Morning Briefing: Japan Wins World Baseball Classic
Good morning, Mets fans!
The World Baseball Classic came to a close on Tuesday, and crowned Team Japan as they went on to beat the U.S. 3-2.
The U.S. opened the second inning with a Trea Turner solos shot that went 405 feet. Japan then responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own. Munetaka Murakami answered with a solo shot of his own and Lars Nootbaar grounded into a fielder’s choice to give Japan a 2-1 lead.
Kazuma Okamoto added some insurance to Japan’s lead with another solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kyle Schwarber brought the U.S. a bit closer with a solo home run of his own in the top of the eighth to bring the score to 3-2.
To end the game, Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout, his Los Angeles Angels teammate. It was a perfect way to end the WBC and ring in the start of the MLB regular season next week.
Latest Mets News
The Mets are off today, but outfielder Brandon Nimmo was at Clover Park testing his sprained right knee/ankle, according to Mike Puma of The New York Post. Team officials liked what they saw and deem Nimmo as progressing. It’s still unclear what that will mean for Opening Day on March 30, but Nimmo is staying confident that he will be ready.
Third baseman Brett Baty said he had an “epiphany” last week that changed the way he views defense. Bench coach Eric Chavez said Baty “absolutely” is ready to play third in the majors right now. You can read more about this in Tim Healey’s Newsday article.
MMO‘s own Michael Mayer says Mets right-handed pitching prospect Calvin Ziegler had surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow. Ziegler, 20, had a 4.44 ERA but allowed only 26 hits and struck out 70 last year in 46 2/3 innings for Low-A St. Lucie. Ziegler was the Mets’ second-round pick in 2021.
Latest MLB News
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the World Baseball Classic is “100%” coming back for 2026, according to Alden Gonzales of ESPN. After record attendance and viewership, Manfred made the announcement prior to the start of the WBC final between the U.S. and Japan and wants more star pitchers to participate in the tournament.
The Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said they are not planning on putting outfielder Bryce Harper on the 60-day injured list. according to Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation. This pretty much means there is a possibility Harper comes back before May 29. Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the offseason.
The Cleveland Guardians have announced the release of their Ballpark Pass. For $49 a month, any fan can get standing room tickets for all of Cleveland’s home games, including their home opener against the Seattle Mariners on April 7 that is sold out.
Latest on MMO
On This Date in Mets History
1962: Mets beat Yankees in their first spring training game against New York rivals.
1965: Mets throw a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training.
Birthdays: Edwin Díaz (29), Ike Davis (36), Joe Smith (39), Juan Uribe (44), Jeremy Griffiths (45), Dan Boitano (70), Matt Galante (79)
The post Morning Briefing: Japan Wins World Baseball Classic first appeared on Metsmerized Online.