World Baseball Classic!

 

We originally had planned on squeezing in a ski trip to Deer Valley over the kids' spring breaks. It wasn't an ideal set up since Owen's break was the week before Noa's, but we thought a trip over the long weekend in the middle of their two breaks would be fun. But with 2026 shaping up to be one of the worst snow years out west we started contemplating an alternative plan. Noa was going to be doing college visits over the break, and when Owen and I saw that the World Baseball Classic was in Miami over his spring break, we jumped at the chance to get tickets to the final and semifinals. Mom Mom was interested two, so she planned on joining us for the last two games.

Owen and I flew down on Sunday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed straight to Loan Depot Park for the USA vs. Dominican Republic semifinal game that was shaping up to be the best game of the whole classic. Paul Skenes was pitching for the US with the likes of Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr. and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the starting lineup, going up against an intimidating DR team with Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis, and Manny Machado. The atmosphere was electric, with a sold out crowd and bands with horns and drums marching around the stadium the whole game, and the loudest fans you could imagine. When Junior Caminero homered to center field off Paul Skenes in the bottom of the second to put the DR up 1-0, the crowd erupted with the loudest cheering I've ever heard. The USA team responded in the 4th with solo homers from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony to take the lead, then it became a pitchers duel. Flame thrower Mason Miller came in to close it out in the bottom of the ninth, struck out Caminero, walked Julio Rodríguez, got Oneill Cruz to ground out, bringing up Geraldo Perdomo in the nine hole with Tatis on deck. Perdomo worked the count full, fouled off a couple 101 MPH heaters, then struck out looking on 89 MPH slider that was well outside the zone. The USA advanced to the finals in a riveting game that served as a perfect advertisement for the ABS system coming to MLB this year.

Mom was supposed to get in to Miami on Monday, but bad weather in DC cancelled her flight, so it was just Owen and I again. We went over to Miami Beach during the day to at least say we did it. I made sure to wade into the ocean, but Owen wasn't particularly interested in beach time, so we grabbed lunch and headed back into town. The game that night pitted the scrappy Italian team against Venezuela, who ousted Ohtani and the mighty Japanese team in the previous round. Italy jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second with a bases loaded walk and a fielder's choice, but the Italians couldn't manage any home run espresso shots and it was all Venezuela after that. After having walked the two miles from the ballpark the the hotel the previous night, Owen and I worked out the uber strategy to avoid the incoming rain, and started making plans for the day of the finals.

We decided to walk down to the walk down to the Bayside Marketplace for brunch and the up to the Frost Science Center where we enjoyed the aquarium and other exhibits and walked through the cat sculpture garden. Mom's flight got in on time and we all headed to Loan Depot Park for the USA vs Venezuela WBC Final. Venezuela's starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez silenced all those mighty US bats, Salvador Perez scored on a sac fly in the third, Wilyer Abreu hit a massive home run in the 5th, and things were looking bleak for the USA team billed as the greatest ever assembled. Then Bryce Harper hit a massive two-out two-run home run home run in the bottom of the 8th to tie things up and finally give the US fans something to cheer for. It wouldn't last though, in the top of the ninth, with Mason Miller unavailable, Eugenio Suárez crushed an RBI double to the gap in center putting Venezuela back on top, and they closed it out in bottom of the ninth to take their first WBC title.

We were all scheduled to fly home in the morning, but things got a bit sidetracked at the airport. Mom Mom started having stroke symptoms, so we sent Owen home on our flight, and I rode to the hospital with Mom Mom. It was scary, but after some clot busting medication, lots of MRIs and CT scans, and talking with many doctors, and three extra days at Jackson Memorial Hospital, we were able to come home and it turned out this was all due to Mom's seizure medication. She's on a new medication now and none the worse for wear. Now we can go back to watching the more relaxing and low stakes version of baseball that is the Nats regular season.

(Click here for all the pictures)