"As soon as I saw (Puerto Rico would be hosting), I knew my goal was to play in the WBC. I have only one response for that. I didn't get hurt pitching. It was after the game. That could have happened to me anywhere. If I got hurt pitching, it's different. But I was just trying to celebrate."
"He's risking a lot by playing in the tournament, especially given what happened in the previous one. But as a fellow Puerto Rican, those games just mean so much to us, being able to wear that uniform."
Edwin Diaz, the Los Angeles Dodgers closer, is competing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic despite recovering from a patellar tendon rupture in his right knee sustained in 2023. The injury occurred while celebrating a game-ending strikeout, not during pitching. Diaz was motivated to participate because Puerto Rico is hosting WBC games, giving him the opportunity to pitch professionally in his homeland for the first time. Teammate Kike Hernandez acknowledged the risk Diaz is taking but expressed that representing Puerto Rico holds deep significance for players. Multiple other MLB stars, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith, and Clayton Kershaw, are also competing in the tournament.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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