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MIAMI — In 2021, Randy Arozarena put on a green Mexico jersey, logged into his Instagram account and delivered a video message he hoped would be heard by the country’s president. He wanted to be made a citizen and expedite the process as quickly as possible so he could represent Mexico in a World Baseball Classic that wouldn’t take place for another two years. He asked his fans for help.

Said Arozarena: “It’s the only thing I want.”

Arozarena was born and raised in Cuba, but he fled the island in 2015, settled in Merida, had a daughter, honed his skills as a baseball player and fell in love with the culture. Over this past week and a half, while representing a Mexican team that advanced further into this tournament than anyone imagined, Arozarena navigated the WBC with an intensity and a swagger that inspired. He donned lavish sombreros, made bold proclamations, delivered timely hits, turned in spectacular defensive plays and even signed autographs during pitching changes.

His spirited play, for a country he chose, turned him into a God-like figure in Mexico, where fans on social media superimposed his face onto Mexican currency and iconic Mexican statues.

His zeal embodied the vibe of an entire tournament.

The fifth installment of the World Baseball Classic, which culminated in an epic showdown between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, exceeded every expectation it carried. The atmosphere was electric, the games were intense, the drama was riveting. And in the end, despite consternation from pundits about injuries and paranoia from executives about usage, one aspect of it was undeniable: The players cared. A lot.

“It’s different,” Trout said moments after Japan’s 3-2 championship-clinching victory over Team USA on Tuesday night. “I can’t really express what’s different about it — you can just feel it in your veins.”

Ohtani is probably the biggest baseball celebrity in the world, a unanimous MVP who has done things that are unmatched in his sport’s history. But he called his game-ending strikeout of Trout — on a full-count slider that followed four consecutive 100-plus-mile-an-hour fastballs — “the best moment in my life.”

Throughout the tournament, players shared similar sentiments in the aftermath of their games.

“If you’re not here, you don’t get the desire and hunger and passion that we have for the game and for this tournament,” Puerto Rico catcher Christian Vazquez said in Spanish. “Wearing your homeland’s colors on the playing field is unexplainable. And this is an even bigger responsibility for all of us because it’s not representing a team, but an entire island. Our home country. And you give it all for your family and for all the people that got you here today. I was a World Series champion with the Red Sox, and this experience just has no comparisons. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

For players like Ohtani and Vazquez, brought up in baseball-obsessed regions that treat international events with considerable gravitas, passion for a tournament like this is inherent. For players like Lars Nootbaar and Alex Verdugo, representing the nations of their parents, it’s developed.

Verdugo was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, but his father was born in Hermosillo, Mexico. The outfield glove he uses regularly with the Boston Red Sox is red, white and green as a tribute to the Mexican flag.

“It means everything,” Verdugo said of playing in the WBC. “I love this.”

Nootbaar, from California, treated his participation in the World Baseball Classic as an opportunity to learn the Japanese culture of his mother, going so far as to try to memorize the words to the country’s national anthem. Navigating pool play in Tokyo qualified as a life-changing experience.

“For me to be able to wear ‘Japan,’ honor my mom — she sacrificed everything for me,” Nootbaar said. “I kind of understand some of her tendencies now after being there for a couple weeks.”

In previous iterations, excitement around the World Baseball Classic has been hard to come by in the U.S., which places far more importance on its domestic regular season. And yet Team USA’s stars displayed palpable intensity throughout this year’s event, spilling out of their dugout during big moments, making aggressive turns after routine singles, roaring toward the crowd after escaping tough jams. The competition brought it out of them.

“It’s like you either perform or you get exposed,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “I just think there is such a respect of the tournament from the guys in that room — a want to succeed, a want to represent your country.”

The last five days of this year’s tournament featured four exhilarating, back-and-forth games. In a quarterfinal matchup on Friday, Mexico overcame a four-run deficit to stun Puerto Rico. Trea Turner then pushed the U.S. to victory over Venezuela with an eighth-inning grand slam on Saturday; Munetaka Murakami hit a walk-off double off the center-field fence to send Japan into the championship on Monday; and Ohtani closed out a one-run win by striking out Trout on Tuesday, amazingly delivering the matchup between Los Angeles Angels teammates that so many dreamed about months earlier.

More than 1.3 million people attended the 47 games that encompassed this year’s World Baseball Classic. Eleven of the 15 games that took place at LoanDepot Park, which hosted the knockout rounds, sold out. By the end of the first round, the 2023 WBC had already sold more merchandise than any of the previous four installments. The two semifinal games averaged 2.4 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes, a 96% increase from the 2017 semifinals, according to data provided by Major League Baseball.

When Japan defeated Korea in Tokyo on March 10, 62 million people watched. When Mexico upset the U.S. on March 12, 47,534 people crammed into Chase Field in Phoenix. And when Puerto Rico got past the Dominican Republic on March 15, 62% of Puerto Rican households were tuned in.

The tournament faced its most pointed criticism later that night, when Edwin Diaz, the star closer for the New York Mets, tore his patellar tendon during the on-field celebration, an injury that will probably prevent him from pitching this season. The merits of the tournament were called into question by fans and pundits alike. But its participants pushed back against the criticism full-throatedly — none more so than Francisco Lindor, Diaz’s teammate both with Puerto Rico and the Mets.

“I understand how Mets fans are hurting,” Lindor said in Spanish. “But while for so many people the regular season is what counts, playing in the WBC means just as much to all of us. It is the dream of every Puerto Rican ballplayer to wear Puerto Rico’s colors and to represent our country. And not only Puerto Ricans, but every player in the WBC considers being here the ultimate honor. Of course, we don’t want injuries to happen, but it is part of the game. And they are things that can happen just anywhere.”

Another significant injury occurred on Saturday night, when Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve took a fastball from a noticeably erratic Daniel Bard in Venezuela’s quarterfinal game against the U.S. and suffered a fractured thumb. More outside criticism followed, albeit less so given the exciting games that led up to it. Privately, players and coaches pointed to other recent injuries — Gavin Lux tearing his ACL running the bases, Joe Musgrove dropping a weight on his big toe in the gym, Carson Kelly fracturing a forearm on a hit by pitch — to illuminate the inconsistency.

“People get hurt in spring training games every day right now,” Team USA starting pitcher Lance Lynn said, “and no one says we shouldn’t have spring training.”

Hours after the tournament had concluded, players on both sides remained on the field. The Japanese celebrated as a team, the Americans watched with their families. Team USA third baseman Nolan Arenado, who had just completed his second stint in the World Baseball Classic, stood about 10 feet from Ohtani, who wore a medal and took part in an endless array of selfies.

“Players need to do this,” Arenado said. “We have a really good team, but we need more stars. We need more guys. Why not? I think it’s important to play in it. You’re throwing hard in spring training, you’re playing hard. You might as well do it here — on a big stage for your country.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Marly Rivera contributed to this report.

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‘Reason he’s here’: Crochet delivers for Red Sox

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'Reason he's here': Crochet delivers for Red Sox

BALTIMORE — Garrett Crochet gave the Boston Red Sox an immediate return on their investment.

In his first start since agreeing to a $170 million, six-year contract, the left-hander pitched a career-best eight innings as the Red Sox shut out the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Wednesday night. Crochet also threw 102 pitches, one shy of his career high.

“My first start in college I went eight, and I haven’t sniffed it since,” Crochet said.

Crochet (1-0) gave up four hits and a walk while striking out eight in his first victory since the offseason trade that sent him from the Chicago White Sox to Boston.

“That’s the reason he’s here,” manager Alex Cora said after the game. “That’s the reason we committed to him.”

Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA last season, a bright spot on a Chicago team that lost 121 games. He threw 146 innings, which was double his previous career total since his debut in 2020.

Then Crochet was dealt to the Red Sox, and they made their long-term commitment to the 25-year-old earlier this week.

“Going back to when the trade went through, we knew Boston was a place where we would love to be long term,” Crochet said. “Credit to the front office for staying diligent, and my agency as well.”

Now the question is less about where he’ll pitch and more about how well. He’s off to a nice start in that regard.

“I can’t think of the last time I played baseball for pride. In college, you’re playing to get drafted, and once you’re in the big leagues, you’re playing to stay in the big leagues,” Crochet said. “So to have this security and feel like I’m playing to truly just win ballgames, it takes a lot of the riff-raff out of it.”

The news all around was good for Boston on Wednesday.

It reached a $60 million, eight-year deal with young infielder Kristian Campbell, and he went out and doubled twice against the Orioles.

And Rafael Devers ended a 21-at-bat hitless streak to start the season with an RBI double in the fifth inning. He finished with two hits and no strikeouts.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Ohtani’s walk-off pushes Dodgers to historic 8-0

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Ohtani's walk-off pushes Dodgers to historic 8-0

LOS ANGELES — Aside from his ability to pitch and hit and stretch the boundaries of imagination, Shohei Ohtani has displayed another singular trait in his time in the major leagues: an ability to meet the moment. Or, perhaps, for the moment to meet him.

And so on Wednesday night, with his Los Angeles Dodgers looking to stay unbeaten, the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and more than 50,000 fans standing and clenching the Ohtani bobbleheads they lined up hours in advance for, Ohtani approached the batter’s box — and his teammates expected greatness.

“He’s going to end this right here,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said he thought to himself.

“We knew,” starting pitcher Blake Snell said. “It’s just what he does.”

Validation came instantly. Ohtani stayed back on a first-pitch changeup from Raisel Iglesias near the outside corner and shot it toward straightaway center field, 399 feet away, for a walk-off home run, sending the Dodgers to a 6-5, come-from-behind victory over the reeling Atlanta Braves.

“I don’t think anybody didn’t expect him to hit a walk-off home run there,” Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman said. “It’s just a question of where he’d hit it.”

The Dodgers are now 8-0, topping the 1933 New York Yankees of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth for the longest winning streak to begin a season for a reigning champion. The Braves, meanwhile, are 0-7, the type of record no team has ever recovered from to make the playoffs. And Ohtani, with three home runs and a 1.126 OPS this season, just keeps meeting moments.

“He’s pretty good, huh?” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said. “It’s Shohei. He’s going to do that. He’s going to do things better than that.”

On Aug. 23 last year, Ohtani reached the 40/40 club with a walk-off grand slam. Five days later, the Dodgers staged a second giveaway of his bobblehead — one that saw his now-famous dog, Decoy, handle the ceremonial first pitch — and Ohtani led off with a home run. On Sept. 19, Ohtani clinched his first postseason berth and ascended into the unprecedented 50/50 club with one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history — six hits, three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs. Barely two weeks later, he homered in his first playoff game.

When Ohtani came up on Wednesday, he had what he described as a simple approach.

“I was looking for a really good pitch to hit,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “If I didn’t get a good pitch to hit, I was willing to walk.”

Of course, though, he got a good pitch.

And, of course, he sent it out.

“You just feel that he’s going to do something special,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I just like the way he’s not pressing. He’s in the strike zone, and when he does that, there’s just no one better.”

The Dodgers began their much-anticipated season with a couple of breezy wins over the Chicago Cubs from Japan, even though Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman did not play in them. They returned home, brought iconic rapper Ice Cube out to present the World Series trophy on one afternoon, received their rings on another and swept a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Then came the Braves, and the Dodgers swept them, too — even though Freeman, nursing an ankle injury caused from slipping in the shower, didn’t participate.

The Dodgers already have two walk-offs and six comeback wins this season.

Wednesday’s effort left Roberts “a little dumbfounded.”

A nightmarish start defensively, highlighted by two errant throws from Muncy, spoiled Snell’s start and put them behind 5-0 after the first inning and a half. But the Dodgers kept inching closer. They trailed by just two in the eighth and put runners on second and third with two out. Muncy came to bat with his batting average at just .083. He had used the ballyhooed “Torpedo” bat for his first three plate appearances, didn’t like how it altered his swing plane, grabbed his usual bat for a showdown against Iglesias and laced a game-tying double into the right-center-field gap.

An inning later, Ohtani ended it.

“Overall, not just tonight, there is a really good vibe within the team,” Ohtani said after recording his fourth career walk-off hit. “I just think that’s allowing us to come back in these games to win.”

The Dodgers’ 8-0 start has allowed them to stay just ahead of the 7-0 San Diego Padres and the 5-1 San Francisco Giants in the National League West. Tack on the Arizona Diamondbacks (4-2) and the Colorado Rockies (1-4), and this marks the first time in the divisional era that an entire division has combined for at least 25 wins and no more than seven losses, according to ESPN Research. The Dodgers’ and Padres’ starts mark just the fifth season in major league history with multiple teams starting 7-0 or better, and the first time since 2003.

The Dodgers famously overcame a 2-1 series deficit to vanquish the Padres in the NL Division Series last year, then rode that fight to their first full-season championship since 1988.

That fight hasn’t let up.

“It feels like this clubhouse is carrying a little bit of the attitude we had last year that we’re never out of a game and we’re resilient, and we’ve been carrying it into this season,” Muncy said. “It’s been fun to watch. The guys don’t give up. Bad things have happened, and no one’s really been down or out on themselves. Everyone’s just, ‘All right, here we go, next inning, let’s get after it.’ The whole team, top to bottom, has been doing that. It’s been making it really, really fun to play.”

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Death of Gardner’s son pinned to carbon monoxide

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Death of Gardner's son pinned to carbon monoxide

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death of the teenage son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, authorities in Costa Rica said Wednesday night.

Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said 14-year-old Miller Gardner was tested for carboxyhemoglobin, a compound generated when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood.

When carboxyhemoglobin saturation exceeds 50%, it is considered lethal. In Gardner’s case, the test showed a saturation of 64%.

“It’s important to note that adjacent to this room is a dedicated machine room, where it’s believed there may be some type of contamination toward these rooms,” Zúñiga said.

The head of the Costa Rican judicial police added that, during the autopsy, a “layer” was detected on the boy’s organs, which forms when there is a high presence of the poisonous gas.

Gardner died March 21 while staying with his family at a hotel on the Manuel Antonio beach in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific.

Asphyxiation was initially thought to have caused his death. After an autopsy was performed by the Forensic Pathology Section, that theory was ruled out.

Another line of investigation centered around whether the family had suffered food poisoning. Family members had reported feeling ill after dining at a nearby restaurant on the night of March 20 and received treatment from the hotel doctor.

Brett Gardner, 41, was drafted by the Yankees in 2005 and spent his entire major league career with the organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008 to 2021.

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