Paul Skenes – pitching in what was undeniably the biggest game of his stunning-but-underutilized career so far and in what will certainly be the loudest stadium he experiences this year – hit Julio Rodríguez in the wrist with a 98 mile-per-hour fastball.
The extremely painful free pass loaded the bases for Team Dominican Republic in the bottom of the fourth inning after Team USA had just taken a 2-1 lead in the previous frame. It also probably caused a whole bunch of sports fans in the Pacific Northwest to temporarily curse the very existence of the World Baseball Classic. Just ahead of a season with so much promise for the Seattle Mariners, why was their young star risking his health for the sake of a showcase?
About 10 minutes later, Rodríguez gave them the answer. Tracking a deep drive, he reached out that same hand to brace himself, scaling the outfield wall to steal a home run from the greatest power hitter on the planet. He made a fist, pumped his arms in an X-shape across his chest and roared – not in pain, but in power and pride. What separates a showcase from something with true stakes if not the emotional investment of the people involved?
Later, Aaron Judge, the man robbed of the home run but also the author of an incredible defensive play of his own, declared the WBC crowds “bigger and better than the World Series.”
