The World Baseball Classic is returning for the first time in six years, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever before. The 11-person competition committee of baseball unanimously approved the rule, which has been variously referred to as the “Ghost Runner” and the “Manfred Man” in honour of baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. The committee also put restrictions on using position players as pitchers. When a player’s team is down eight runs or more in the ninth inning, or when their side is up ten runs or more, the player’s participation in the game will be restricted to extra innings only. Prior to last season, a position player could only throw in extra innings or when his team was ahead by six runs or more.
After three seasons of use during the coronavirus pandemic, as per latest Major League Baseball news, MLB made the rule modification to start extra innings with a second baseman base during the regular season permanent on Monday.Starting locations for the 20-team event are spread over three nations (Japan, Taiwan, and the USA). The teams in Taiwan will kick off their season on March 8, while the five teams headquartered in Florida will do the same three days later. There isn’t a single country that features many Red Sox players, but there are a lot of current and former Sox players spread around across the league.
Major League Baseball
From Major League Baseball legends to journeymen from other leagues, each of the 20 teams will be able to call upon a roster of 30 players. There are other baseball players who have never set foot in the United States. Fans in the United States may have a hard time deciding who to root for or which clubs to watch, as there are 20 different countries represented and 332 players now playing in MLB franchises.In this year’s World Baseball Classic, there are four teams that Red Sox fans should keep an eye on.
Some fans may get to witness a matchup between two of their favourite players, such as Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout or Mookie Betts and Julio Urias. White Sox teammates Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada, who will be representing Cuba, are just one example of how fans will get to witness their favourite players continuing to team up for their native nations.
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Mexico
Mexican outfielder Alex Verdguo will join Yoshida in the Fenway Park lineup this year. Since coming to Boston in the Mookie Betts trade, Verdugo has been one of the Red Sox’s most effective hitters. He has played in 351 of 384 games over his three seasons, contributing to a 5.5 WAR. Still only 26, Verdugo is about to embark on his seventh season in the major leagues and his fourth with the Red Sox.
Around Verdugo, Mexico also has a lot of other talented players. Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias anchors a pitching staff that ranks among the league’s best. Big leaguers José Urquidy, Patrick Sandoval, and Taijuan Walker will follow Urias in the rotation. With Alejandro Kirk, Luis Urias, and Randy Arozarena supporting Verdugo, this lineup has real bite. The Mexican team is striving to become the first in tournament history to get past the second round.
Japan
After finishing in third place in 2017, Japan’s national baseball team is hoping to win the World Baseball Classic this year. Once again, this event’s lineup is stack with A-list talent capable of winning the championship. Yu Darvish, Lars Nootbar, Shohei Ohtani, and new Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida are the four stars of the team.
Netherlands
Red Sox fans at home may expect to see a familiar face on the big screen, courtesy of the Dutch. They have a lot of players like former Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts who hail from the islands of Curaçao and Aruba. When they competed in the 2015 World Baseball Classic, the team placed fourth. When Bogaerts was on the team in 2011, they won the World Series. Bogaerts, who recently became a free agent and departed the Red Sox, will play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic for the third time in his career. In his ten years with the Red Sox, Bogaerts won two World Series rings before signing with the Padres in December. You may also be looking for NBA news today.
Although Bogaerts was born on the island of Aruba, he represents the Netherlands in international competition. Even though Bogaerts hails from the Caribbean, he is not the only one on the Dutch national team who was born there. Jonathan Schoop, second baseman for the Tigers, is originally from Curacao, which is located about 50 miles southeast of Aruba.
The Good Ol’ USA
It’s possible that this year’s American team is more talented than the one that won the World Baseball Classic in 2017. Fans of the Boston Red Sox will recognise Betts and Schwarber as two of the starting outfielders for Team USA. Ottavino is another recent Boston player; he threw in five postseason games for the Red Sox in 2021-202. Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman lead the American pitching staff last time around; this time around, they will join by Clayton Kershaw, Miles Mikolas, Devin Williams, and Adam Ottavino.
There will be a few changes to the lineup from how it looked six years ago. While Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado will be staying with the team, they will join by the likes of Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Pete Alonso, Kyle Tucker, and JT Realmuto.
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