WBC 2026: Can pitching limits be improved for next tournament?

MIAMI – The ninth inning came with a tied score after a swing of Bryce Harper’s bat gave the United States a blowout, a momentum change that felt like a harbinger for the championship.

Team USA needed three outs to go on offense and get a chance to take the lead. But mason millerThe world’s best closer, remained inactive.

In this setting, with save opportunities no longer available, Miller would normally have been the obvious choice to lead off the top of the ninth. In fact, it would have been malpractice not to deploy him. But even they are being made available for its conclusion World Baseball Classic Made sure. Miller had appeared twice in the last five days. San Diego PadresJoe will be relying heavily on him these next six months, told Team USA that he wanted him pitching only when absolutely necessary – which, in this case, meant the defensive position. So Miller watched from the bullpen Garrett Whitlock The winning run was surrendered.

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, speaking after his team, said, “Respect to the Padres.” Lost 3-2 to Venezuela on Tuesday nightWhen asked why Miller did not pitch. “If we had taken the lead, he was coming in. But I wasn’t going to bring him in in a tie game.”

WBC, which has just finished its sixth installment, has reached undeniable levels of popularity. Fans around the world have invested heavily. Players – even US-born players who previously struggled to understand the importance of international competition – have become fully engaged. But two obstacles are preventing the WBC from rising to the occasion and reaching its potential.

is there anyone Increasing difficulty of insuring contractsAnd the number of players who did not participate due to this. The second is the use of pitchers who would otherwise be in spring training to prepare for Major League Baseball’s regular season, and team executives who constantly worry about their health. No one knows this better than the people who were tasked with communicating with them over the past few weeks.

“They were blowing up my phone despite all their restrictions,” lamented one WBC coach.

Team Venezuela manager Omar Lopez felt those restrictions on the morning of the biggest game of his life. López had relied heavily on his bullpen to beat Italy on Monday night and woke up Tuesday morning to text messages from three different teams urging him not to use their relievers for the second consecutive night.

“Oh my God,” Lopez said to herself, “here we go again.”

López was on the verge of delivering a championship to Venezuela, a baseball-obsessed country going through unprecedented political turmoil. Connected to my national team like never before. The stakes were unimaginable. But suddenly obstacles started coming from people who couldn’t care less about international competition.

“What’s wrong?” Lopez’s wife asked. “Same—,” he replied.

Lopez laid his head back on the pillow to collect his thoughts and make a decision.

“You know what,” Lopez recalled, “I’m going to write these guys back in. I’m going to fight for these players.”

For many players and those around them, this tournament has become as important, if not more, than their major league season. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols opened up about how managing the Dominican Republic through this year’s tournament was the best experience of his baseball life. roman anthony And Gunnar HendersonEarly in their careers poised for superstardom, both said they would take every opportunity to compete in the WBC moving forward. tariq skubalA pending free agent set to receive the largest pitcher contract ever, he was clearly nervous about making another start for Team USA. Even before winning a championship for his country, Ronald Acuna Jr.. Said it was more important than anything he did in the major leagues.

“I love Atlanta, but I was born in Venezuela before I played in Atlanta,” Acuña said. “Venezuela entitles Ronald Acuña Jr.”

Eduard Bazardo of seattle mariners, angel jerpa of milwaukee brewers And Daniel Palencia of chicago cubs Ultimately coming on as a highly effective reliever, for the second consecutive game for Venezuela Eduardo Rodriguez. Together, they shut down a powerful Team USA lineup and propelled Venezuela to its first WBC championship.

According to MLB, viewership numbers for that game broadcast on FOX have not yet been released, but even without them, this year’s tournament includes four of the top five and six of the top nine most-watched WBC games in the US. The highly anticipated semifinal matchup between the United States and the Dominican Republic was watched by a WBC-record 7.4 million viewers, even though it was not televised. Hopefully the finale goes beyond this.

The WBC set an attendance record of 1,306,414 in 2023; This year it has topped with 1,619,839. Through the semifinals, social media posts from the official accounts of MLB, MLB Español and the World Baseball Classic had generated more than 2.24 billion global views across all platforms. The rise in popularity of the tournament seems to be running parallel to the enthusiasm of the players.

How their availability can satisfy teams and agents with competing interests remains an open question. One possibility that has been discussed is a change in timing, which could lead to a trial in 2028.

The Summer Olympics will then take place in Los Angeles, providing a major incentive for major league players to attend. If that happens, MLB will extend its All-Star break to accommodate it. The participation of star players – especially from the US, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, the three US teams that have already qualified – will likely be similar to that of the WBC.

The circumstances of the Olympics could also create a template for the WBC to move its tournament to the middle of summer.

“As the game continues to grow, we’ve talked about midseason tournaments in general,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “And certainly if we decided to get serious about it, about a midseason tournament, that would be an ideal opportunity.”

Whether this will impact pitcher usage remains an open question.

For one thing, DeRosa believes so.

“They’ll be more prepared and more active, and if it’s moved to mid-season we’ll be dealing with less restrictions and less guidelines on pitching,” DeRosa said. “There’s no question about it.”

Some coaches, players and agents questioned by ESPN agreed that starting pitchers would have been fully drafted by then and would not have been obligated to meet specific milestones with the regular season. Others pushed back, noting that pitchers would be much less fresh by that time and the fear of their teams – not to mention their agents – would not subside.

“They don’t see any benefit in it,” a WBC official said about seeing teams that have their pitchers participate in the tournament. “They only see the negative side.”

This is understandable. Teams pay players for their services during the major league season. Contributing elsewhere may only hinder their ability to do so. That dynamic will never change. The conditions will always be more dire for pitchers. And while teams are not allowed to prevent their players from participating in the WBC – as long as they are healthy and their contracts are insured – there is nothing stopping them from dictating their use in it.

This year, that means shohei ohtani Hit only for Japan. This meant that Skubal made just one start for the US, against a weak Great Britain team. luis castillo For the Dominican Republic there was not. it meant jose alvarezA longtime lefty reliever three years removed from his last major league game and recently appearing in the men’s league, he had to be included on Venezuela’s roster.

This meant that, when it mattered most, Mason Miller could only watch.