The Philadelphia Phillies are well represented in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Eight players joined five countries this spring to capture a gold medal.
The WBC is an international baseball tournament with 20 countries, made up of the best players in the world. It was last played in 2017.
Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and newly acquired Trea Turner represent Team USA, which has made the final. It will play the winner of Mexico or Japan on March 21.
Turner’s performance in the WBC is making Phillies fans salivate at what’s to come for the National League champions.
Philadelphia’s Trea Turner taking over World Baseball Classic
The Phillies signed Trea Turner to an 11-year contract worth $300 million earlier this offseason. Most fans know Turner is good from his time with the Nationals, but anyone paying attention to the WBC has seen Turner raise his game another level.
USA finished pool play 3-1 and defeated Venezuela and Cuba in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to reach the WBC final. USA is not in the championship round without Turner’s heroics.
The 29-year-old is hitting .368 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in five games. In a span of five at-bats over the last two games, Turner contributed three home runs and eight RBIs.
It was Turner’s go-ahead grand slam against Venezuela in the quarterfinal round that sent Phillies fans, and Twitter, into a frenzy.
Down 7-5 in the top of the eighth, Turner took a 0-2 off-speed pitch and crushed it to left field to give USA a 9-7 lead. Turner rounded the base with pure excitement, as I’m sure Phillies fans did while watching his impressive display.
Turner then homered two more times in USA’s 14-2 rout of Cuba to move onto the final.
Phillies fans react to Trea Turner at the WBC
The WBC is a big deal. You can tell by what it means to the players and fans when a huge moment happens. When Turner hit the grand slam, the crowd sounded similar to Citizens Bank Park in the World Series.
TREA TURNER GRAND SLAM!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/G4l6nwsH9Y
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023
Phillies fans are paying attention and had some great reactions after Turner’s third home run.
One fan commented, “Imagine having this guy on your team for the next decade.”
Another said, “That’s our shortstop!!!”
That was one of many Phillies fans to refer to Turner as “our shortstop.”
USA WBC final betting odds at PA sportsbooks
USA is awaiting the winner of Japan and Mexico, so odds for the final have not been posted at PA sportsbooks. Japan is -225 on the moneyline and -130 on the run line against Mexico.
Because USA has already clinched a spot in the championship round, DraftKings PA Sportsbook currently has the team as the favorite to win the WBC at -165 odds. Japan is +175 and Mexico is +600. A Japan victory against Mexico would likely lead to a pick ‘em, or the USA as slight favorites in the title game.
Prior to the tournament, USA had the second-best odds to win the WBC at +275. The Dominican Republic had the best odds at +200, but did not make it out of pool play.
Japan had the third-best odds at +300 at the start of the WBC. Mexico was seventh, at +2000.
