Puerto Rico’s Star-Studded Roster Makes an Appearance in the World Baseball Classic
- Mayline Ruiz
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
So far, 2026 has been the year of sports. With amazing games such as Canada vs USA hockey, the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the 2026 World Cup coming up, there have been nonstop sporting events that have brought more eyes to the sports world. One in particular is the World Baseball Classic.
The World Baseball Classic is held every four years, with players representing their countries competing for the championship. In 2023, the World Baseball Classic champions were Team Japan, who defeated Team USA 3-2 in the final. While there are teams filled with stars such as Team USA, with players like Paul Skenes and Will Smith, and Team Mexico with Jarren Duran and Randy Arozarena, Team Puerto Rico is a country that also has a lot of great players. They were definitely a contender after the group stages and had a strong run in the tournament.
Team Puerto Rico has yet to win a World Baseball Classic, but they have a lot of power hitters, which has allowed them to be runner-up on two separate occasions, one in 2013 and in 2017. During the 2013 tournament, Puerto Rico lost to the Dominican Republic 3-0, and in 2017, they lost to the USA 8-0. Nonetheless, they have made giant strides by being a top contender in each tournament.
Roster
Puerto Rico's roster is filled with talented and passionate players, which include:
Pitchers
Raymond Burgos
Jose Espada
Gabriel Rodriguez
Ricardo Velez
Eduardo Rivera
Jorge López
Edwin Díaz
Fernando Cruz
Rico Garcia
Luis Quiñones
Elmer Rodríguez
José De León
Yacksel Ríos
Seth Lugo
Angel Reyes
Catchers
Martín Maldonado
Christian Vázquez
Infielders
Nolan Arenado
Edwin Arroyo
Darell Hernaiz
Emmanuel Rivera
Luis Vázquez
Outfielders
Willi Castro
Eddie Rosario
Carlos Cortes
Helliot Ramos
MJ Melendez
Matthew Lugo
Bryan Torres
They have many previous All-Star players, and some of these players have postseason experience, such as Arenado and Díaz. It's also important to note that they have veteran players who can have a big role in guiding some of the younger players, and they have experience in high-pressure games.
While most of the players don't play with one another on a daily basis, Puerto Rico's roster has incredible team chemistry. In fact, Puerto Rico has a tradition where the whole team dyes their hair blonde. Even without some of their big players, such as Francisco Lindor, the team finds a way to bond. Players such as Enrique Hernandez play a big role by hyping up their teammates and celebrating the small and big moments.
Puerto Rico, which is in Pool A, faced teams such as Colombia, Canada, Cuba, and Panama. Puerto Rico had a small scrimmage against the Boston Red Sox, where Puerto Rico took a 5-3 win. Puerto Rico then played another scrimmage against the Minnesota Twins, and in this small tournament, they lost 6-3.
Puerto Rico's first official game in the 2026 World Baseball Classic was against Colombia, where Puerto Rico won 5-0. Seth Lugo got the win, pitching in four innings with three strikeouts.
The scoring started at the top of the fifth inning, where Emmanuel Rivera reached first base due to a fielding error, allowing Cortes to score. Rosario then hit a single, bringing Hernaiz home. Maldonado also hit a single, which brought Rivera home, making it 3-0. In that same inning, Castro hit a double, bringing Rosario home, making it 4-0. Then, Ramos hit a sacrifice fly, which allowed Maldonado to score, making it 5-0.
Following this game, Puerto Rico went on to face Panama, which was a close game as Puerto Rico got the win, 4-3. Panama was the first to score a run in the fifth inning when Christian Bethancourt hit a double, and Jonathan Araúz scored. They extended their lead by one run in the same inning when Luis Castillo hit a double, and Bethancourt was able to get a run in.
It didn't last long until Puerto Rico got a run in, and it was from Arenado when he hit a sacrifice fly to bring Torres in. The game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the ninth inning, when Castro got a walk, and Rosario scored, which tied the game 2-2.
As if the game couldn't get any better, they went to extra innings, and suddenly Panama had the lead again with a single from José Caballero, which brought Bethancourt home. At the bottom of the tenth inning, Puerto Rico challenged a call that was upheld, which ultimately brought Ramos home, and it was a tied game again. Hernaiz was the hero at the end of this game when he hit a walk-off home run and gave Puerto Rico a 4-3 win.
After the close game against Panama, Puerto Rico went on to play Cuba, where Puerto Rico got a 4-1 win. Puerto Rico started the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, where Maldonado hit a double, which allowed Rosario, Rivera, and Melendez to score, making it 3-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Cortes hit a sacrifice fly, bringing Ramos home. The scoring ended in the top of the sixth inning when Cuba got their first and only run with a double from Alfredo Despaigne, and it brought in Ariel Martinez.
The win sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals, where they faced Italy and fell 8-6. Castro started the scoring with a home run at the top of the first inning. Vinnie Pasquantino evened the score in the bottom of the first with a single and brought Sam Antonacci home.
From there, Italy scored three more runs from Dominic Canzone, Jac Caglianone, and J.J. D'Orazio. With the bases loaded, Puerto Rico brought the score closer with a hit by pitch from Maldonado, and it got Ramos to walk home.
At the bottom of the fourth inning, Andrew Fischer hit a double, which brought Pasquantino and Canzone home to extend Italy's lead, 6-2. In that same inning, D'Orazio hit a double, and Caglianone and Andrew Fischer scored.
In the top of the eighth inning, Puerto Rico had some light when Rosario grounds into a force out, but Cortes scored. With a wild pitch, Emmanuel Rivera scored, making it 8-4. The last run came from Vázquez, who hit a single that allowed Rosario and Torres to score. Ultimately, Italy defeated Puerto Rico 8-6 and advanced to the semifinals to play against Venezuela.
With the clutch hits, Puerto Rico had a big chance at taking the championship back to their country. With their elite hitters, experienced players, and strong pitching, they performed extremely well.
Edited by Mary Merensky
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