We played for you and hope we made you proud 💚Every cheer. Every message. Every hug. We heard you. We felt you.It’s an agonising way for the tournament to end and all the emotions are very real.We showed we’re right there with the best in the world in tournament baseball,… pic.twitter.com/NtpltD3xWw— Team Australia ⚾️ (@TeamAusBaseball) March 9, 2026
I felt it was a matter a time before a player said this. FWIW, Hernandez won 3 of those 5 World Series' he played in. He has never even played in a WBC. I think the insurance issue kept him out this year, but he has been with Team Rubio in San Juan. I personally feel a number of players share Hernandez's sentiment. Especially the Latino and Asian players. It's all about pride: Playing for their country, their people, their family tree. Sharing a dugout with fellow countrymen they rarely get the chance to play a meaningful game with. Speaking the same language (in most cases) in the locker rooms. MLB is how they get paid, but I doubt they'd ask for payment to wear their country's colors. How do you feel about Hernandez's statement?
Ah! I checked earlier and must have missed his name but I see him on there now. So that just gives him more credibility on the subject. I realize it’s just his opinion but I do think other players feel the same, especially the Latin American players. I think one would be hard pressed to find a USA player who values a WBC championship gold medal over a World Series ring.
Wow at USA vs Italy! If Italy wins this, that will be a historically embarrassing day for USA Baseball.
Pool A San Juan - Gameday 5 Canada vs Puerto Rico ¡GRACIAS PUERTO RICO! 🇵🇷🥺Seguimos con el mismo objetivo. #LosNuestros pic.twitter.com/6AtsoQgixd— Federación de Béisbol 🇵🇷 (@BeisbolPR) March 11, 2026
Tomorrow’s WBC slate is going to be an all-timer🇨🇦 vs 🇨🇺: winner advances to QF🇮🇹 vs 🇲🇽: 3-way tiebreaker with 🇺🇸🇩🇴 vs 🇻🇪: winner plays 🇰🇷, loser plays 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/kd5nZFgnR9— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) March 11, 2026 If my math is mathing. Team USA gets into quarter finals if:1. Italy beats Mexico tomorrow (any score at all)• Italy goes 4-0, Mexico drops to 2-2.• USA takes 2nd place automatically. No tiebreaker needed.OR2. If Mexico beats Italy tomorrow, USA gets in if:•…— BAT1STA (@BAT1STA) March 11, 2026
Korea and Japan each departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport for the 13 hour flight to Miami. Korea's plane touched down in the Magic City at around 1:30am ET with Japan following roughly two hours later.