BRADENTON, Fla. — The trickle of Pirates players returning from the World Baseball Classic began Wednesday with Eric Wood. The minor league third baseman left Miami without a win, as Team Canada went 0-3 in a stacked Pool C, but brought back to LECOM Park plenty of memories.
“It was pretty surreal,” said Wood, 24. “So many fans. The atmosphere was electric.”
Wood hardly could have made a better first impression. In Canada’s exhibition game March 8 against the New York Yankees, he went 3 for 4 and clobbered two solo home runs. And so he was batting fifth in the order the next day in the Pool C opener against Dominican Republic.