Worldwide Sports News

Curaçao population

The island national made news last November qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as the smallest country to ever do so, with a population of just 156,000.

A team led by current MLB players Jonathan Schoop and suspended Atlanta Braves infielder Jurickson Profar, led a Willemstad, Curaçao, team to the Little League World Series championship title in 2004.

Curaçao is located in the southern Caribbean just north of the Venezuela coast. It became an autonomous territory in 2010, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao players on Netherlands WBC roster

Here's a look at the eight players from Curaçao on the Netherlands' roster. All of them are pitchers:

• Jamdrick Cornelia, LHP
• Jaydenn Estanista, RHP
• Wendell Floranus, RHP
• Kenley Jansen, RHP
• Kevin Kelly, RHP
• Shairon Martis, RHP
• J. C. Sulbaran, RHP
• Dylan Wilson, RHP

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Baseball Classic 2026: Netherlands, Curaçao roster explained

So, Arenado will don different shades of red and blue, on behalf of the Boricua.

Just like that, he’s by far the most accomplished player on his WBC squad, with Puerto Rico’s infield dotted with part-time major leaguers such as Emmanuel Rivera and Darell Hernaiz.

Still, Puerto Rico has a knack for WBC success – it joins Team USA, Japan and Cuba as the only countries to advance out of pool play in all five tournaments. And Arenado himself has participated in the past two championship games.

And, with Carlos Correa failing to obtain insurance for the tournament, Arenado will be at his familiar third base position, aiming to glean the benefits of full go baseball as he prepares for his first season with his third team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I love it, for me, selfishly, it's the energy," says Arenado. “It gets you mentally ready for the season. Obviously, the stakes are high right away, which is tough, but it brings that intensity. It brings the focus that you only get when opening day of the season starts.

“I really think it’s beneficial."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Nolan Arenado is on Puerto Rican team after prior USA WBC service

Is there a ghost runner in extra innings in the World Baseball Classic?

There are no ties in baseball. That means a game must continue until there is a winner. So, yes, the World Baseball Classic will have the ghost runner rule for extra innings in 2026.

So starting in the 10th inning, a runner is placed on second base with zero outs. This rule is similar to the one in MLB, where the last out of the previous inning is placed on second to start the inning. Of course, this rule for MLB is in the regular season only.

This was a rule that was also in place for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is there a ghost runner in extra innings the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

Why is Randy Arozarena playing on Mexico?

Arozarena, who fled Cuba in 2015, became in Mexican citizen in April 2022.

The previous year, Arozarena had posted his desire to become a Mexican citizen on Instagram, asking then-Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to expedite his citizenship application so Arozarena could represent Mexico in the WBC.

It apparently worked.

According to a 2023 story on MLB.com, Mexican secretary of foreign affairs Marcelo Ebrard helped Arozarena become a Mexican citizen.

Arozarena went on to play for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, earning a WBC All-Tournament Team award, which was presented to Arozarena by Ebrard before a Tampa Bay Rays' game in May 2023.

How did Randy Arozarena flee Cuba?

According a 2020 New York Times story, Arozarena began feeling alienated by his team in Cuba following the 2014 death of his father. With officials there fearing he might defect, Arozarena was left off Pinar del Río’s roster for the 2015 Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico.

He decided it was time to leave.

Arozarena said he took an eight-hour boat ride on rough seas in June 2015 to Isla Mujeres, just off the coast from Cancún, Mexico, establishing residency in a third country so he could sign as an international free agent with any MLB team.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed Arozarena on Aug. 1, 2016. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 14, 2019 before the Cardinals traded him to the Rays in January 2020.

Randy Arozarena stats

In seven MLB seasons, Arozarena is a two-time All-Star with a career .250 average, 118 home runs, 390 RBIs and 131 stolen bases, while playing for Cardinals, Rays and Mariners.

Arozarena had a spectacular postseason in 2020, earning ALCS MVP honors after batting .321 with four home runs and a 1.152 OPS in the seven-game series against the Houston Astros. He became the first rookie position player in MLB history to win an LCS or World Series MVP award.

Arozarena won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021 after batting .274 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Randy Arozarena playing on Mexico in World Baseball Classic?

Catchers

Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 7.4 WAR, 60 homers, 125 RBI, .948 OPS.

Likely role: Starting catcher. Big Dumper can take a load off after years of carrying Seattle’s offense at various times in recent years, and his switch-hitting power will give manager Mark DeRosa significant lineup flexibility.

Will Smith, C, Dodgers

Age: 30

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 17 homers, .404 OBP, .901 OPS in 110 games

Likely role: Part-time catcher. Smith flirted with a batting title for a while last year and showed he’s the Dodgers’ off-Broadway MVP by catching every postseason inning and striking the go-ahead, 11^th-inning home run in World Series Game 7. Yes, the man will not shrink from this global stage.

Infielders

Alex Bregman, 3B, Cubs

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: Three

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.5 WAR, .821 OPS, 18 homers in 114 games

Likely role: Primary third baseman. This will be Bregman’s first WBC since earning five plate appearances with the 2017 champions; his role should be much larger this time. Suddenly a veteran of three teams, Bregman’s Pied Piper leadership and ball knowledge will be a significant asset this time around.

Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays

Age: 29

Last year: 4.3 WAR, 35 doubles, .711 OPS in 157 games

Likely role: Deluxe utility guy. Clement can play any position on the infield – and roam the outfield in a pinch – and is coming off a record 30-hit postseason that capped a stellar all-around season.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees

Age: 38

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022 NL MVP, four-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 1.2 WAR, 10 homers in 534 plate appearances

Likely role: Right-handed bat off the bench. Goldschmidt’s splits went extreme last year: .336/.411/.570 against left-handers, .247/.289/.329 against righties.

Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Eight

Honors: 2015 NL MVP, 2021 NL MVP, 2012 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 3.1 WAR, 27 homers, .844 OPS in 132 games

Likely role: Primary first baseman. Harper’s first high-profile chance to reclaim the “elite” tag his club president questioned this winter. Harper’s 126 adjusted OPS was his lowest since 2019.

Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, Orioles

Age: 24

All-Star appearance: 2024

Honors: 2023 AL Rookie of the Year

Last year: 5.3 WAR, 17 homers, .787 OPS in 154 games

Likely role: Part-time third baseman. Henderson will likely share time with Bregman at third, the start of a campaign he hopes looks much more like his 37-homer 2024 after playing through a shoulder impingement last season.

Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers

Age: 26

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 5.6 WAR, 18 homers, 97 runs, .794 OPS

Likely role: Primary second baseman. Turang is a fantastic all-around player whose presence will only help in the always-tricky area of team adhesion in a brief sample size.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

Age: 25

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Two-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 7.1 WAR, 23 homers, 38 stolen bases, .852 OPS

Likely role: Primary shortstop. Witt was a bit player as Trea Turner starred in 2023. Little reason to think he won’t be that guy this time around.

Outfielders

Roman Anthony, LF, Red Sox

Age: 21

Last year: 3.1 WAR, eight homers, .859 OPS in 71 games

Likely role: Part-time left fielder. As you likely know well, Anthony’s sparse resume belies his status as one of the game’s most imposing hitters. Will be a weapon in the top or middle of the lineup or as a bat off the bench.

Byron Buxton, CF, Twins

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 4.9 WAR, 35 homers, 97 runs, .878 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Buxton’s power and defense – he put up those 35 homers in 126 games a year ago – will be a significant asset, especially against lefty starters.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs

Age: 23

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 6.0 WAR, 31 homers, 35 stolen bases, .768 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Team USA isn’t expecting First Half PCA – when he hit 25 homers with an .847 OPS, compared to six and .634 after the break – but will settle for elite defense and the ability to ambush at the bottom of the order.

Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022, 2024-25 AL MVP, 2017 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 9.7 WAR, 53 homers, .331 average, 1.144 OPS

Likely role: Starting right fielder. After leading the majors in all the slash categories and WAR, Judge enters this WBC on a career high. And will have unparalleled lineup protection in this sprint to the finals.

Designated hitter

Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.7 WAR, 56 homers, .928 OPS

Likely role: Starting DH. Schwarber is immediate danger wherever DeRosa pencils him in – perhaps tucked between Witt and Judge? – and seems destined to have at least one meet-the-moment sequence in this tourney.

Starting pitchers

Matthew Boyd, LHP, Cubs

Age: 35

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 2.5 WAR, 14 wins, 1.09 WHIP in 179 2/3 innings

Likely role: Should get a start or two and perhaps be deployed out of the bullpen against a lefty-heavy pocket. Steady, deceptive and occasionally dominant despite a 92 mph fastball.

Clay Holmes, RHP, Mets

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2024

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 3.53 ERA over 165 2/3 innings

Likely role: He’s been an All-Star closer and successfully reverted to a starting role last year, especially in the first half. That makes him particularly valuable in this format, able to log multiple innings in any role behind his sinker- and sweeper-heavy arsenal.

Clayton Kershaw, LHP, retired

Age: 37

Last year: 1.6 WAR, 11 wins, 3.36 ERA over 112 2/3 innings

All-Star appearances: 11

Honors: NL Cy Young winner (2011, 2013, 2014), NL MVP (2014), Gold Glove

Likely role: Sure, it might be largely ceremonial and perhaps his biggest value will be as clubhouse sage and, as they say, showing the younger guys “how to go about your business.” But Kershaw was very good as a starter last season, got one huge out in Game 5 of the World Series and was on the verge of entering Game 7 in the 11^th inning when the Dodgers won it. The man will get the ball. Question is, how big of a spot?

Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets

Age: 24

Last year: 1.8 WAR, 5-1, 2.06 ERA over eight major league starts

Likely role: A big wild card – McLean has a dominant fastball, a legitimate six-pitch mix and a nearly unsullied big league resume to this point. How much do you pour into a guy with just eight starts to his name? For now McLean is slated to start the fourth pool play game against a respectable Italy squad - and leave him on turn should Team USA reach the championship.

Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 194 strikeouts in 171 innings.

Likely role: A back injury will keep Ryan out of pool play and might force his removal from the roster.

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates

Age: 23

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2023 Rookie of the Year, 2024 NL Cy Young Award

Last year: 7.7 WAR, 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings

Likely role: Ace. Simple enough? With AL Cy Young counterpart Tarik Skubal limited to one start, Skenes will start a pool play game - March 9 against Mexico - and likely get the semifinal nod should Team USA get there.

Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2024, 2025 AL Cy Young Awards

Last year: 6.5 WAR, 241 strikeouts, 2.21 ERA, AL-best 2.45 FIP, major league-best 0.89 WHIP.

Likely role: One and done. Skubal, entering a season after which he’s expected to be the most coveted pitching free agent in history, has said he’ll start just one game and head back to Florida and resume training with the Tigers. He got his pitch count up to 44 – and hit 99 mph on his fastball – in his final exhibition start before the WBC and should top the 50-pitch mark in his March 7 start against against Great Britain.

Michael Wacha, RHP, Royals

Age: 34

All-Star appearance: 2015

Last year: 2.8 WAR, 3.86 ERA over 172 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Innings eater. Team USA has so much dominant swing-and-miss – a facet they’ve missed in many past WBCs – that Wacha can be looked to for coverage, particularly in pool play action.

Logan Webb, RHP, Giants

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.8 WAR, MLB-high 207 innings pitched, NL-high 224 strikeouts

Likely role: Frontline starter. While Skubal and Skenes stole the headlines, Webb’s commitment might be the most important on this squad, giving it pitching depth no previous USA group enjoyed. He'll get the ball in the March 6 opener against Brazil and almost certainly a starting assignment in the knockout rounds.

Relievers

David Bednar, RHP, Yankees

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2023

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 27 saves, 86 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings

Likely role: Potential closer. Bednar flourished after a trade to the Yankees, seizing the ninth-inning role and saving 10 games. Reliable presence after the high-leverage heat enters earlier.

Garrett Cleavinger, LHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 2.35 ERA, 82 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings.

Likely role: Lefty-leaning specialist. Cleavinger’s splits were fairly neutral last season – really good against both right- (.183/.264/.338) and left-handed (.187/.274/.347) hitters. He’ll be joined by Gabe Speier and potentially Kershaw as lefties out of the bullpen.

Griffin Jax, RHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 0.5 WAR, 4.23 ERA, 99 strikeouts in 66 innings

Likely role: Lower-leverage strikeout specialist. Jax got all but 11 of his punchouts on his sweeper and changeup last season, presenting a different look between Team USA’s starters and highest-leverage guys.

Brad Keller, RHP, Phillies

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.96 WHIP, 75 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Seventh- or eighth-inning guy. Keller was a reliable piece for the Cubs last season, prompting the Phillies to sign him to work ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.

Mason Miller, RHP, Padres

Age: 27

All-Star appearance: 2024

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 0.91 WHIP

Likely role: Fireman. Miller’s 101 mph fastball and wipeout slider are an almost unparalleled combo in this tournament or on any given major league day. So think of him deploying in the hottest spots possible – say, to handle Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero and Manny Machado in the late innings against the Dominican – regardless of closer designation.

Gabe Speier, LHP, Mariners

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.87 WHIP, 82 strikeouts in 62 innings

Likely role: Left-on-left arm of death. Speier was great against all comers but, even moreso than Cleavinger, was merciless on lefties, holding them to a .179/.214/.302 line and 42 strikeouts to just two walks in 112 plate appearances.

Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Red Sox

Age: 29

Last year: 2.4 WAR, 1.08 WHIP, 91 strikeouts in 72 innings

Likely role: Set-up man. Whitlock owned the eighth inning in Boston, and gave up just two home runs, using his power sinker to induce whiffs, ground balls and chase.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Team USA World Baseball Classic 2026 roster breakdown

Why is there a pitch count at the World Baseball Classic?

The WBC has a pitch count in place in order to mitigate injury risks for Major League Baseball pitchers. Pitch limits have been a staple of the tournament since its inception in 2006.

2026 World Baseball Classic pitch count rules

Below are the pitch limits that will be enforced through each round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Note: all pitchers may exceed the limit in order to complete a plate appearance they are already involved in when crossing the pitch count threshold.

• Pool Play: 65 pitches
• Quarterfinals: 80 pitches
• Semifinals/Championship: 95 pitches

Additionally, any pitcher who throws more than 50 pitches in a single game will be required to take at least four days rest before making another appearance. Similarly, any pitcher who crosses the 30-pitch threshold will be required to take one day of rest.

Finally, any pitcher who pitches on consecutive days while staying below 30 pitches will still be required to take one day of rest before their next appearance.

Will there be a pitch clock this year?

For the first time in World Baseball Classic history, a pitch clock will be introduced. The clock will follow MLB regulations ‒ 15 seconds to throw with no one on, 18 seconds with runners on.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are pitchers on a pitch count for the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

Is there a mercy run-rule in the World Baseball Classic?

Yes, there is a mercy run-rule in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. If a team has a lead by 10 or more runs after the completion of the seventh inning, or 15 or more runs after the fifth inning, the game will end in a mercy run-rule.

However, the run rule is not in place for the knockout stage, which includes the semifinal and championship games. But with the talent it takes to reach those games, the hope is that the competition keeps it from rising to that level of a blowout in the first place.

An important aspect of a potential run-rule victory is that importance run differential plays in the standings, as it is used for a potential tiebreaker for ties in the standings during pool play.

Of course, this will be an adaptation for many MLB players. There is no mercy rule in MLB. The rule follows the Little League Baseball guidelines.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is there a mercy run rule in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?