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Loaded USA roster hopes to unseat Japan at World Baseball Classic
Aaron Judge is trading pinstripes for a plain jersey with red, white and blue letters.
“Getting the chance to wear that across my chest is going to be pretty powerful,” the U.S. and New York Yankees captain said of the World Baseball Classic. “I think a lot of people have a lot of pride for their country.”
After losing 3-2 in the 2023 final when Japan’s Shohei Ohtani ended the game by striking out Mike Trout, the U.S. will be trying for its first championship since 2017 when 20 nations compete for the sixth championship starting Thursday.
Australia plays Taiwan at the Tokyo Dome in the opener, and action starts the next day in Houston, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The final again will be at Miami, on March 17.
A much-improved pitching staff includes Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller, and the batting order likely will include Judge, Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber and Bobby Witt Jr.
Logan Webb is slated to start the Americans’ Friday opener against Brazil in Houston, followed by Skubal on Saturday against Britain, Skenes vs. Mexico on Monday and top Mets prospect Nolan McLean against Italy on March 10.
The foursome has a combined 19.8 Baseball Reference WAR last season. The Americans’ four starters in 2023, Adam Wainwright, Nick Martinez, Lance Lynn and Merrill Kelly, combined for a 7.8 the previous season.
Skubal intends to make one start, then return to the Tigers.
A pitcher is limited to 65 pitches in first-round games, 80 in a quarterfinal and 95 in a semifinal or final. If a player throws more than 50 pitches in an outing, he can’t pitch for the next four days. If he throws more than 30, he can’t pitch the next day. No one may pitch three days in a row.
Japan is trying to win its fourth title and become only the second repeat champion after the 2006 and 2009 Samurai Warriors.
Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have some experience at consecutive titles after helping last year’s Los Angeles Dodgers become the first repeat World Series champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three in a row.
“Going back to back, that is our only goal,” Yamamoto said through a translator.
Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, is scheduled to start Japan’s opener against Taiwan on Friday. Los Angeles is allowing him to pitch for Japan after he threw 211 innings last year, including the postseason.
Japan’s pitching staff is missing Ohtani, who won’t take the mound, along with Roki Sasaki, who remained at Dodgers camp following an injury-interrupted rookie season, and Yu Darvish, sidelined following elbow surgery.
Seeking its first title since its only previous win in 2013, the Dominican Republic has a roster that includes six players who finished among the top 10 in MVP voting last year: Junior Caminero, Jeremy Peña. Geraldo Perdomo, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado and Ketel Marte also are on a roster that includes pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Cristopher Sánchez.
Venezuela, with the Dominicans in Group D, is led by Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Eugenio Suárez and William and Willson Contreras.
Several star players will be missing from this year’s tournament due to insurance issues, including Puerto Rico’s Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa and Venezuela’s Jose Altuve.
(AP Photo Ross D. Franklin)
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