Team USA fell to Japan in the World Baseball Classic championship last night, losing 3-2. 

It was a dismal performance from Team USA, but you certainly cannot blame any member of the Philadelphia Phillies. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and JT Realmuto were consistently the best players for Team USA throughout the Classic and, honestly, were the only ones who showed up last night in the championship. 

The three Phillies players averaged .368 with seven home runs and a 1.259 OPS during the World Baseball Classic. 

The rest of Team USA averaged .259 with five home runs and a .819 OPS. 

Trea Turner hit five home runs during the Classic, the most EVER from a member of Team USA in a single World Baseball Classic. 

Trea Turner’s 5th Homer of the Tournament

Kyle Schwarber Owns Yu Darvish

Team USA Phillies Stats at the World Baseball Classic:

• Turner: .391/.440/1.043 (1.483 OPS), 5 home runs, 9 hits, 11 RBI

• Schwarber: .214/.450/.643 (1.093 OPS), 2 home runs, 3 hits, 4 RBI

• J.T. Realmuto: .500/.533/.667 (1.200 OPS), 6 hits, 2 RBI

Listen, you can say whatever you want about the World Baseball Classic and when it should or shouldn’t be played, but at the end of the day, we have meaningful baseball in March. That’s awesome for any fan out there, and it also shows how big the game is on the world stage. 

If anything, the Classic should be the new “Spring Standard” and get everyone involved. Start Spring Training earlier and let pitchers and players prep for the tournament, and run a shortened Spring for anyone not participating. 

Oh, and one more thing, I like to bash Mike Trout for playing baseball with the Angels and never playing meaningful games because they stink; however, last night, I didn’t know any Major League Baseball player hitting Ohtani in that situation.

Except for Bryce Harper. 

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