the golden egg here. People are afraid of change.
I couldn't agree with you more. I'm not a baseball fan, but I loved this WBC edition. I look forward to the next editions.
This year's WBC with Ohtani, Trout and Taiwan got me into watching more baseball videos. I'm following up on the MLB this year for the first time and trying to learn all the stats abbrev. And language and all, but I can see that baseball is quite a charming sport.
that's so sick he became a Mexican citizen and played for them. that's legendary ! the ending to the WBC is the most legendary baseball moment in a long time
I hope MLB teams think of WBC more seriously and more MLB players join their national teams in the next WBC. Especially, the American ace pitchers, if that happens it's gonna be so competitive and America would dominate. WBC is a real deal, might be like soccer's World Cup in the future. I want to thank Ohtani and Trout for inviting players to join the national team and showing us the most historical, dramatic game I ever watched. From Japan 🇯🇵
i’ve never watched the WBC before. wouldn’t consider myself a baseball watcher. but man this tournament was something absolutely special. It felt like so much was at stake which made this tourney so much better. 🇲🇽
WBC is the real world series! It has the potential for the whole world to love the game. It can one day become popular worldwide as soccer.
Seeing Trout vs Ohtani was the baseball equivalent of Mbappe vs Messi last World Cup couldn’t have asked for a better tournament
Pretty well put.
@Megas Doux bummed as an American that they didn’t win but as an Ohtani and Angels fan couldn’t be more happy for him and Japan
@Nick Simpson it’s a shame that Team USA couldn’t have their aces. Even then, GREAT game and a pretty fun tournament to watch through and through.
Accurate, seeing how Angels and PSG are also both wasting the talent of the two great players they have.
Who are those guys? You mean prime MJ vs prime Lebron?
Was great progress for WBC but still need to actually see the best of the best mlb line ups representing america for it to truly be meaningful to a lot of mlb fans
bottom line is it's not an exhibition tournament. it's the world cup of baseball and should mean a lot to players and fans.
Baseball gods smiling on Japan 💯 as a red blooded American, I love it too❤ baseball for the most part has a highly intellectual fan base and it’s usually very uniting . It’s good for the world 🌎 maybe future political disputes can be settled over a good ole game of stick ball
I’ve never watched baseball, but this tournament was genuinely exciting
MLB teams should be encouraging their players to participate in the WBC. It lifts the profiles of their players, boosts viewership overseas on their clubs & boost merchandise sales.
This year was the first time I actually paid attention to it and honestly it was the most exciting and enjoyable baseball ive ever watched. As an American i was rooting for Japan to go all the way since game 1 and im happy the way it turned out
The world needs more baseball. FACT 💯👀😎👍
@Marcus Spiva, I've been a lifelong baseball fan and I've never seen a championship game so exciting and electric.
I don't know why but I too was rooting for Japan. Maybe it's because of how important the game is for them and the passion they show.
It's such a good format. It's like March madness with pro players and countries instead of colleges.
And the risk of getting hurt is way less than the nfl or NBA so it's actually competitive unlike pro bowl and all star games. The pitching handicap from the USA makes it even more competitive.
Just super fun
@William Davis Their style is just so cool imo. All the leg kicking and wild pitcher windups, it's just interesting to watch a different flavor of baseball.
I also really like their contact approach to hitting a lot more than the swing as hard as you can 3 true outcomes style that's popular in the usa rn.
I have never watched baseball before, my experience with it began and ended with playing as a young kid. Watching the WBC on whim has made me fall in love with the game. Will absolutely be following the MLB this season. Baseball is lucky to have the MLB promoting this kind of best on best competition. As a longtime hockey fan, we have recently been starved of best on best competition. The last time NHL players went to the Olympics was 2014 and the World Cup of Hockey, what should be our WBC, last occurred in 2016 and the date for the next one keeps being pushed back (2025/26 hopefully). There is an energy that comes from these kinds of best on best competitions that is just so unique and powerful. Enjoy it and don't let anyone take it away from you.
Diaz story in Mexico is nuts. Just shows how passionate the whole world is about the tournament
This time WBC owns MLB in thrills. This is fantastic for the future of the game. We need worldwide heroes to keep alive the show.
Just imagine mexico vs japan for the final would have been so good
This tournament was the most exciting sporting event I watched in a while and your coverage has been very interesting. I have been having trouble finding out how the Korean media is reacting to that tagout though.
I would love to see you do more of your deep dive research videos into baseball culture and figures in other countries. Specifically Eiji Sawamura who famously struck out Lou Gherig, Babe Ruth, and others when in high school before eventually dying in WWII. Japan's high school Koshien tournaments that and the brutal single elimination tournaments leading up to them would be good as well. Same with Korea's weird system where only 70 or so high school sin the whole country can have a baseball team
I live in Japan and regularly see Angels caps (Ohtani), and M's (Ichiro) & Yankees (Matsui). Asia is nuts about baseball. The idea that the WBC "doesn't matter" is beyond foolish. MLB is in a distant 3rd in North American sports, it needs this tournament to grow.
Asia is not nuts about baseball - Japan is nuts about it and to lesser degrees South Korea and Taiwan but that's about it.
China for example is all about soccer and basketball, India and Pakistan is all about cricket, and there's almost no meaningful baseball culture in South East Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines etc). Japan's baseball culture is already so big it even doesn't have much more room to grow anymore, though you can make an argue there's potential in the other areas of Asia outside of Japan for the sports to grow but as it is right now baseball in Asia is extremely niche.
That’s awesome
However, Asian countries which have strong influence from Britain (yea, the British Empire) do no like baseball. they like football(soccer) and cricket.
Congrats Japan! We’re sll the players on Japan team mlb players or are they from the Asian leagues? Obviously I know Ohtani and Darvish are mlb players
@Brian Meen many NPB players
If you've never had the chance to experience a WBC game in the Tokyo Dome.......the only way to describe it is WOW. It is absolutely amazing, electric, full of energy from the top of the 1st to the bottom of the 9th. I would dare to say that Baseball has replaced Sumo as Japan's national sport.
This years WBC was more exciting and motivating than ANY World Series game I have ever watched.
In fact I would go so far as to say, the tournament was more exciting in general than any multi game series of any kind that I’ve witnessed.
As someone who hasn’t watched hardly any baseball in 5+ years, I watched the last 3 USA games and loved it. I think that reason alone is why MLB should want it for those like me who will consider going back to watching baseball again.
you know it's a damn shame there's a lot of people that got upset with this series. people forgetting about the love of the game. but im so happy that more actual fans embraced it.
God I wish I watched that tournament! I have fallen away from baseball for quite some time. I was always a fan as a kid and a teen, but just lost interest I guess!
In the last few days I have kinda gained interest again through videos like this. This video made that tournament look fun to watch.
I would like to go back and watch Canada's part in the tournament. I would love to see those games. I know they didn't win. But hey, I am Canadian, so it would be cool to see either way.
Great video by the way!
Maybe that's what this tournament is about, getting people excited and interested in the sport.
When this went to single elimination, things turned up. Win or go home. It made every game feel like game 7 of the World Series. Some of the loudest baseball crowds I've heard on TV.
I was honestly deeply disappointed the lack of crowd in the Columbia vs USA game that was basically elimination because of record and runs allowed etc. Guess people just didn't realize it was loser goes home😂
@Riley Esmay I think its because they played in the middle of nowhere
Has it not always been single elimination?
@Elias Salcedo What do you mean middle of nowhere? The Mexico vs USA game I was not able to go to but heard it had record attendance and PHX is the desert but it is a pretty big metro area
@Fryncyar Yorvjink No. Pool play for the first 40 games of the tournament. Only the last 7 were elimination😂
The WBC is the reason ive gotten into baseball. Im english so I love an international tourney and i dont understand how a country w so much national pride like the US doesnt appreciate a tourney like this
Really hope upcoming WBC's can get to the level of attention and cultural phenomenon like the FIFA world cup, where players compete for their countries' honor and fans get to proudly represent their countries.
I think this WBC was a turning point in the tournament for USA, I feel a dream team coming in next tournament.
This was the first time ive ever heard about the World Baseball Classic. At least for me, this years WBC has done more for baseball than probably anything ever. At least it made me care for baseball for the 1st time in my life. Id assume it did the same for a lot of other people.
I was really happy that the countries that lost to Japan cheered for us. In Japan, the mound is a sacred place, sports are about courtesy and respect regardless of whether you win or lose, and Ohtani is a symbol of that. He is more popular with the people than the children of the imperial family.
Mexico almost beat Sasaki, but it was such an exciting game that I didn't even get mad with the loss.
No way you can dislike what Ohtani is doing. Japan looked like a team that deserved to win.
And other than Cuba looking flat against US, all knockout games I watched were intense.
korea placed flags on the mound because of ichiro's unnecessary and disrespectful words before the game
@Smurf Ichiro's words were said in jest and not directed at any particular country, yet the Korean media distorted his words. And if Ichiro really said something disrespectful to Korea, don't you think he should have said it back with words? This time, the Korean player was also joking when he said he was going to hit Ohtani with a dead ball, but the media in both countries made the issue bigger. And now that Japan won, did the Japanese players retaliate in any way against Korea? No, on the contrary, Ohtani showed respect even to the other country that had said such a thing. In sports, it is common to provoke the opponent, but it is degrading to actually act disrespectfully.
My girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to attend USA vs. Venezuela, USA vs. Cuba, Japan vs. Mexico, and USA vs. Japan and I've gotta say, it was one of the most incredible events that I've ever been a part of. The energy in Miami was electric, the crowds were incredible, the games were insane and it had a storybook ender that would have been called unrealistic if it had been submitted as a Hollywood script. I can't even put into words what these past few days meant and I sincerely hope that every baseball fan gets to experience this type of spectacle in their lifetime.
What a string of games back-to-back. This was a special tournament and you were there for most of it. I'm very very jealous.
Just curious....how much did you spend to see all these games?...
I'm still heartbroken from the Venezuela vs USA game
Oh man. get yourself over to Taiwan for a WBC one of these days...that crowd energy is second to none!!! Dancing cheerleaders, music, live chants over the PA system, and not a single person sitting down...so loud that you could barely year the TV commentators. it puts every American MLB team's crowd action to utter shame...and this is coming from someone that reveled in the awesomeness that was having Steve Perry himself grace multiple post season games with "sing-alongs".
Lol that sounds horrible...I hate when people stand up, i can't see anything
Whether these MLB fans and teams like or not an international tournament like this is good for baseball because it will help the sport grow even further, and let's face it, baseball really needs it right now. I'm sure this tournament will only grow from this point on, and it will bring in more fans from around the world. More international fans mean more viewership for MLB and that means more money and talent for these teams. It's win for all.
The MLB teams approach/perspective on WBC makes it a lot more interesting and competitive at the very least. Wouldn't be as nearly exciting if America and Japan were just dominating everyone year after year.
Honestly, I love the WBC. Adding that extra national pride element to the sport is really fun to see!
Also seeing the crowd and the players really get into it and cheer and celebrate and stuff is really awesome. I wish we could see players get this into it during the season/post-season without everyone getting butthurt about it.
Commenting as an American, we need to get over ourselves. It was so nice to see real passionate fans at ball games. Instead of the snooze fest it is here most of the time. Not to mention more players were injured in spring training than at the WBC, see Brandon Nimmo who opted out. I am an Astros fan and it sucks not having Altuve for 2 months but I am glad he played.
I wish we got as hyped during games as these other countries, the chanting, the hype, the focus. Its unmatched. At our MLB games everyone is treating it as background entertainment
The greatest catcher in the game, Yadier Molina said, "I'll rather win a WBC title than a World Series title" that statement speaks for itself.
of course, none of the mlb franchise represent your country....
😂
Most people don't understand what he meant. An small island winning the wbc would be an huge upset.
It was like Manu g. won the gold medal at the Olympics in basketball. Think how big that is.
Bro really said molina was the greatest catcher in the game SMH😆
If you missed watching the WBC, you missed some of the most exciting baseball maybe in your lifetime.
This compilation and narrative is a more compelling promotion of Baseball than anything I've ever seen from other media, including MLB.
Can't wait for the next classic.
As a Venezuelan living living in Australia, I had lost my love for baseball. But this WBC ignited my passion for baseball all over again. I enjoyed the performances of both my teams(Australia and Venezuela). After Venezuela lost that incredible game against the U.S., I continued watching the tournament. Japan vs México was one of the best baseball games I have ever seen.
I hope the MLB has the wisdom to continue to organize this tournament and, give baseball an international platform that can only benefit the sport. It is shocking to hear narrow minded MLB fans dismiss the WBC...
I used to play baseball until I was 16 (I´m 22 now). Ever since I stopped playing baseball, I stopped watching too. The WBC made me fall in love with Baseball again.
This years WBC got me back into baseball especially Japan vs Mexico cause omfg that game was crazy and OMFG Japan vs USA. Nothing was better than Ohtani vs Trout TWO TEAMMATES going against each other both being the captains of their own country. Omg it was so perfect 3 balls 2 strikes and then finally ohtani striking trout out. Crazy and so fucking entertaining to watch. I really didn’t know how to root for during the WBC since I’m Mexican American but god do I love Shohei Ohtani he’s such an amazing player and was one of the main reasons why I got interested in baseball again.
Mexico vs Japan is one of the best baseball games I have ever watched and USA vs Japan wasn’t far behind. I don’t really watch regular season baseball but I was hooked for the wbc.
I only have the Japan-US game above Japan-Mexico because of the final out at bat being Ohtani vs Trout considered the best players representing their countries and arguably top 3 players in the world.
You guys are both wrong, it was USA vs Venezuela 😂
Some ppl say the "final" was on Monday...
Same here 👍🏻
Tbh USA had the easier route which is why they made the finals but other than that nothing tells me USA was better than Mexico as a US fan.
As a Mets fan it was a damn shame to see what happened to Diaz, but man-o-day was this tournament fun to watch. Maybe do it every 2 years now!!!
Mexico and Japan absolutely stole the show this was an incredible tournament and shows what love you have for your country and ppl even if you weren’t born in that country
as an american who has trouble seeing the importance of the world series, i was so excited for the WBC final. you can just feel the passion and pride thats so much more captivating than the MLB for me