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5 Red Sox takeaways as Wilyer Abreu and Eduardo Rodriguez lift Venezuela to World Baseball Classic title
Abreu hit a huge home run in the championship game.
COMMENTARY
It was a promising start and a sour ending for the Red Sox contingent of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Roman Anthony sizzled earlier in the tournament, but struck out to end it as Venezuela prevailed, 3-2, on Tuesday for its first-ever title. Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock surrendered the winning run in the top of the ninth.
On the flip side, it was a memorable tournament for current Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu and former Boston pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Newcomers Willson Contreras and Ranger Suárez are also on the roster.
Here are five Red Sox-related takeaways from the tournament as a whole, as the franchise certainly made its presence felt on an international stage:
Appreciating Abreu
Abreu hit two mammoth home runs for Venezuela — one in the quarterfinals with a spectacular bat flip (that thing might still be in the air) and one in the championship to give his team a 2-0 edge in the fifth.
For a steady player on the cusp of stardom, this was a major step in the right direction. Abreu showed tons of emotion on each homer and looked like a guy ready for a monster season.
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Abreu, who has established himself as a five-tool player, clearly took a ton of pride in representing his country on a grand stage. He deserves a tip of the cap for meeting the moment.
Remember Rodriguez?
Former Red Sox left-hander Rodriguez, who pitched for the team from 2015-2019, tossed four and a third scoreless innings in the championship game.
Rodriguez, who had a 5.02 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out four Tuesday night. It’s always fun to watch wily veterans dig deep and turn back the clock with everything on the line.
In other positive pitcher news, current Boston right-hander Brayan Bello was also solid, posting a 1.80 ERA for the Dominican Republic.
Tough ending
It was a tough ending for Anthony and Whitlock, who had wonderful moments throughout the tournament but were unable to come through in the clutch.
Whitlock, who was sharp in the semifinal, walked the leadoff hitter, then left a pitch right in Eugenio Suárez’s wheelhouse that Suárez sent to left-center for a go-ahead double.
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Anthony — who was also sharp in the semifinal — had his chance, but he took hittable pitches early in the count and whiffed on Daniel Palencia’s final offering.
This is just the beginning for Anthony, who proved he belonged and will certainly use this as fuel.
Repping worldwide
Jarren Duran (Mexico) and Masataka Yoshida (Japan) both had strong tournaments as well, while Ceddanne Rafaela (Netherlands) also made his presence felt.
Duran tied for the most homers with three and posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and 1.412 OPS. Two of those blasts came against the United States, as he got to don the home run sombrero and also hose his Red Sox teammate Anthony at the plate from right field.
Yoshida, meanwhile, hit. .375 with two homers and six RBIs, but Japan fell to Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
Manny’s son being Manny’s son
Manny Ramirez’s son, Lucas Ramirez, hit two home runs for Brazil against the United States in Pool B play.
Lucas, who has a beautiful lefty swing, was the leadoff hitter on a team that finished 0-4.
Lucas Ramirez — A 17th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 — finished the tournament with just a .182 average, but had his moment in the sun.
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