Spring training's loss is WBC's gain as viewership jumps

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Many of Major League Baseball's biggest stars, like Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, aren't playing in spring training. They're in the World Baseball Classic.

Some baseball fans, particularly New York Mets fans, aren't sure that's a good thing.

But one thing appears certain: People are watching.

The fifth WBC tournament drew just over one million fans in the first round, according to numbers released Friday from MLB. That was up from about 500,000 in 2017. Part of the reason is there are more games since the tournament was expanded to 20 teams from 16.

But this year's average attendance of 25,275 is considerably higher than the 20,402 average in 2017.

Several individual games were among the highlights. Mexico beat the United States 11-5 in front of 47,534 fans at Chase Field in Phoenix, which set the WBC attendance record for a first-round game.

The games at the Tokyo Dome in Japan drew an average of 36,198 per game — a record for any site in the first or second round.

Also of note:

1. The Japan vs. Korea game last week on TBS drew a 44.4 rating in Japan to make it the most-watched game in one country in the history of the WBC. The game beat all events during the Tokyo Olympics.

2. MLB says that it has already broken the tournament's merchandise sales record, even though there are games still being played.

Of course, not everything went well in the first round. New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon and is expected to miss the entire season after hurting his right knee while celebrating Puerto Rico's victory over the Dominican Republic.

The risk of injury has historically kept many MLB players out of the WBC. Díaz's freak injury adds more fuel to that argument. Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Canada, but it doesn't appear to be significant.

Díaz, who turns 29 next week, retired the side in order in the ninth inning of the 5-2 victory on Wednesday night that sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals. As Díaz and his teammates jumped together in the infield, the right-hander collapsed and reached for his right leg.

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