MLB news: St. Louis Cardinals disappointment, Detroit Tigers prospect injury, WBC shocker
By Kevin Henry
MLB news: Hall of Famer David Ortiz weighs in on shocking WBC exit
A native of the Dominican Republic, former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz wasn’t pleased to see his home country’s team of superstars eliminated from the World Baseball Classic in pool play. While Wednesday’s Puerto Rico win over the Dominican Republic might have been known more for the injury to New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz than the final outcome, the loss officially eliminated the DR team led by Juan Soto, Rafael Devers, Manny Machado, Jeremy Peña, and others.
Ortiz took to Instagram after the loss to vent about the outcome as well as the timing of the games and how that may have affected the Dominican Republic’s ability to play at the highest level.
David Ortiz on the elimination of the Dominican team in the 2023 WBC:
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) March 17, 2023
"If that series takes place in June when everyone is ready, you have to sit down and talk with us. Those guys (Dominicans) who were playing there are the killers in MLB, but they aren't ready in March". pic.twitter.com/2ffcTJnjSe
The World Baseball Classic has taken plenty of heat in recent days for the injuries to Diaz and the mild hamstring strain suffered by Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it is scheduled to return in 2026 and will very likely once again be an event scheduled during spring training in order to not throw off the regular season schedule.