{"id":629806,"date":"2026-03-18T11:01:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T11:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/629806\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:01:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T11:01:57","slug":"john-smoltz-wants-wbc-played-during-mlb-season-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/629806\/","title":{"rendered":"John Smoltz wants WBC played during MLB season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz believes he has a way to make the World Baseball Classic even better.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smoltz appeared on \u201cThe Dan Patrick Show\u201d on Tuesday and was asked how MLB could up the ante with the international baseball tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you make it bigger when you do it in the middle of the season and shut it down for a week,\u201d Smoltz opined. \u201cI\u2019ve been saying that for years. I think it\u2019s the perfect spot to showcase the international talent, you would have everybody wearing that uniform, they\u2019d be in midseason form, there would be no restrictions, you truly get to see the Goliath against the Goliath without them coming out and throwing a million arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I think you make it bigger when you do it in the middle of the season and shut it down for a week.”<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0John Smoltz on how to make the WBC bigger. pic.twitter.com\/ZMhCRDRy5s<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"JohnJohn Smoltz wants to see a World Baseball Classic-type event in the middle of the MLB season. The Dan Patrick Show\/X<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s World Baseball Classic has been incredibly successful for the sport, with Tuesday\u2019s championship, won 3-2 by Venezuela over Team USA<\/a>, expected to shatter viewership records.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Smoltz acknowledged it likely wouldn\u2019t ever happen, he pointed to the success of the Four Nations Face-Off the NHL put on in 2025 instead of an All-Star Game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis tournament has accomplished its goals,\u201d Smoltz said about the WBC. \u201cTeam Italy, baseball\u2019s gonna be thought of differently there. You\u2019ve got other countries that are bringing baseball to the forefront when other sports were really kinda marquee and king. That has worked. Is it the perfect timing? No.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he passed along his idea to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and said he would be OK with the idea of doing a World vs. USA format to replace the MLB All-Star Game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you shut the game down for a week and give everybody the break they need, you could do so many things to promote within that week and own that week,\u201d Smoltz said.<\/p>\n

\"BryceBryce Harper celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against Venezuela, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. AP<\/p>\n

While Smoltz\u2019s ideas are interesting, it would be a tough sell for MLB to hold the event in the middle of a season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while the eight-time All-Star made a fair point in the tough job Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has, having to run decisions by players\u2019 MLB managers first, that likely wouldn\u2019t go away during some sort of in-season international tournament.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t