MIAMI (WSVN) – With the World Baseball Classic already underway, four teams are preparing for an exciting doubleheader at loanDepot Park on Friday.
The Netherlands will face Venezuela before Nicaragua takes on the powerhouse Dominican Republic to start a thrilling week of WBC baseball in Miami.
While some of these teams feature big names from the MLB, everyone is taking the field to represent their countries.
Manager Dusty Baker, who won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022, leads Team Nicaragua, which is considered an underdog in their Friday matchup.
“It’s time to play and, you know, you just have to play with the power of belief and a power that you can dig deep down inside to get what you want if you really believe,” said Baker.
Team Nicaragua joins the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, and Israel in Pool D in South Florida.
Team Israel has their eyes set on the WBC, while acknowledging its country’s ongoing conflict alongside the United States against Iran.
“Especially in this country, baseball has often brought, kind of, joy to people in difficult times. I think 9/11, when baseball shut down, I was playing at the time, baseball shut down for a week, and then came back, and it was a unifying source for the country,” said Team Israel manager Brad Ausmus. “So in that vein, I kind of hope that happens here.”
Daniel Federman, a pitcher for Team Israel, once played for the University of Miami. The former minor league pitcher said he plans to enjoy the opportunity to represent his country during this homecoming.
“Amazing ballpark, the atmosphere, the stadium, the fact that my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins are all coming to the game, I mean, nobody has to fly anywhere; I live 15 minutes from the field, so everybody’s gonna be at the game. Friends and family don’t have to travel, so I’ll have a big supporting crowd here,” said Federman.
As for Team USA’s MLB All-Star roster, they’ll be in Houston, Texas, as part of Pool B. They previously won the WBC in 2017 before coming up short against Japan in the 2023 championship game.
For Team USA pitcher Paul Skenes, the chance to win a championship for his country is a different kind of honor than every MLB player’s dream to win a World Series.
“The coolest motivation and the coolest thing that we’re playing for is winning gold for our country. Winning a World Series is the goal every year, but playing in an international tournament where every country in the world is represented, and you know, being able to be on top of that is – that’s pretty cool,” said Skenes.
Team USA will play its first game against Brazil on Friday. You can catch that matchup on Channel 7 at 8 p.m.
As for the loanDepot doubleheader, the Netherlands and Venezuela will begin at noon, and Nicaragua battles the Dominican Republic at 7 p.m.
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