America has put together yet another super team to go out and dominate the rest of the world.
In just a couple of days, the world’s best baseball players will all come together to play and compete in the World Baseball Classic. 20 teams consisting of each country’s most formidable baseball-playing athletes will be pitted against one another in a tournament that will last over two weeks.
Translation: if you were looking for meaningful baseball before the baseball season even begins, you are in luck.
The last rendition of the World Baseball Classic played out in 2023. Team USA made it all the way to the title game, but Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to secure the championship for Team Japan. So the American team certainly has some unfinished business, and they’ll be looking to raise the WBC trophy when it’s all said and done.
And in the week leading up to the start of the tournament, many Team USA players have been talking about how much of an honor it is to represent the United States of America. Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper told The Pat McAfee Show that there’s nothing better that wearing red, white and blue and listening to “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to first pitch:
“It’s about us. And I think at a young age, I learned that when we put U.S. on our hats, it’s about us. That’s why it’s only U.S., and not U.S.A.. It’s about us. For our team, it’s about everybody that’s in that clubhouse. No matter where you came from, who you played for, what you got… we don’t care.
Because every single day we come out here, it’s for the greater good of America, what we’re doing for the people, and what we’re representing. I’m proud to be an American. I’m so happy to be in this clubhouse with all these guys. There’s no greater feeling than going out there listening to your national anthem blare over the speakers knowing what you represent.”
USA! USA! USA!
And Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who once played for the Air Force Academy, likened suiting up for Team USA to serving the country. He’s taking this opportunity to represent America very seriously for a plethora of reasons:
“First and foremost, I care because I’m from America, I love America. I’ve seen the WBCs in the past. There’s no bigger stage or no greater honor than wearing USA across your chest. I think another one is I went to the Air Force Academy for two years. I wanted to serve. I intended on serving. Ended up transferring out to LSU and won a national championship there and did some cool stuff there.
There was a big part of me that was fully intent on serving in the military as a career after college. So this is… it’s not serving, but it’s a pretty close second.”
USA! USA! USA! (Even louder).
Glad to see that the American players representing Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic are as patriotic and grateful as they come. And here’s to hoping they keep the recent trend of Team USA dominating the rest of the world in sports (see Men’s and Women’s Olympic hockey gold medal) rolling.
If you are interested in watching the boys in red, white and blue play baseball, Team USA’s first game of the World Baseball Classic will be against Brazil this upcoming Friday (March 5) at 8 PM EST on FOX.
