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Last night, Team Italy played against Team Venezuela in what was the first semi-final appearance ever for Italy and the first in 17 years for Venezuela – despite the fact that Venezuela boasts the third-most nationals in MLB behind only the United States and the Dominican Republic.
The energy throughout the tournament, in all four locations it has been played, has been absolutely electric with fans from all over the world bringing their own cultural flair to the event.
There has been a lot of talk about whether the tournament is being held at the correct time of year, with some people suggesting it should happen near to or replace the All-Star Game in the middle of the summer. However, the question I want to ask isn’t about when the tournament should happen, but how often? Team USA lost to Team Japan in 2023 and they’ve been licking their chops for a rematch ever since. Wouldn’t it have been cool to see them get their revenge sooner, perhaps while Mike Trout was still available to play following the iconic finish of that match?
I know I’d love to see Team Italy take another crack at Venezuela sooner rather than later, but as things stand, the next tournament won’t be until 2029, and the teams could be comprised very differently by the time we get there. Ondřej Satoria is something of a folk hero for WBC viewers and Team Czechia supporters, but this was his second and final tournament at the age of 29. Wouldn’t it have been nice to see the electrical engineer who struck out Shohei Ohtani on three pitches, finishing with a 72 MPH changeup, pitch more?
