Aram Leighton previews USA-Venezuela matchup in WBC championship
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What are the expectations for the USA-Venezuela championship matchup?
Laila Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody, Rahimi, Harrison, Grody on 104.3 The Score. Ronald, tomorrow night, you play Team USA for the championship. If Venezuela wins, what kind of party will there be back home? Amen. That's why my country, my country that win tomorrow, but USA got a really good team. We have a really good team too, but let's see what happens tomorrow. That was Ronald Acuna Jr., who we spoke about earlier. Clutch coming through for Venezuela as they advance to the final to take on Team USA. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody. That is courtesy of Fox Sports.
How has the World Baseball Classic atmosphere changed over the years?
And we go to our hotline and on Twitch, twitch.tv slash thescoreshicago, to talk to Aram Leighton. He is the co-founder and executive editor of Just Baseball, and he is the co-host of the Just Baseball show and the Call Up podcast. Aram, thank you for joining us today. Thanks for having me on. I'm always excited to talk about this tournament. Well, let's get it started. What have been your takeaways so far as we get into this final? The unavoidable, I think, takeaway that everybody's having, which is, I mean, this atmosphere is unmatched. It is such a special tournament that just seems to continue to grow in the excitement and the talent that's coming into it and the fan buy-in as well. I think that's been the number one thing.
What impact does national pride have on the World Baseball Classic?
It's just talent everywhere and fans that are – it's truly a different environment from anything I've ever really experienced in a sporting event. And I say that every three years it feels like now. And Arm, when this started off, what, 20 years ago, did you think it would become what it is today? Or are you surprised by how much it has grown to the levels of just excitement for more than just America and the main countries we see bring us Major League Baseball talent? Frankly, no. And it's funny because I grew up down here in South Florida. I grew up going to the first WBCs when we saw it down here. And I always felt like you'd get that passion, especially from the Latin American countries. But would you get the same level of buy-in across the world?
It's not just the U.S., right?
How does the fan base in South Florida influence the game's environment?
I mean, to see the run that Italy has made and all the people that were so excited to play for them. I mean, the Czech Republic and the stories with some of their players there that are walking away from their part-time jobs or full-time jobs doing He has an electrician to go play some baseball here and then go back to that. I think the way that it has just captured the whole globe is not like anything I ever could have imagined. I do remember seeing a little bit more people in that Dolphin Stadium, Joe Robbie, whatever you wanted to call it then for a baseball game than what I was used to going to Marlins games. But never like this where it is just a captivating environment that it seems to be as big as any sporting event for these baseball players and for these fans.
And Aram, I think you bring up a really good point growing up in South Florida, understanding how many true baseball for the love of the game fans there are, and they don't go to Marlins games. Nope. So it seems like they have really shown up when it comes to this World Baseball Classic, the past few. They're itching for good baseball here.
What are the standout performances in the World Baseball Classic?
I mean, I think a lot of people come in, but especially I can tell you this Venezuelan crowd, there is a lot of Venezuelans down here in South Florida that, you know, look, why would you be a Marlins fan over the last, you know, I know they won the World Series in 97 and 2003, but over the last 20 years or so, a lot of these people have gravitated towards other teams or, you know, have a little bit more excitement elsewhere. But I think the most important and most exciting part about baseball is it's an opportunity to showcase the sport. These are people that really want to go see quality baseball, get an opportunity to do this in their own backyard, and I think are getting probably a lot more excited about baseball in general.
At least that's my hope as someone that is very invested in the sport itself.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the expectations for the USA-Venezuela championship matchup?
0:01–0:44
2
How has the World Baseball Classic atmosphere changed over the years?
0:44–1:25
3
What impact does national pride have on the World Baseball Classic?
1:25–2:08
4
How does the fan base in South Florida influence the game's environment?
2:08–3:05
5
What are the standout performances in the World Baseball Classic?
3:05–4:11
6
How does pitching strategy play a role in the championship game?
4:11–5:00
7
What are the risks of injury associated with the World Baseball Classic?
5:00–5:36
8
Who is favored to win the USA-Venezuela matchup and why?
5:36–13:41
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