Can Mexico upset the defending champs in 2023 World Baseball Classic? Revisiting the history of US-Mexico Baseball rivalry

The 2023 World Baseball Classic has already given us so much to talk about in the early stages. From Shohei Ohtani brining his brilliance to the Tokyo Dome, to Chinese Taipei qualifying for the second round for the first time in WBC history.

However, one of the most awaited games is the cross-border affair between Team USA and Team Mexico. Both teams are in Pool C and will be playing their games in Arizona, where the two teams will meet on March 12 at 7:00 pm local time.

Thousands of Mexican fans are expected to pour into Chase Field to catch the action. Andres Manual Lopez Obrador, the President of Mexico, is a hardcore baseball fan and is also expected to be watching.

"Mike Trout vs Patrick Sandoval. Team USA and Team Mexico are in the same pool for the WBC btw." - @ Savannah Valenzuela

The two teams have met three times before at previous World Baseball Classic tournaments. Their most recent contest came during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Then-Los Angeles Dodgers star Adrian Gonzalez had three RBIs as Mexico completed the 5-2 upset the Americans. Knuckleballer RA Dickey surrendered 4 earned runs in the first 4 innings and was charged with the loss.

Team Mexico squared off twice against Team USA during the first-ever World Baseball Classic. The first game came at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first game of the tournament for both sides.

Derek Lee and Chipper Jones had a pair of solo home runs, lifting the USA over Mexico by 2-0. However, both teams would emerge out of Pool B, besting Canada and South Africa.

In the second round, both teams re-pooled in a cluster with Japan and South Korea. After both teams went down 0-2 to their east Asian competitors, fans and players knew that both teams would be going home, regardless of the score in the final game.

However, that did not mean that both teams did not want to exit the 2006 tournament in style. Their final fixture of the 2006 World Baseball Classic came on March 16th at Angel Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels.

With Oliver Perez and Roger Clemens starting on the mound for their respective teams, everyone knew that the game would be a battle of pitching. The Mexicans combined to pitch a 3-hitter while former MLB utility man Jorge Cantu had a pair of RBI singles to solidify the 2-1 win for Team Mexico.

"Per @beisbolpuro, here are the probable pitchers for Mexico in WBC pool play:" - Shawn Spradling

This means that as of March 2023, Mexico has a 2-1 record against the USA at the WBC.

Team Mexico vs Team USA may be the dawn of a new World Baseball Classic rivalry

While Mike Trout's Team USA is chock-full of MLB stars, the Mexicans will be reliant on more home-grown talent. Although they boast some serious arms like LA Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, who held down the lowest ERA in the NL last year, they will have trouble containing the MLB-stacked USA. Whatever happens, it is bound to set the stage for the remainder of the tournament.