In spite of those that doubted it, the World Baseball Classic has been electric so far. It seems like every game that involves the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or Puerto Rico is must watch TV. Just look at Javier Baez making no-look tags seem routine or Jose Bautista making literal game-saving throws. The tournament has been so good this year that even Mike Trout, a vocal critic of the tournament, has had a change of heart and wants to play for Team USA in 2021.
Four players on the Red Sox had initially intended on participating in the tournament; Hanley Ramirez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Fernando Abad and Xander Bogaerts.