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The World Baseball Classic is finally upon us. Several teams are starting off their tournament on March 8th. Teams in Pools A and B will play their matches in Tokyo, Japan and Taichung, Taiwan.
The Netherlands handed Cuba a 4-2 defeat in the first game of the tournament. Seven hours later, Panama and Chinese Taipei took to the same field in Taichung to play their own respective tournament openers.
Both teams are in Pool A, which is seen as the pool that is the most up for grabs. Apart from Cuba and the Netherlands, no team is seen as a strong one. Top contenders like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and the USA find themselves in other groups.
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Taking center stage for his country in today's game was Panamanian outfielder Luis Castillo. The 32-year old played in the Detroit Tigers organization from 2007 to 2013. Although he posted some decent numbers in Single-A play, he never saw MLB action.
Despite not playing pro baseball for nearly a decade, Castillo was selected to represent his country at the 2022 World Baseball Classic. The last time Panama made the World Baseball Classic was at the inaugural tournament in 2006.
"MY GOD WHAT A CATCH BY PANAMA’S LUIS CASTILLO" - @ Ben Verlander
With Panama up 5-0 over Chinese Taipei in the 5th inning, a ball was driven deep to right center fielder by the Taiwanese hitter. Although it looked like the ball was headed for the gap, Castillo made a last-minute catch, colliding with centerfielder Jose Ramos, a Los Angeles Dodgers prospect.
At the time of this writing, Panama is leading Chinese Taipei by a score of 8-1 in the sixth inning. Castillo has a two hits and an RBI thus far.
Of the five teams in the group, the top pair will advance to the next stage of the World Baseball Classic. Panama's next game will be played on March 9th against the Netherlands, comprising mainly of MLB talent from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, including San Diego Padres star Xander Bogaerts.
Does Panama have a chance to win the 2023 World Baseball Classic?
Panama's biggest advantage in the 2023 World Baseball Classic is that they have a relatively easy group. If they keep making plays like this, they may be able to come up against some big teams, where they will need even more magic in order to succeed.
