The 2026 World Baseball Classic has come and gone. A new champion has been crowned and MLB players are starting to filter back into camp to begin final preparations for the season. Marlins Park, the site of such electrifying WBC games with incredible energy, is set to go back to being a ghost town.
But with the dust of the WBC now officially settled, let’s take this last chance to look back at a very eventful tournament. There were walk-offs, upsets, slugfests, remembrances of some guys, and even a Czech
electrician. There were multiple games that will go down in memory as thrillers, not just for baseball fans but for the countries involved as well.
The Phillies were no strangers to some of those moments either. Bryce Harper’s tying home run in the eighth inning of the final was the highlight of Team USA’s tournament. Kyle Schwarber’s mammoth blast off of Great Britain was also a memorable highlight. Cristopher Sánchez dominated in the quarterfinal for the Dominican Republic, while Aaron Nola helped surprising Italy make a deeper run than anyone expected. Taijuan Walker had a pair of solid starts for Mexico, and Edmundo Sosa had a modest showing for Panama. Even prospect Dante Nori got in on the fun, hitting .400 with a 1.185 OPS at the bottom of Italy’s lineup and getting named to the All-tournament team.
Former Phillies “greats” like Vance Worley and Philippe Aumont appeared one more time on your TV screens to flood you with nostalgia for good times or resurrect the soul crushing despair that you thought you had suppressed for good. Such is the magic of the WBC.
So, now that it’s over, what did you think of the 2026 WBC? What was your favorite moment? Which was the most entertaining game? How will you remember the tournament? Or are you just happy that it’s over?
