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Correa: WBC is bigger than World Series to Puerto Rican players

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Following the United States' 8-0 title win over Puerto Rico on Wednesday, third baseman Carlos Correa had some interesting words when asked if he felt both countries played with the same mindset heading into the final game.

"It's as simple as this: If you ask Angel Pagan, if you ask Yadi Molina if it feels better than a World Series, they would say yes," Correa said, according to ESPN's Doug Padilla. "If you ask one of the American guys, they will say, 'No, not even close.' So that just tells you the way we play when we represent our country is a lot different than when they play. A lot of their guys say no to the baseball classic. None of our main guys say no to the baseball classic."

The U.S. was without an abundance of talented players that included Mike Trout - who already expressed interest in playing in 2021 - Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, and Clayton Kershaw.

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, had three of the league's most dynamic players present for the 2017 tournament in Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, and Correa.

The back and forth between the teams first started when United States second baseman Ian Kinsler said prior to the game that Puerto Rican players were raised to show emotion when they played and that he hopes kids watching the game would look to the American's style instead.

Kansas City Royals second baseman Christian Colon, who wasn't on Puerto Rico's roster but hails from the country, fired back at Kinsler, saying the difference was noticeable because "We got flair and he (Kinsler) don't."

After the United States won the game, Kinsler made an attempt to clear up his comments, saying that while there's nothing wrong with how Latino athletes play the game, Americans approach the game differently.

Regardless of the difference, when the next WBC comes around in 2021, any matchup between the two sides is sure going to be fun to watch.

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