During pool play, The Athletic will be publishing a daily Postcard from the WBC, which will feature reports from our writers who are spread across four cities (Tokyo, Houston, Miami and San Juan) to cover this year’s tournament. The Athletic has live coverage of USA vs. Italy in World Baseball Classic 2026.
Czech fan favorite turns out the lights on his national team career
Czech pitcher Ondrej Satoria walked off the mound and stopped, turned around and basked in the moment. This was the 29-year-old electrician turned star pitcher’s final moment on the national team, and he took it all in.
Satoria had long planned for this tournament to be his last with Czechia across his chest. After garnering fame in 2023 for striking out Shohei Ohtani, Satoria dominated this World Baseball Classic, pitching eight shutout innings in two games.
“It’s the dream for every player,” Czech manager Pavel Chadim said.
Chadim announced after the game that he will also retire in 2027. “Finish in a full house, 45,000 people. I think he has a lot of Japanese fans. I think on the field, he feels Japanese. I am so so so happy for him.”
Czechia, which went 0-4 in pool play, kept Japan to a scoreless tie until the eighth inning, when the Japanese bats broke things open and made the final score (9-0) seem more lopsided than the actual game had been.
Satoria told The Athletic a week ago that he did not want to face Samurai Japan again, given that they were probably ready to face him. But against a lineup without many of Japan’s regular stars, Satoria cruised through 4 2/3 innings, walking off the field to a raucous ovation.
He said he will continue to play for his local club team, but will prioritize raising his young son and his work in Czechia, where he claims to be just a regular person.
Japan’s win meant they finished the pool with a 4-0 record and will face the loser of the Venezuela-Dominican Republic matchup, which finishes Pool D play on Wednesday, in the quarterfinals in Miami later this week.
Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida all sat on Tuesday night ahead of the lengthy flight and significant time zone change awaiting the team on its journey. They’ll look to repeat as champions stateside.
However, their story is for another night. After the game, Satoria walked back out on the field. He enjoyed another ovation from the Czech fans and their Japanese counterparts, who have adopted the club as their own.
“I’m proud that I can say I achieved everything that I wanted,” Satoria said before the game. “I will finish my career here where I made myself famous.” – Sam Blum, reporting from Japan
Nolan Arenado, who is of both Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, has disappointed at the plate in his first Classic honoring his Puerto Rican heritage. In the second inning of his team’s quarterfinals-clinching win, he struck out with the bases loaded. He finished 0-for-4 on the night and is hitless in three games.
But, man, has he played defense as advertised.
“He’s one of the best third basemen in history,” closer Edwin Díaz said in Spanish.
To end the top of the third, he made a backhand grab of a grounder hugging the third base line and made an on the run throw to get the final out of the frame at first.
Arenado’s had multiple capital-M moments at that corner in just three games, and the fans have made it known how much he’s appreciated.
“I didn’t get a hit (in Saturday’s walk-off win in 10 innings),” he said before Monday’s game. “I just got a sac fly and I made a diving play, and the way they were treating me was like I hit a walk-off home run. It’s incredible what they do out here. And how they feel about the game. They pay attention to the little details, and it’s eye opening.”
Arenado’s done more than ingratiate himself to those in attendance. He’s made an imprint on the clubhouse, too.
“I know that many times a lot of people say why wouldn’t he play (for Puerto Rico before)?” Martín Maldonado said in Spanish. “I think that to have a chance to play here now, he noticed the way we are as a country. We welcomed him. Yesterday we went out to dinner, and he loved it. From day one, he has been all in with the messages and texts.
“He now knows a few curse words.” — Maria Torres, reporting from San Juan
Leaving it all on the field
You’ve probably never heard of Carlos Teller, but he is the type of player who forms the spine of the World Baseball Classic.
At 39 years old, Teller is the oldest player on Team Nicaragua. The left-handed pitcher is the only player to appear on all six Nicaragua World Baseball Classic rosters. His team has advanced out of qualifiers twice but never won a game in the main tournament.
Before Monday’s 4-0 loss to team Venezuela, an emotional Teller confirmed he is retiring from WBC play.
“I’m trying to do everything for a win,” he said. “Not a win like I wanted, but (one win) is enough for me on the national team.”
Teller signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent in 2005. He later signed with the San Francisco Giants organization in 2012. He made 59 total appearances in the minor leagues, posting a 4.25 ERA, but never did make it to the major leagues. He kept following his baseball dreams, playing in both indy ball and Latin winter leagues ever since.
Now he’s at the end of his career, a WBC goal unfinished. It’s a bittersweet ending for Teller, who hoped to help Nicaragua qualify for the next tournament automatically. His team lost yet again, falling to 0-8 in its WBC history. Teller’s words Monday still oozed with pride.
His final appearance came in the ninth inning, when he retired Wilyer Abreu, William Contreras and Gleyber Torres one-two-three.
After the final out, he tapped his chest in a cross pattern and pointed to the sky.
This is what leaving it all on the field looks like.
“We wanted to win,” he said. “Unfortunately, however, we couldn’t. We just couldn’t. Now we have to wait for a while to win other games for our country in the World Baseball Classic.” — Cody Stavenhagen, reporting from Miami
Martín Maldonado retired in October, but he suited up for the WBC and has been playing in his homeland. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Maldonado announced his retirement in October after a 15-year career in the majors. Along with his manager Yadier Molina, he’s one of Puerto Rico’s preeminent catching exports, a trusted veteran with big-time experience.
But getting to that point took effort. A 27th-round pick of the then-Anaheim Angels in 2004, Maldonado didn’t make his MLB debut until the age of 24 in 2011. He was a back-up until his Gold Glove year with the Angels in 2017, then was an instrumental part of the Houston Astros’ rise to American League dominance.
Playing in his homeland over the last few days has been both hectic and affirming.
“There are a lot of children in the stadium looking at you, and I want to have a chance of giving that hope, that vision that they can do it,” Maldonado said in Spanish when asked what he’d like the lasting image of his career to be.
He added: “I understand that to be here before my family, friends, my children, my mom, a lot of friends, almost 70 tickets a day, I mean, there’s no better blessing or better satisfaction than to finish my career in this way in front of many people who gave their little bit to help me get to where I got in the big leagues, and never had a chance to see me in person, and they’ve been present these three (games).” — Torres
Puerto Rico 4, Cuba 1: Team Rubio extended its WBC journey by beating Cuba, and will play in the Houston quarterfinals on Friday or Saturday. Hiram Bithorn Stadium rocked and rolled all night, at no point more than when Maldonado drilled a pitch into the left-field corner to clear the bases with a three-run double that put P.R. up 3-0 in the second. Puerto Rico’s pitching has been effective (though not always efficient) in pool play, and that remained true as the staff racked up 10 Ks. Five pitchers held Cuba to two hits but issued a combined six walks. — Torres
