In the early days of the competition, there were many question marks. It didn’t fit the timing. In the United States, March is the time to enjoy college basketball tournaments, not baseball. Everyone gathers in front of the TV to enjoy the one-on-one game where surprises appear one after another.
In addition, Major League Baseball (MLB) fans shook their heads. If a player from the cheering team joins the national team and gets injured, it can ruin the season. There were also clubs that openly refused to participate in the participation of their team’s players. It was like that until the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The box office performance was also not satisfactory. As the Korea-Japan match was held steadily, the heat in Korea and Japan was hot, but it was not hot in the United States. In the sports headlines of the American media, there were more cases of college basketball than WBC.
However, the temperature has changed since the 2013 WBC. The second round match between the United States and Dominica, where MLB stars faced each other, was extremely hot. Dominica continued the momentum of beating the United States to the end and won the championship. The Dominican players who reached the top gave great meaning, saying, “It is more valuable than winning the World Series.” 메이저사이트
Since then, baseball powerhouses have sold out to the WBC. Some pitchers still feel pressured to participate in the WBC, but most fielders hope to participate in the WBC. Central and South American countries such as the United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico have started to build the best WBC teams, just like Korea and Japan.As a result, the 2017 WBC was hot from the start. The average number of spectators in the first round was 20,402, and more spectators than MLB demonstration games entered. As the US, the de facto host country, rose to the top, MLB fans also caught their attention on the WBC. I couldn’t help but feel my heart grow hot when I saw the repetitive hobi and head-first sliding of top-class players that can only be seen in the MLB playoffs.