Everything is set for the grand final of the World Baseball Classic, where the United States will aim to become champion once again. Standing in their way is Venezuela, which is chasing its first title in the competition.
The Venezuelan national team advanced through a tough bracket, so Nolan McLean now knows exactly the kind of hitters he’ll face after Team USA confirmed the young pitcher as the starter for the WBC Final.
Carlos Mendoza reacted to McLean’s role in the Final
“I have mixed feelings, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “The fact that he’s going to have that experience is something unbelievable, we’ll be praying, but it’s awesome – as far as him pitching in that environment, he’s wired and built for that, just based off of what we saw last year and being around him – the moment is not too big,” Carlos Mendoza told SNY.
Mendoza also spoke about the experience of playing in the World Baseball Classic and what it means to represent your country on the global stage.
“I had the opportunity last WBC, and it’s nothing compared to a playoff atmosphere at the MLB level,” he said.
“You’re representing your country, you have the world watching, and you’re playing with and against the best players – it’ll definitely be different than what he experienced last year.”
At the time of the interview, Mendoza didn’t yet know the exact matchup, but the New York Mets are closely following McLean’s development ahead of his return to Spring Training.
The young pitcher could rejoin the Mets after helping deliver a World Baseball Classic title to the United States, which would be their first since 2017.
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