Earlier this month, the Port Press covered the start of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the international phenomenon that has the mere effect on American culture of watching some of our favorite MLB stars play meaningful games before the season starts. But thanks to the universal curse that does not allow the New York Mets to have good things, even an event as fun as the WBC has come into controversy. 

Mets closer Edwin Diaz has been pitching for his home country of Puerto RIco, acting as their closer following his best MLB season yet in 2022. This earned Diaz a five year, $102 million extension from New York, the most a reliever has ever earned. Unfortunately, the Mets will now only have him for a maximum of four seasons, as Diaz suffered a tear in the patella tendon of his right knee, and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2023 season. What is even more heartbreaking is that the injury was sustained after Diaz helped Puerto Rico eliminate the favorites of the tournament, the Dominican Republic. In a mundane team celebration, that mostly consisted of jumping up and down, Diaz never came up one time. He couldn’t put any weight on his knee, and now with the diagnosis in, the debate has started on whether or not the WBC is truly a good thing. 

The truth is that the WBC can only hurt an MLB team, and MLB teams are the reason why players get paid a ton. Diaz may have suffered a freak injury, but he isn’t the only star to be hurt in this year’s games. Dodgers star Freddie Freeman strained his hamstring earlier this week, leading to him being taken off of Team Canada’s roster. Each of the last two WBCs have caused problems, especially with team USA. Former Mariners pitcher Drew Smyly had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery in 2017, while Yankees star Mark Teixeira tore a tendon in his wrist in 2013. Mets star Brandon Nimmo, who opted to skip the WBC after playing in 2017, was asked about Diaz’s injury, and explained why he made his decision, saying, “That’s my most important thing right now, the Mets. I want to win a World Series and maybe that makes me a bad person, but I [would] rather win a World Series than a WBC.” The irony of the situation is that the next day, Nimmo suffered an injury in Spring Training.

While some American fans may be upset about some of the impacts of the tournament, the fact is that the WBC has a crucial effect on growing baseball in an era that desperately needs it. What has become forgotten in the Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic game is how electric the atmosphere was. In March, it felt like we skipped to the World Series. On the other side of the world, Shohei Ohtani has given his Japanese supporters another chance to see him live after he left to play for the Angels in 2018. Ohtani’s presence and Team Japan’s run has set record TV ratings for the sport. When players from the Dominican Republic were asked whether they would rather have a World Series ring or a WBC championship, multiple players, including Padres star Manny Machado, chose the latter. When we got to the championship game between Japan and the states, no one was disappointed. The game ended with two Angels stars, Ohtani and Mike Trout, going against each other in a one run game. When Ohtani struck his teammate out, Japan won their third WBC championship. What made the game even more important were the TV ratings. In the US, roughly 5 million viewers watched on Fox Sports 1. That doesn’t even compare to the Japanese ratings. For their game against Korea, roughly 62 million watched. When we get the official ratings, they are projected to be much higher for the final.

All of this goes to show that while injuries to Diaz, Freeman, and probably more people in the future will sour people and MLB teams on the WBC, the tournament’s effects have been strong for the sport. Baseball needs more of the Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic game; not less of it.