PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres' middle infield is back in Peoria -- far sooner than they would've hoped. Xander Bogaerts, whose Team Netherlands narrowly missed reaching the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, returned to the Padres’ clubhouse on Wednesday. He was in the lineup against the Guardians before that game was

After Pool A of the World Baseball Classic ended in a five-way tie, Cuba and Italy are advancing to the next round. Cuba wins the pool based on tiebreakers and will face Australia, the Pool B runner-up, in the quarterfinals. Italy advances as the runner-up team -- clinching a spot

Though the Netherlands found itself on the wrong end of a tiebreaker, resulting in an abrupt end to its World Baseball Classic run, it still provided plenty of memorable moments and made some history along the way. For the first time in World Baseball Classic history, three pairs of brothers

TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- Joe LaSorsa was in a tight spot. Team Netherlands had loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth inning. They were down, 6-1, to Italy in a must-win game and Team Italy manager Mike Piazza had turned to LaSorsa -- a Rays Minor Leaguer -- to

TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- Well, Thursday's Pool A matchup between Netherlands and Panama in the World Baseball Classic turned out to be just as expected: An elite defensive battle. Panama gave up three runs on seven hits (it could’ve been more if not for a laser throw by left fielder Allen

When Pool A play in Taichung, Taiwan, concludes, many expect that Cuba and the Netherlands will move on to the quarterfinals in Tokyo, but the margins are a lot closer than you may think at first glance. Italy -- led by manager Mike Piazza -- has Major League stars joined

TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- Cuba against the Netherlands. The two favorites from Pool A. It’s the matchup everyone was waiting for and, amazingly, it was the first one on the docket in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Wednesday’s game between the two international powers proved to be just as advertised for

TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- Looking up at the podium, it'd be hard to find a better full battery in baseball history. There was the Netherlands' pitching coach, one of the best curveball artists to ever toe a rubber. He had two World Series wins, 287 victories and more than 3,700 strikeouts

It’s nearly here. After a six-year wait, the World Baseball Classic has returned, and it’s bigger than ever. That’s not hyperbole, either: The tournament field has been expanded to 20 teams, with three first-time participants in Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Nicaragua hoping for a Cinderella run. But they’ll

You can probably imagine what it would be like to grow up playing baseball in Sint Maarten. Gorgeous hillsides, ocean views, playing the game in places not many kids play the game in. “Yeah, we played it around our house, we’d also go to the beach and play it in

The person who is, perhaps, the greatest representative of the spirit and the substance of the World Baseball Classic and the appeal baseball has internationally is no Major League star, no household name. He’s an unheralded right-hander from Willemstad, Cura?ao, whose brief big league career concluded a decade ago but

In 1911, English teacher J.C.G Grasé returned to the Netherlands from a trip to the United States and introduced baseball to the northwestern European country. The inaugural official honkbal games were played later that year. On March 12, 1913, Grasé founded the Dutch Baseball Union and established Quick Amsterdam (now

The Netherlands is aiming to finally reach the medal stand in the 2023 World Baseball Classic after finishing the past two tournaments in fourth place. Managed by Hensley Meulens, the Netherlands is led by an experienced group of infielders who should be familiar to MLB fans: Xander Bogaerts, Jonathan Schoop,