Sports writer for World In Sport
I am pleased to announce I have accepted a position at World In Sport as a sports writer focussing on baseball.
I will be covering stories of interest from Major League Baseball and around the globe.
With the World Baseball Classic scheduled to begin in March 2023, and Team GB making their first appearance at this tournament, the next few months will have no shortage of anticipation, thrills and drama.
Baseball in Great Britain is having a resurgence. As well as the men’s team taking huge steps forward, the women’s team have also made significant progress this year. They made their international tournament debut in the Women’s Baseball European Tournament in Montpellier, France. And won their first-ever international tournament game against the Czech Republic. The GB U15 travelled to Valencia, Spain earlier this year to compete in the U15 European Baseball Championship Qualifiers. They performed magnificently, winning their first four games of the round-robin tournament before eventually losing to hosts Spain in the final.
Team USA will endeavour to retain the crown they won in 2017 when they defeated Puerto Rico 8-0 in the final. Several superstars have confirmed they are all in including Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Paul Goldschmidt. The assembled team of gold-glovers and silver-sluggers will be managed by Mark DeRosa, who himself competed in the 2009 edition. Shohei Ohtani has announced his availability for selection for Team Japan alongside the likes of Seiya Suzuki and Munetaka Murakami. Meanwhile, the Dominic Republic may have the strongest collection of talent announced so far with Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Sandy Alcantara, Luis Castillo, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez to name just a few.
MLB’s London Series returns next summer after a two-year absence due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox continued their rivalry in a new city, at the London Stadium - home of West Ham United (Premier League football club). They didn’t disappoint the thousands of fans who filled the stadium for the two-game series, combining for 10 home runs and 50 runs over the weekend. It was a slugfest and a resounding success for the first-ever MLB games played in Europe. A different rivalry will take centre stage in June 2023 as Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals face off, hoping to put on another dazzling display and take home the spoils.
The 1998-2000 New York Yankees are the last team to successfully defend the World Series title. Can the Houston Astros become the first team in more than two decades to repeat after winning their second World Series in franchise history? How many home runs will Aaron Judge hit after he broke a 61-year-old American League record for most home runs in a single season? Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball right now and he has one year remaining on his contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Can the Angels keep him or will he sign somewhere else?
2022 was a record-breaking, emotional, roller-coaster year full of shocks and defining moments that will live in the memory of baseball fans for years to come. 2023 is shaping up to eclipse that and take the excitement to another level.
Look out for my published articles at World In Sport coming soon.