The World Baseball Classic is finally underway, and we no longer have to wait to see the best players in the world go at it in this legendary and exciting tournament.
Things got underway on Tuesday night with Cuba taking on the Netherlands.
Toronto Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios has an exciting opportunity awaiting him in the Classic, as he’ll suit up for Team Puerto Rico.
He’ll be joined by stars such as Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, and Edwin Diaz.
On Wednesday, Berrios got a chance to catch up with Alanna Rizzo of MLB Network.
There, he discussed what it means to him to have the opportunity to pitch in the WBC and the importance of giving back to his community.
"I grew up being a dreamer. I watched a lot of stars from Puerto Rico…" 🇵🇷@BlueJays RHP @JOLaMaKina shares what it means to give back to his community and follow in the footsteps of his former idols.#WorldBaseballClassic | @MLBPuertoRico | @alannarizzo | @WBCBaseball pic.twitter.com/AdykATCYAY
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 8, 2023
Berrios said that he grew up dreaming of big things.
He says he saw players such as Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Yadier Molina making an impact on the game, both of whom came out of Puerto Rico.
Berrios admires what both Rodriguez and Molina have done for their native Puerto Rico and was ultimately inspired to help continue the great work.
He enjoys having the opportunity to give back to his community and says that he uses it as motivation to get even better.
But beyond being one of the top right-handers in baseball, Berrios gets more of a thrill out of helping children and their families by bringing baseball into their lives.
Berrios says that it makes him happy to do such things and that he takes pride in it.
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