Opening Day is always a special day for Major League Baseball.
It marks the beginning of yet another season for the great game and a clean slate for all teams involved.
But MLB has the chance to celebrate something truly special.
As of Thursday, there were 269 international-born players on Opening Day rosters.
This includes stars such as Francisco Lindor, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez, and Julio Urias.
The reach of Major League Baseball stretches from the United States all the way to the Dominican Republic and other locations across the world.
On Twitter, MLB celebrated this by posting a graphic featuring this interesting fact and four international stars in the game today.
Baseball means the world. pic.twitter.com/JK4yyCjOpo
— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2023
With this, it has become clear that the reach of baseball has expanded across the world.
This was evident during the World Baseball Classic, with Team Australia and Team Great Britain taking part in the tournament.
But on Opening Day rosters, there were plenty of international stars.
Ohtani, Ramirez, Urias, and Lindor are perfect examples of such.
But other teams have more than their fair share of international stars.
In addition to Urias, the Los Angeles Dodgers have Miguel Vargas and Brusdar Graterol, among others.
The St. Louis Cardinals have several players who played in the World Baseball Classic, including Giovanny Gallegos, and Tyler O’Neill, who played for Mexico and Canada, respectively.
They also have Willson Contreras, who was born in Venezuela.
Baseball is very much an international game, and one that continues to expand its reach across the world.
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