March 5 marked the beginning of the World Baseball Classic, a worldwide tournament created by Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Players Association to pay tribute to the growth and internationalization of the game.
Sixteen teams are participating in this year, including Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, the United States, and Venezuela.
The World Baseball Classic is a fantastic idea. Many countries around the world haven’t been exposed to baseball, and all of them should. The WBC provides amazing baseball action transcending governments, like the Olympics. National rivalries prove to raise the intensity and meaning of each and every game.
Each pool is also set up so teams in relatively similar geographic locations play each other for the chance to move on (the top two in each pool move on, and the first two teams to accumulate two losses are eliminated); though one team in each pool is from a different area.
This proved seemingly unfortunate for the Netherlands, being placed in a pool with Panama, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. All three teams besides the Netherlands are relative powerhouses, with at least 17 Major League players on each team. The Dominican Republic has 23 MLB players (including five current All-Stars), Puerto Rico has 22, and Panama has 17. The Netherlands has a grand total of two MLB players.
When the Netherlands played the Dominican Republic, it is needless to say that a Dominican blowout was inevitable. Yet somehow, probably through divine intervention, the Netherlands eked out three hits to miraculously defeat the powerhouse Dominicans 3-2. When the Netherlands lost to Puerto Rico, a showdown once more with the Dominican Republic loomed. Proving the first win was not a fluke; the Netherlands became the WBC giant killers, beating the Dominicans again, 2-1 in 11 innings, moving on to the second round.
Monumental upsets such as these can prove to stimulate the baseball culture in the Netherlands, causing more young boys to pick up the bat and ball, ultimately benefiting the country’s overall baseball program.
Hopefully, more teams will join the WBC, making it a larger, longer, and more entertaining for all, and spreading the game of baseball throughout the world.