The United States entered the World Baseball Classic Championship Game with one of the most talented rosters in the tournament, looking to win it all. However, Venezuela did what it had to do and came away with the win. A tough 3-2 loss for the USA squad was all Venezuela needed to do against a star-studded lineup.
For New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, the frustration was clear, as he was brutal in the final, and his postgame comments showed that he at least understands he needs to be better in these moments. Despite the star power in the lineup, Team USA simply couldn’t capitalize in key moments, something that Judge has struggled with in his career.
“They made their pitches,” Judge told reporters, per ESPN. “They were working the corners on both sides, and then when we did get a pitch, we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can’t happen. When you get a pitch to hit, you have to be able to drive it.
“Even if you get one pitch in a game, you have to do something with it. They just went out there, executed their pitches and their game plan, and we couldn’t get anything rolling offensively.”
Venezuela’s pitching staff was actually really, really good. I was very impressed with what they were able to do on the bump. The relievers came in and were throwing heat and getting outs at a high level.
At the end of the day, 98 is 98, and it isn’t easy to hit. For Judge, however, the Yankees star has to start coming through in these moments.
Judge also took accountability as the team captain, speaking on the expectations that come with leading a roster filled with All-Star talent.
“Getting a chance to be the captain of Team USA, my job was to go out there and bring a championship, bring the gold home,” Judge added (h/t SNY). “We didn’t do that, but there’s no pressure. When you got a team like this, just go out there and do your job. That’s what I try to do every single night. And we gave ourselves a shot, but we just couldn’t close it out.”