By Miles Prusek

Millions tuned in from around the world on March 21 to witness the dramatic conclusion of the World Baseball Classic Championship Game between Japan and the United States. 6.5 million people were watching the final at-bat between MLB All Stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The game ended with Japan clinching a 3-2 victory and being crowned the Champions of the World Baseball Classic. 

World Baseball Classic banner showing players and the countries they are representing. Image courtesy of MLB.

This year was the 5th edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), a global tournament where players from around the world come together to represent their country on their national teams. This year, 20 teams competed in four initial pool play brackets, which the MLB explains as “a round-robin, double-elimination tournament. From there, the top two teams in each pool advance to, essentially, an eight-team, single-elimination bracket.”

Pool A played in the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Chinese Taipei. Pool B played in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Pool C played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, and Pool D played at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. These venues were filled with fans, and the first round of the tournament drew a combined attendance of over 1 million fans. This easily surpassed the previous attendance record for the first round, of just over 500,000 fans, set in 2017. 

Support for the tournament was not just seen in the attendance numbers, as the TV viewership was up from all prior years of the tournament. Millions of people from around the world tuned in to watch the games, and the championship games set TV viewership records for the WBC. During the championship game, the broadcast averaged 4.5 million viewers and peaked to 6.5 million viewers during the championship game. These numbers show that people were invested in this game, and the viewership of this game was higher than “all but three [MLB] Division League playoff games last season.”

Baseball fan Harrison Baxter (‘25) said, “I was able to watch multiple games of the WBC this year. I loved watching Team USA compete… It was really cool to see so many big stars playing together. You can’t see that anywhere else.” 

Many fans have shown their support for the tournament, but what have players’ reactions been? And do the games have the same energy of a high intensity MLB game that would let the WBC become an event that is highly anticipated by both fans and players?

Mike Trout salutes to the Team USA dugout after 3-run homerun in Team USA’s win against Team Canada. Photo credit: Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images.

Getting player support will likely not be a problem after the 2023 tournament. Players raved about the “playoff atmosphere” of every game, and many players spoke about the pride that comes from representing their country. As Team USA’s captain and star player, Trout went to Twitter after Team USA’s heartbreaking loss to speak to the fans and reflect on his time playing in the WBC. He said, “It’s hard, to sum up into words what these last couple of weeks have meant to me. I had the time of my life representing that USA on my chest! The energy was electric and made the WBC a moment I’ll always cherish. So thank you all so much. It was an honor to be your captain.” Trout was very vocal about his support and enjoyment of the tournament throughout the competition, and fans took this opportunity to enjoy seeing a star like Trout in meaningful games. While Trout has been voted MVP of the MLB three times and is one of the league’s stars, he has only played in three playoff games in his career. The WBC gave him and baseball fans an opportunity to see him play in high energy and meaningful games. 

The WBC allows players to represent the country that they were born in, but there are also some nuances in the rules that let players represent a country where they were not born. Some of these exceptions include having a parent born in the country a player wants to represent, being a citizen in that country, and many more. 

Team Japan after winning defeating Team USA in the WBC Championship game. Photo via lars_nootbaar11.

These exceptions give players like St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar an opportunity to become a star on the worldwide stage. Nootbar was born in America, but his mother is from Japan, so he is eligible to play for team Japan. He was the first non-Japanese player to ever play for Team Japan, but he was embraced by the team and the fans. His stellar play in center field, as well as his consistent performance as Team Japan’s leadoff hitter, has helped him reach superstar status in Japan and the US. “Noot! Noot!” chants were heard throughout the Tokyo Dome during pool play, and his follower count on Instagram went from 59,000 to nearly 1 million followers. The WBC has given Nootbar a new platform that he could not have attained anywhere else. 

Opportunities like Nootbar’s are unique to the WBC, and the tournament gives players an opportunity to represent something larger than themselves. The opportunity to represent their country brings a different type of energy to the game, and the fans create an extremely energetic and passionate atmosphere. Nootbar said, “To be in the Tokyo Dome for the first time ever representing Japan, pretty surreal experience… (My family is) proud… To be able to connect me and my family together from opposite sides of the world. It’s a pretty special moment for me.” 

This year’s WBC was also special for Nicaraguan pitcher Duque Hebbert. He closed his team’s game against the talented Dominican Republic, and he had a dominant performance, giving up one hit and no runs. MLB organizations took notice, and after the game he announced that he had signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers. He made the most of the opportunity to showcase his skills against some of the best players in the world. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the WBC will be returning in 2026, and many players have already pledged that they will compete in the 2026 tournament. As more of the best players in the world compete in the tournament, and more fans tune in, the WBC will continue to globalize the game of baseball.

Featured image via World Baseball Softball Confederation.