March 23, 2023
Team USA came up short against Japan in the World Baseball Classic Championship, but the entire tournament was a huge run for new Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. The guy the Phils are handing $300 million to over the next 10 years was perhaps the best player in the entire event, tying a WBC record with five home runs in one year. Across six games, Turner hit .391 with an on-base percentage of .440 and a slugging percentage of 1.043.
The World Baseball Classic had baseball fans as excited about the sport in March for the first time in what feels like decades. I haven't felt this fervor since my youth (baseball was always better when you were a kid, right?) with all the star power and home runs that came with it. The top talent on the planet all took part over the last month, all cared deeply and the game's best players like Turner and Shohei Ohtani illustrated just why they receive that billing.
A major milestone is pouring in for Turner: his cleats and a batting glove he used in the World Baseball Classic are being added to the Baseball Hall of Fame:
A huge shoutout to @treavturner, who donated his spikes and a batting glove from the @WBCBaseball to the Hall of Fame. The @Phillies star led Team USA and all WBC batters with five home runs. pic.twitter.com/Ot6RqD8SBu
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) March 22, 2023
Phillies were amped for Turner's debut in red pinstripes and that's only even more heightened after his run for Team USA.
Hey, just throwing it out there... when Turner's contract in Philly is all said and done, perhaps this isn't the last we see of him in Cooperstown. Maybe a jersey from the 2023 World Series at least?
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