Mike Trout (32, Los Angeles Angels), the world’s best baseball player, showed a strong will to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the world’s best tournament.
On the 21st (Korean time), in a video interview with local media outlets such as the Associated Press and the LA Times, Trout said, “I joined the WBC US team to win. If I don’t win, I will fail.”
The United States, the home of baseball, was relatively late in winning the WBC. In 2006, the first tournament was only 8 times, and in 2009 and 2013, it was only 4th and 6th. In 2017, he won his first championship in the 4th competition.
The tournament, which was postponed due to the pandemic of Corona 19, will be held in March this year, the 5th after six years. Trout, who was absent from the last tournament that the national team won, declared his participation in this tournament early. He said, “I regret the decision at that time. I had to play with the national team at that time,” and “I want to cheer in the last game in this tournament.”
Trout is the player the U.S. team put the most effort into preparing for this tournament. Former Angels general manager Tony Riggins, the team’s general manager, contacted Trout before the All-Star break, and Trout readily accepted. He also served as captain.
As Trout became the face of the national team, the top players scrambled to declare that they would join him. Outfielder Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers) Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies) catcher JT Realmuto (Phillies), first baseman Pete Alonso (New York Mets) Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals), second baseman Trevor Story (Boston Red Sox) and Jeff McNeil Mets), third baseman Nolan Arenado (St. Louis), and pitcher Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) announced that they would participate in the national team. Harper and Story are out due to injury, but only five of them have won MVP (Most Valuable Player).헤라카지노
Since Trout is an unrelated player, we can expect more to win this tournament. Debuting with the Los Angeles Angels in 2011, he has only made it to the postseason once in his 12 career seasons.
The U.S. team will begin training in Arizona on March 6, local time. He plans to play the first round of the tournament after raising his sense of practice by playing evaluation matches with the San Francisco Giants and Dodgers. The United States, which belongs to Group C, faces Great Britain on the 11th, Mexico on the 12th, Canada on the 13th, and Colombia on the 15th in turn at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
Trout said, “I will compete in the best condition,” and confidently said, “There are no aftereffects of a back injury (which I suffered in July of last year). I have not felt any pain in the last four months.”
There is one more topic. If Trout is the face of the US national team, then the Japanese national team is Shohei Ohtani (Angels). He won the American League MVP in 2021, drawing attention with his two-handed sword, and has grown into a star representing the team with Trout. Japan, who won the 1st and 2nd tournaments, also formed the best members to win this tournament.
“Ohtani said, ‘I’m not the best player on the Japanese team.’ Japan must be a great team,” Trout said. “Ohtani throws a really hard ball. No hitter wants to play against him. It will be a fun match,” he said.