WBC led by the major leagues, why does the US only win once?
Launched in 2006, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is a tournament led by the US Major League Baseball. This year marks the 5th time. It has been resumed for the first time in six years since 2017 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The WBC is comparable to the World Cup in soccer because the world’s top major leaguers compete. But the limits are clear. Soccer is a global sport, and baseball is a sport enjoyed by a limited number of countries. Europe is virtually barren for baseball.
Nevertheless, MLB has steadily spread baseball so far, and in the 2023 competition, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom in Europe took the opportunity to participate for the first time, expanding the number of countries participating in the final round to 20. This year, as part of the ‘MLB World Tour’, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play two consecutive matches in London, England on June 24-25.
The United States, host of the WBC, tasted its first win in 2017 during four tournaments. This tournament will compete as the defending champion. On the 8th (Korean time), the Team USA national team met for the first time in Scottsdale, Arizona.
After practice matches against the SF Giants on the 9th and the Los Angeles Angels on the 10th, they will play their first Group C match against England at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on the 12th. The selection for the England game was announced as 41-year-old veteran Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals). 나르샤 토토
The head coach of the U.S. national team is Mark DeRosa (48), a longtime MLB Network commentator. He is an infielder from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. After working for 7 years with the Atlanta Braves, where he made his debut, he played for 8 teams for 16 years, from the SF Giants to the last nest, the Toronto Blue Jays. He had a career batting average of 0.268 with 100 home runs and 494 RBIs. He was never selected as an All-Star.
The Team USA coaching staff includes bench coach former Chicago White Sox manager Jerry Manuel, Brian McCann, pitcher Andy Pettit, batting Ken Griffey Jr., first base collier, third base Dino Ibel and bullpen Dave Righetti. The only active coach is Ybel (LA Dodgers) at third base. Griffey Jr. is the only Hall of Fame member.
Among the 30 players on the U.S. national team, two players tasted the championship in 2017: first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and third baseman Nolan Arenado (above St. Louis Cardinals). In 2017, the only manager who won the U.S. was Jim Leland, who led the Florida Marlins to their first World Series championship in 1997.