Team USA has been part of a handful of signature moments over the last two World Baseball Classics, and some of its players can’t stress enough how special the tournament is.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich raved about his experience in the 2017 WBC with Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts on the debut episode of “On Base with Mookie Betts.”
“I went into it being like ‘OK, like I’m getting out of spring training, this will be cool to play for Team USA.’ Obviously, you want to win, and it’s pride, and then when you show up and that game starts we can’t lose and then the atmosphere’s incredible,” Yelich said. “So it’s really hard to describe to people until you’ve like actually been a part of it, and it’s like this is amazing, and you want to do it as many teams as you can. Like in All-Star Games, you’re there for like two days with the guys. For that, you’re on the same team for like two weeks.”
Meanwhile, Betts said that the 2023 WBC was “the best baseball experience” he’s ever had, discussing how he enjoyed learning his teammates’ routines and how they came together throughout the event.
The 2023 WBC featured fireworks down the home stretch, as Japan walked off Mexico in the semifinal round and Trea Turner hit a go-ahead grand slam for Team USA in the eighth inning of its quarterfinal matchup against Venezuela. It culminated with Japan beating Team USA in the WBC Championship Game, as Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to close it out.
Betts hit .313 in the 2023 WBC.
Yelich didn’t play for Team USA in the 2023 WBC, but he was a key member of the 2017 WBC championship team, totaling three RBIs while posting a .310/.375/.448 batting line in the tournament.
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As for their respective MLB teams, Yelich and the Brewers are in second place in the NL Central, while Betts and the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West.
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