The World Baseball Classic is in full swing, and this past weekend, pool games provided memorable highlights and moving vignettes that captured what international baseball is all about. The stakes will only get higher as teams are eliminated and the knockout stage begins, but the first few days of competition have given us a lot to chew on.
Here’s a sampling of the WBC’s biggest changes so far and what they mean for the main characters involved, both for the rest of this tournament and the upcoming MLB season.
MLB stars lead the way for the Japanese team
It took Samurai Japan just three matches to advance to the knockout stage, scoring victories over Taiwan, Korea and Australia to clinch a place in the quarterfinals in their quest for a fourth WBC title. There is 13 players in the entire tournament who hit multiple home runs in pool play, and three of them are at the top of the Japanese team: Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida, all with two each.
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After dominating Taiwan without much trouble, the next two games were tougher than expected for Japan, but their biggest stars delivered big changes when they needed them – none bigger than Yoshida’s go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh against Australia:
A huge contributor to Japan’s WBC title three years ago, Yoshida’s major league career has gone bizarrely since then, due to a myriad of factors, including his inconsistent performances, the Red Sox’s volatile roster construction and injuries. But for Japan, Yoshida is an undisputed superstar, dating back to his years at NPB and especially on the international stage. A shoulder injury limited his availability and impact for much of last season, but he was sneakily brilliant in September and during Boston’s brief playoff appearance.
Although his defensive limitations and bloated contract make him a tough candidate for Boston’s roster, his bat still belongs at the highest level in one form or another, and it will be fascinating to see how his career progresses from here – as part of Japan’s WBC title defense efforts and then back to the majors.
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Luis Arraez multi-homer WBC match AGAIN?!
Speaking of that small group of players with multiple home runs, what about Luis Arraez? The San Francisco Giants’ newest infielder puts his name on the international stage once again, scoring for two yards Saturday in Venezuela’s 11-3 victory over Israel.
Better known for his batting average than his power, Arraez is the first player to play multiple multi-homer games in the WBC. (His first surprise hitting spurt came in 2023, when he hit two homers in Venezuela’s heartbreaking loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals.) That he is the first to achieve this homer-related feat is all the more remarkable given that he has only one multi-homer game in his entire major league career. It was September 15, 2023as a member of the Miami Marlins and also at LoanDepot Park, the site of his WBC exploits.
Arraez joined his national team this spring after a fascinating free agency journey that resulted in a one-year, $12 million contract with San Francisco, indicating industry skepticism that the three-time batting champion has a broad enough skill set to warrant a more lucrative multi-year deal.
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He will now have the opportunity to reestablish his value in the new Giants lineup, with the bat and also with the glove as an expected everyday second baseman. Before then, Arraez promises to remain a central figure in Venezuela’s quest for its first WBC title, notably playing third in a lineup packed with star power.
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Darell Hernaiz leaves for Puerto Rico
One of the biggest highlights of this year’s Classic was the disappointment of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa being unable to participate due to insurance issues, a particular disappointment with Puerto Rico hosting Pool A. With that discouraging cloud hanging over the island, it was fantastic to see the passionate San Juan crowd treated to two terrific performances from Puerto Rico right off the bat, even without two of their biggest stars.
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First there was a 5-0 shutout of Colombia that started with four scoreless innings from Seth Lugo and ended with closer Edwin Diaz coming in with his signature trumpets and slamming the door with three strikeouts. Then on Saturday, a hard-fought game against Panama ended with a solo home run by Darell Hernaiz in the bottom of the 10th:
Hernaiz was a strong candidate to make Puerto Rico’s roster, regardless of the absences of Lindor and Correa. But the fact that the player starting at shortstop only because Lindor couldn’t play was the one who delivered such a big swing was a refreshing bit of positive baseball karma for a Puerto Rican team that certainly deserves it. And for Hernaiz, a 24-year-old still working to establish himself in the majors with the A’s, a swing like that could instill him with a healthy dose of confidence heading into the regular season — once his run as a surprisingly important cog in Puerto Rico’s lineup comes to an end.
Ozzie Albies makes history
Remarkably, Hernaiz’s kick wasn’t even the first of the day, as earlier Saturday, Ozzie Albies delivered the first home run in WBC history to help the Netherlands defeat Nicaragua in a tie game. an exciting competition.
Albies’ huge hit on a first-pitch fastball from Nicaraguan reliever Angel Obando lifted the Netherlands from a 3-1 deficit to a 4-3 triumph with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, marking a stirring victory for this Dutch team and a devastating defeat for a Nicaraguan team seeking its first WBC victory. The Netherlands’ chances of making it out of Pool D remain slim, but Albies’ big moment was an encouraging sign for him as he heads into a pivotal 2026 with the Braves, both for the player and the club.
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Atlanta has already endured a rough spring training, with elbow injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep followed by a 162-game PED suspension for Jurickson Profar (which also made him unavailable for the Netherlands, a double whammy for Albies as a teammate). Albies could be a key ingredient in getting Atlanta back on track in 2026, and he has a lot to prove after a poor campaign in which he recorded a career-worst 87 in wRC+.
The Braves still picked up his $7 million option for this season, but he’ll need to bounce back if Atlanta’s roster is going to be as formidable as he hopes. As the longest tenured player on the roster, Albies is at a crossroads in his career, and his performance this season will likely determine whether his time in Atlanta finally comes to an end or whether he remains a main character for the Braves moving forward.
Junior Caminero is more than just a water boy
It was last June that Rays slugger Junior Caminero spoke with journalist Yancen Pujols and announced his appeal to manager Albert Pujols to be included in the Dominican Republic’s roster for the World Baseball Classic, even though just like the water boy. Caminero then acknowledged that several more accomplished third basemen were ahead of him on the Dominican depth chart, but he was passionate about finding a way to be included in the tournament.
Combine a gigantic second half with the Rays with the absence of guys like Jose Ramirez and Rafael Devers on the Dominican roster, and Caminero now finds himself at the heart of Team DR’s ridiculously loaded lineup, doing much more than fetching water for his most famous teammates. The 22-year-old has already torched two breathtaking home runs: a go-ahead two-run drive to center field against Nicaragua and a laser three-run shot to left field against the Netherlands that put the game out of reach.
It’s possible that Caminero’s performance in this tournament will be considered his coming out party as a superstar in his own right, a fitting callback to his sophomore performance at the Home Run Derby last summer. His electric right-handed swing should be a staple of our game for years to come, and the way he continues to grow as a hitter will be fascinating to watch. Caminero’s biggest test this season will be returning to the less hitter-friendly Tropicana Field, as his production last year was significantly better at George M. Steinbrenner Field (.954 OPS) than on the road (.743 OPS). It would be foolish to doubt a player of Caminero’s caliber, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
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KBO stars mobilize for Korea
Korea joins Japan in Pool C, whose dramatic victory over Australia on Monday ensured they hold the tiebreaker in a three-way match with Australia and Chinese Taipei. Making it to the last eight was a huge achievement for Korea, who finished third and second in the first two editions of the WBC in 2006 and 2009, but have failed to advance out of the group stage in the three tournaments since. The Korean team is led by San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee and bolstered by U.S.-born greats of Korean descent such as Jahmai Jones, Shay Whitcomb and Dane Dunning.
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In this tournament, Lee has looked terrific, both at the plate and in right field, where he is preparing to play after primarily manning center for the Giants the past two seasons. But the real stars of the pool game were two players who still played in the KBO: 22-year-old third baseman Do Yeong Kim and 25-year-old first baseman Bo Gyeong Moon. Kim was the 2024 KBO MVP with the Kia Tigers, but dealt with injuries that limited him to just 30 games in 2025. He’s clearly healthy now, making several impressive swings at some key moments in pool play that showcased both his talent and composure:
Moon has been a rock-solid bat for the LG Twins over the past few seasons, but his performance in this tournament has been supernatural, starting with a grand slam against Czechia and following it up with another big home run against Australia. Moon’s seven hits and 11 RBIs (!) were both best among all players in billiard games.
Now in Miami for the quarterfinals, Korea will face the team that finishes first in Pool D, likely the winner of Wednesday’s epic clash between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. If Korea is to pull off what would be a significant upset against either foe, it’s likely that Kim or Moon will need to provide an extra spark or two to make it happen.
