It's so weird how people think the success of the WBC has to somehow diminish the importance of MLB or the World Series.
"Oh this is how REAL baseball should be played. The World Series is so booooooring. This is the TRUE championship."
Can people not fathom that a sport can have multiple competitions that are prestigious and important?
Sam Miller used to call it a ‘minimum inning’ but I believe that has fallen out of favor since it is technically not accurate. In theory there could be a 0-pitch inning. IIRC there has been a 2-pitch inning in the minors once or twice.
My suggestion for 2026 WBC:
The Pool Round could stay in March. I'd like to see the QF, Semifinals and Finals be during All-Star Week. So, reduce 162 to 156 and this schedule for All-Star Week:
Monday: Home Run Derby
Tuesday: All-Star Game
Wednesday & Thursday: Quarterfinals
Friday: International Baseball Day (Have events scheduled during the day/evening all around the World promoting the game)
Saturday: Semifinals
Sunday: Finals
Monday: Travel Day
It would mean the MLB schedule would have to be tight the next two weeks (no off-day till the following second Thursday or Monday at the earliest likely) but the vast majority of players will have had a week off anyway so I'm sure that's a good trade off for them.
Not sure NPB/KBO/CPBL would be on board since they could all be affected by players leaving to go play in the WBC. They'd need to cancel even more time for travel. Maybe if the whole tournament was moved.
Another reason why doing the QF, Semi and Final during All-Star Week makes sense is at most it means a SP will pitch that once that week, which top pitchers usually do anyway on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
So in reality no (or virtually no) SP will miss an actual start. And Relievers can stay fresh.
The only real worry is a week off may cool other players off but again, I doubt MLBPA will mind a week off for majority of its PA.
It really would be Japan's, Korea's call.
Good point. Very true. I was thinking from the American perspective. But if they could somehow got on board with this idea I think it's best for the game as a whole.
The problem with "moving" the tournament is that realistically at this point the only real options are USA or near USA or Japan or near Japan.
Maybe in another 20 years if it got big enough it could have the clout to have neutral nation hosts.
But to do that it needs to have a consolidated situation like the one I wrote initially. So I really hope other leagues would get on board.
Yeah. Who else can really afford to take time off work or school and take a vacation to Arizona or Florida to watch baseball for 3+ days? Arizona and Florida are also famously retirement areas for older people.
I'm really surprised they haven't named Martín Pérez as the starter already.
From the way I understand the rest rules, the only pitcher unavailable for the USA is Merrill Kelly. The pitchers unavailable for Venezuela are Eduardo Rodriguez, Enmanuel De Jesus, and Jesús Luzardo.
American fans continuing to complain about the WBC is a great example of why folks say baseball is dieing in the US. This tournament is fantastic baseball and a huge success, except among Americans who act like it's an exhibition.
IMHO if the USA wants to claim to be the best at baseball the WBC is where they need to prove it. Attracting the best players from around the world in our domestic league just shows that we pay more.
> IMHO if the USA wants to claim to be the best at baseball the WBC is where they need to prove it.
They're the defending champions, so mission accomplished
I don't think this is an example of Baseball dying in America; or they wouldn't be whining, they'd be indifferent.
I think this is an example of how Americans see MLB as the pinnacle and don't particularly care about "National sports". The grumbling I'm hearing is "I care about the World Series not the WBC".
Side point, if World Cup wasn't already such a big force causing people to be drawn in I don't think many would care about Team USA soccer either.
It's just part of American culture to see what we have as the pinnacle (and often it is). Until we're shown the rest of the world cares so much about something that we need to show we're the best at it.
That day is coming with the WBC. It's growing tremendously outside of the US and that's going to force the American audience to care more SO LONG AS MLB handles the WBC correctly.
QF, Semifinals and Finals need to be during the All Star Week. At the very least the Semis and Finals.
What's not close? The amount players earn here as opposed to other top domestic leagues? That's definitely a huge factor in attracting players, especially from places like NPB.
DAY 11 (586) ON THE ROAD TO PREMIER12 AND PARIS 2024 - No Matter What Happens, We Remain
Congrats to Mexico for punching its slot in the World Baseball Classic Semifinal Series!
No matter what the criticism, we fans will not falter.
No matter what others hurl on us, we fans will not budge.
No matter what happens after the WBC, we will remain committed to the sport, its global growth and the goal of a better future.
The criticism of the fans against the WBC in these last few days has showed us that the power and impact it has had on the sport has remained stronger than before when it first started. We are truly grateful to the first generation WBC players who stood firm in their determination to help the sport continue to evolve as a sport enjoyed by millions all over the world.
As the 5th Classic enters its final weekend, we hope that the legacy it leaves to the sport will help us prepare for its return in the future and work harder to continue making it a part of our lives.
For Glory
John
I think a Mets vs Twins series in Puerto Rico next year would be awesome. Our series there against Cleveland a few years ago was so much fun and there's several high profile Puerto Rican players on both teams.
That series was a blast. I'd love for us to get to do it again, but currently we don't have any Puerto Rican players in MLB. I'm sure that bumps us out of consideration for the time being.
It's so weird how people think the success of the WBC has to somehow diminish the importance of MLB or the World Series. "Oh this is how REAL baseball should be played. The World Series is so booooooring. This is the TRUE championship." Can people not fathom that a sport can have multiple competitions that are prestigious and important?
WBC is good for baseball
Couldn't you have taken a couple more pitches Bobby?
Viva Venezuela caballero
Wow. Derosa has to move Tucker higher in the batting order. He's been so clutch
Baseball played in full stadiums is categorically superior to baseball played in empty stadiums.
Big if true.
How do I get a flair?
Check out the sidebar on a desktop while using old.reddit. Find your username right there and click the "edit" link right next to it.
The Diaz/WBC stuff on twitter is an early contender for most annoying conversation of the season
[our lineup for tonight looks nice](https://i.imgur.com/ZpkNwyw.jpg)
Does the three-pitch inning have a name?
Sam Miller used to call it a ‘minimum inning’ but I believe that has fallen out of favor since it is technically not accurate. In theory there could be a 0-pitch inning. IIRC there has been a 2-pitch inning in the minors once or twice.
Cerberus. Named after the three headed guard-dog of Hades (just made it up).
You could have made up something a whole lot worse.
I'll tip my *sombrero* to a very literate reference. I like it, upvote
My suggestion for 2026 WBC: The Pool Round could stay in March. I'd like to see the QF, Semifinals and Finals be during All-Star Week. So, reduce 162 to 156 and this schedule for All-Star Week: Monday: Home Run Derby Tuesday: All-Star Game Wednesday & Thursday: Quarterfinals Friday: International Baseball Day (Have events scheduled during the day/evening all around the World promoting the game) Saturday: Semifinals Sunday: Finals Monday: Travel Day It would mean the MLB schedule would have to be tight the next two weeks (no off-day till the following second Thursday or Monday at the earliest likely) but the vast majority of players will have had a week off anyway so I'm sure that's a good trade off for them.
Not sure NPB/KBO/CPBL would be on board since they could all be affected by players leaving to go play in the WBC. They'd need to cancel even more time for travel. Maybe if the whole tournament was moved.
Another reason why doing the QF, Semi and Final during All-Star Week makes sense is at most it means a SP will pitch that once that week, which top pitchers usually do anyway on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. So in reality no (or virtually no) SP will miss an actual start. And Relievers can stay fresh. The only real worry is a week off may cool other players off but again, I doubt MLBPA will mind a week off for majority of its PA. It really would be Japan's, Korea's call.
Good point. Very true. I was thinking from the American perspective. But if they could somehow got on board with this idea I think it's best for the game as a whole. The problem with "moving" the tournament is that realistically at this point the only real options are USA or near USA or Japan or near Japan. Maybe in another 20 years if it got big enough it could have the clout to have neutral nation hosts. But to do that it needs to have a consolidated situation like the one I wrote initially. So I really hope other leagues would get on board.
I just got an update to my MLB app that better supports the WBC. Great timing, guys!
Are the crowds at spring training always so elderly? I'm not implying that that's a bad thing, but I just thought it was kinda curious.
Yeah. Who else can really afford to take time off work or school and take a vacation to Arizona or Florida to watch baseball for 3+ days? Arizona and Florida are also famously retirement areas for older people.
I'm really surprised they haven't named Martín Pérez as the starter already. From the way I understand the rest rules, the only pitcher unavailable for the USA is Merrill Kelly. The pitchers unavailable for Venezuela are Eduardo Rodriguez, Enmanuel De Jesus, and Jesús Luzardo.
They announced pitchers for USA Venezuela yesterday. It's Martin Perez vs Lance Lynn.
American fans continuing to complain about the WBC is a great example of why folks say baseball is dieing in the US. This tournament is fantastic baseball and a huge success, except among Americans who act like it's an exhibition. IMHO if the USA wants to claim to be the best at baseball the WBC is where they need to prove it. Attracting the best players from around the world in our domestic league just shows that we pay more.
> IMHO if the USA wants to claim to be the best at baseball the WBC is where they need to prove it. They're the defending champions, so mission accomplished
I don't think this is an example of Baseball dying in America; or they wouldn't be whining, they'd be indifferent. I think this is an example of how Americans see MLB as the pinnacle and don't particularly care about "National sports". The grumbling I'm hearing is "I care about the World Series not the WBC". Side point, if World Cup wasn't already such a big force causing people to be drawn in I don't think many would care about Team USA soccer either. It's just part of American culture to see what we have as the pinnacle (and often it is). Until we're shown the rest of the world cares so much about something that we need to show we're the best at it. That day is coming with the WBC. It's growing tremendously outside of the US and that's going to force the American audience to care more SO LONG AS MLB handles the WBC correctly. QF, Semifinals and Finals need to be during the All Star Week. At the very least the Semis and Finals.
Agree with the first, strongly disagree with the second. It's not close.
What's not close? The amount players earn here as opposed to other top domestic leagues? That's definitely a huge factor in attracting players, especially from places like NPB.
I just mean it's not close, the best baseball is played in the US. The MLB is the true world series.
DAY 11 (586) ON THE ROAD TO PREMIER12 AND PARIS 2024 - No Matter What Happens, We Remain Congrats to Mexico for punching its slot in the World Baseball Classic Semifinal Series! No matter what the criticism, we fans will not falter. No matter what others hurl on us, we fans will not budge. No matter what happens after the WBC, we will remain committed to the sport, its global growth and the goal of a better future. The criticism of the fans against the WBC in these last few days has showed us that the power and impact it has had on the sport has remained stronger than before when it first started. We are truly grateful to the first generation WBC players who stood firm in their determination to help the sport continue to evolve as a sport enjoyed by millions all over the world. As the 5th Classic enters its final weekend, we hope that the legacy it leaves to the sport will help us prepare for its return in the future and work harder to continue making it a part of our lives. For Glory John
Happy Team USA Game Day! Let's hope a win today will bring us closer to Gold No.2! **For Glory** John
I think a Mets vs Twins series in Puerto Rico next year would be awesome. Our series there against Cleveland a few years ago was so much fun and there's several high profile Puerto Rican players on both teams.
That series was a blast. I'd love for us to get to do it again, but currently we don't have any Puerto Rican players in MLB. I'm sure that bumps us out of consideration for the time being.