After being eliminated in the first round of the last two editions, the Mexican team hopes for better results in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. If the announcement they made on Thursday is any indication, the team will look for more than just getting through the round. .
Although the rosters will not be made official until the winter, Dodgers ace Julio César Urías and Rays slugger Randy Arozarena confirmed their commitment to uniform with the Mexican national team.
Urías, a native of Culiacán, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the past two seasons. After leading the majors with 20 wins in 2021, Urías went 17-7 this year, leading the NL with a 2.16 ERA.
“It will be something special and great. Mexico is everything to me,” Urías said last month. “The love that I receive from Mexicans is something that I feel every day, not only in Mexico, but here in Los Angeles as well. It will be an honor for me.”
For his part, Arozarena became a Mexican citizen earlier this year. After leaving Cuba at age 19 in 2015, the Rays slugger lived in Merida and played with the Tijuana Bulls before being signed by the Cardinals.
“I feel like I represent Mexico,” Arozarena said. “I have a daughter there and I would do it for her and for part of the career I had in Mexico, in addition to the friends I made while there.”
Mexico will begin their participation in the World Baseball Classic on March 11 in Phoenix, where they will face the United States, Colombia, Canada and a team to be defined.
