Talk about an embarrassment of riches. The Dominican Republic's roster for this year’s World Baseball Classic is fully-loaded with a "Plátano Power" version of the Avengers’ superhero cast. From Juan Soto to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Ketel Marte to Fernando Tatis Jr. to Manny Machado to Julio Rodriguez to Sandy Alcantara to Carlos Estevez, the ample amount of star power on this r...

Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai threw a 10-pitch scoreless inning and was struck by a comebacker in his spring training debut for the Houston Astros on Thursday against the New York Mets. Imai allowed a leadoff single to Marcus Semien, whose sharp hit ricocheted off the pitcher's lower right leg and went into foul territory. Imai was checked by an athletic trainer and stayed ...

Padres reliever Yuki Matsui’s will not pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic and the left-hander's status for San Diego's season opener in a month also is unclear because of a left groin strain. Matsui was still throwing off flat ground Thursday, a week after cutting short a batting practice session because of the groin. "Right now, I’m just continuing the throwing progr...

Venezuela can defeat anyone — and they’re still considered the fourth favorite to win the World Baseball Classic title this year. In the 2023 WBC, Venezuela and Japan were the only two teams to go 4-0 in the group stage. Venezuela looked poised to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009, carrying a lead into the eighth inning of their quarterfinal against the Uni...

The stars will be on the field and in the studio for the 2026 World Baseball Classic! FOX Sports, the home of this year's tournament, announced its broadcasting team for the upcoming event, headlined by former New York Yankees greats Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz and FOX Sports veteran Kevin Burkhardt on the studio desk. The studio show will b...