Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has not only been a stalwart throughout his MLB career, but also in international competition. Gonzalez represented Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic a fourth time in as many installments of the tournament.
He overcame right-elbow inflammation to play in front of a decidedly pro-Mexico crowd at Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara. However, Mexico failed to make it out of Pool D, finishing with a disappointing 1-2 record.
Their elimination was not without controversy, as Mexico was on the wrong end of a tiebreaker rule that is based on fewest runs allowed per defensive inning among teams with an identical record.
There was mass confusion, but it was Venezuela who despite losing their final first-round game to Mexico, who faced Italy in a one-game playoff. That decision did not sit well with Gonzalez.
Once a strong advocate of the WBC, he vowed to never participate again, and said he would suggest to others they also forgo the tournament. His words caught the attention of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players’ Association executive director Tony Clark.
“It’s clear having spent a lot of time on what went on in Guadalajara that our communication on that topic could have been a little better,” Manfred said prior to the WBC final at Dodger Stadium.
“I think that things like that occasionally happen. I think the rule itself, technical committee was absolutely clear what it meant. There was no debate, no ambiguity in the rule. It was really nothing more than a communication issue.
“I do think, as we always do, we’ll sit down with the MLBPA and the other people that are on the WBCI board and talk about the event, talk about the way we broke ties, talk about the format, see if there’s something you can do with the format that avoids tiebreaker rules that are not often used in our game, and that will be a conversation that will take place over the next four years.”
Clark spoke with Gonzalez directly in the aftermath of Mexico’s elimination, and expressed an understanding to the first baseman’s sentiment.
“There are passions in this game, in this tournament, unlike very few other times during the course of the season,” Clark said.
“When you are battling to get to the next round, when you’re looking to situate yourself and your country into that next round and into the final conversation, and something doesn’t work out in the fashion that you had anticipated or you hoped or you understood it to work out, there’s going to be agitations there.
“So it’s understandable. We appreciate, as much as anything, Adrian and what he brings to the table, not just for his country, but for our game.”
Aside from Gonzalez’s criticism and the small fire storm that ensued, this year’s WBC was the most successful of any of the four tournaments. That’s left Clark and Manfred optimistic the World Baseball Classic will continue, even with the sport returning to the 2020 Olympics.
