The World Baseball Classic left Baseball fans around the world with a lot of surprises and entertainment. The diverse event brought all parts of Baseball together from every corner of the world.
The event was a huge success and had ratings higher than most MLB playoff games and even the World Series. More so, the World Baseball Classic was so successful because of the rapid growth of the sport in nations like: Japan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, amongst many others.
Highlights
The US national team played extremely well and had important pieces to help them reach the finals. The highlight for the team USA was Trea Turner. Turner was a home run hitting machine and without him this team could’ve been a lot worse.
Japan claimed their third title making them the most successful international Baseball team since the inception of the World Baseball Classic.
You could not have a better ending scenario than the ending of the USA vs Japan game. Ohtani at the mound going against his teammate Mike Trout was one of the best moments to witness in the sport of Baseball.
Ohtani showcased a tournament of a lifetime and helped his team out immensely to claim the title. Additionally, with the help of new Red Sox player,Masataka Yoshida, who scored clutch horn runs and hits during the span of Japan’s title journey.
The USA Japan game might have been one of the best Baseball games to ever witness. The pressure and stakes were extremely high going into the last innings.
Help For MLB?
One of the best things about international games in sports is witnessing undiscovered talent. It’s events like this in sports where athletes rise up and are bound to get scouted based on their performance. This creates a huge opportunity to grow a potential path to the MLB.
The overall success of the World Baseball Classic should help the MLB ratings and viewership for the year to come. The event gave Baseball a bigger push around the world and led fans to gain more of an interest.
Superstars like Ohtani, Turner, and Trout gained even more of a following from fans across the world and through social media.
I do expect more of a following for the upcoming MLB season. With the season starting this week, the World Baseball Classic sets up the season to start with a great deal of excitement.
The MLB has struggled for a while to keep up with large viewership numbers compared to other international and domestic sports. Hopefully, we see that fans are more engaged like they were for the World Baseball Classic and to follow the season through the Summer.
This should also push the MLB to keep growing their consumer market in areas such as the Far East and Latin America. If the MLB can push for the consumerism growth in these markets, this can help the future of the sport and drive even larger revenue.