The wait is almost over. Team USA makes its 2023 World Baseball Classic debut against Great Britain on Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix, the regular home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
But while the D-Backs are excited to host all five Pool D teams in the opening round of the WBC, they’re feeling more patriotic ahead of the U.S. opener. The team’s official Twitter account promised that the staff would introduce a tea bag into the Chase Field pool at the first pitch of the game if their tweet received 1,776 retweets, a number that was quickly surpassed.
The D-Backs, of course, are paying homage to the Boston Tea Party, one of the historic events that ultimately helped lead to the American Revolution against Great Britain and the founding of the United States in 1776. If that extra dose of patriotism facing big sport The event between an American team and a British team looks familiar, Saturday’s game will mark the second time in five months that teams from these two nations have met on a major world stage.
And unlike soccer, where a U.S. men’s national team battled a favored England team at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup last November, this U.S. baseball team will be heavily favored over its British counterpart.
[2022 World Cup: Social media reacts to scoreless USA-England draw]
Team USA Baseball enters with a lineup full of current MLB greats like Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, Trea Turner and Paul Goldschmidt. But no star will shine brighter than team captain Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout, who will make his WBC debut on Saturday.
[Adam Wainwright to start Game 1 for Team USA in WBC]
There may even be a third major sporting clash between the “Yanks” and the “Brits” later this year. While the U.S. and England women’s national teams will not share a group at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the men’s teams did, the two teams are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the world, respectively. by FIFA. It’s not a big stretch to think they may be destined for a high-stakes clash in the knockout stages of this tournament this coming summer.
Speaking of the USWNT, several of that team’s stars will be rooting for their baseball compatriots on Saturday night.
You can watch USA vs. Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic on FOX and the FOX Sports app at 9:00 PM ET on Saturday, and you can watch all the WBC matchups through the championship game on March 21 exclusively on the family of FOX networks. Tubi and the FOX Sports app in the US
FOX will also be the exclusive US home of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off from Australia and New Zealand on July 20.
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