Great Britain Baseball among Biggest Winners at the WBC
It has been just over a week since pool play ended for the World Baseball Classic, who crowned Japan as the winner Tuesday night in Miami. But while Japan was the champion, one of the biggest winners at the WBC was Great Britain baseball, who qualified for the first time in 2023.
This win goes beyond their 1–3 win-loss record in Pool C. It goes beyond their “Here We Are!” upset victory over Colombia. And it goes beyond their automatic qualification for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This was a big win for not only the national team, but for Great Britain baseball itself.
Ren Quantrill, marketing coordinator for Great Britain baseball, said interest in Great Britain baseball exploded during the tournament. “There’s been a lot more interaction. A lot more respect of the British game. And long may that continue.”
Great Britain Baseball — A (Very) Brief Overview and Recent History
To fully understand how big their showing in the WBC was, look at the organized baseball leagues in Great Britain. Great Britain, with a population of 60.8 million, has about 4000 people nationwide playing on a baseball team at some level, whether it be adult leagues or youth leagues. By comparison, the United States had 15.6 million players nationwide in 2021. The top-flight British league — the National Baseball League (NBL) — has seven teams. The next level on the pyramid — AAA — has eight. There are two more levels below that — AA, with 21 teams, and A, with 25. While the top European baseball leagues send their champions to the annual European Champions Cup, no British team has participated since 1969. Furthermore, the four years that a British team did participate saw the same result in the standings — a four-way tie for fifth in an eight-team tournament.
International competition has been similar. The European Baseball Championship has been held every other year, for the most part, since 1958. (Author’s note: Every year from 1954 to 1957, even-numbered years from 1958 to 1964, odd-numbered years from 1965 to 2007, even-numbered from 2010 to 2016, and once again odd-numbered from 2019 to the present.) Out of those 34 tournaments, Great Britain has qualified for 14. Other than two second-place finishes — 1967 and 2007 — Great Britain has finished no higher than sixth, and they’ve done that only once. They have also finished seventh three times, eighth twice, ninth four times, tenth once, and eleventh once.
“Chapter One” — Great Britain Qualifies for WBC
When Drew Spencer took over as manager of the men’s national team in 2019, they finished ninth at the Euros. In 2021, they finished sixth. The club has continued to improve since then. Even so, when they hit the qualifying round for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, they were not among the favorites to qualify. Out of the six teams in their pool, they were ranked fifth. In order to qualify, they needed to finish in the top two of the double-elimination tournament held in Regensburg, Germany.
They faced France in the play-in game, with the winner slated to meet Germany. Great Britain won convincingly, 12–4. After that, Great Britain soundly defeated Germany, 8–1, in the second game. This matched them against Spain, who crushed eventual qualifiers Czech Republic, 21–7, in the previous game. Great Britain came back from deficits of 4–0, 5–1, 8–3, and 9–6 to tie the game with a one-out homer in the bottom of the ninth. They ultimately won the game in the bottom of the tenth, 10–9, with a one-out sacrifice fly.
Spencer, who had a constant smile on his face in every media session, called this moment the “end of Chapter One.” His philosophy about managing a national team is, “You’re playing an infinite game. A baseball game is finite. It has a start and a stop. There’s a certain number of outs. And somebody wins in the end. But when you’re managing a national team, you’re not playing for one game or one season, you’re playing for generations.”
“Chapter Two” — Great Britain in WBC
Great Britain was in Pool C along with USA, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia. Given the prowess of these four teams, few gave Great Britain much of a chance. Spencer said on the workout day that he and his staff knew they would have to “dig deep, expand the talent pool, and get early conversations going with the guys” so everyone could prepare. This included the players and their organizations. It also included the national team “jumping through the various hoops” to get from what the team referred to as “the end of the beginning for Great Britain baseball and the beginning of the next chapter.”
Spencer shared with the assembled press that the London Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in 2019 started a trend of “more and more people showing up, coming out of the woodwork.” He added that it wasn’t only “an American ex-pat who got stationed in London for a couple of years for their job” but there were “actually baseball players with British accents.”
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In addition, he shared the meeting his team had. There were 52 people in the room. Everyone around the room shared their connection to Great Britain and why playing for that team was important to them. “(We got) all kinds of stories,” he said. First baseman Nick Ward was playing for his grandfather. Infielder Alex Crosby was playing for his mother. Outfielder Trayce Thompson played for his father’s heritage — his father, 12-year NBA center Mychal Thompson, was born in the Bahamas while they were still under British rule. Spencer called the meeting “a chance for everybody to look each other in the eye and see there’s a common bond amongst us. And it always brings the energy for us.”
The Tournament
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Before the first game, Spencer said, “This is our first time here, and it’s a chance to put our program on the world stage.” They faced the USA, the eventual runners-up, whose first four hitters were players on a Hall of Fame trajectory. The USA starting pitcher was a World Series champion — Adam Wainwright, who also has a good shot at making the Hall. Great Britain jumped out to an early lead thanks to a Thompson home run. As he arrived at the dugout, teammates put a crown and purple robe on him, a celebration that quickly grew popular.
Ultimately, USA rallied for a 6–2 victory, propelled by Nolan Arenado (3-for-5, two RBI) and Paul Goldschmidt (1-for-3, one walk, three runs scored). Reliever Michael Petersen — a Colorado Rockies prospect — closed the game for Great Britain, wowing observers with his triple-digit fastball. In addition, he struck out Arenado.
Going to Surprise Some People
Spencer beamed with pride after the game, saying his team “showed they were ready for the competition.” He added, “I don’t think anybody was expecting that game to be that close, when it was — except us. There was 30 men in that dugout that knew we were going to battle. And we did.” Spencer also acknowledged the pitching staff and his coaches, saying, “my pitchers executed and I’m proud of them. They did a fantastic job. Every one of them deserves to go home and hold their up head high.” He concluded with, “We were in the ballgame right to the end.”
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Some critics accused the Americans of coming out flat. Manager Mark DeRosa acknowledged that, but when told that Spencer was proud of his team’s effort, DeRosa replied, “Absolutely.” When immediately asked if he felt Great Britain might surprise some people in the tournament, he repeated, “Absolutely” and continued, “Baseball is a strange game. It’s not like football, where bigger, faster, stronger always wins. It’s who executes, who gets timely hits. They certainly have a few (relievers). The one guy who came in was throwing three digits with a breaking ball. They certainly could surprise some people.”
Goldschmidt agreed. “They came right out,” he said. “Their offense was good. They had a lot of hits. Had some speed out there and played (well) all the way around. And we were able to get a couple of big hits, couple of extra-base hits. We had a lot of guys on base, but they were able to get out of it. So they did a good job, and we were fortunate to get the win.” Arenado added, “They compete” and “have good at-bats.”
Day Two: Canada
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Others took notice of their efforts. Prior to Great Britain’s game the next day against Canada, opposing manager Ernie Whitt said they were a “scrappy team” who “battled every at-bat” and “didn’t give any at-bats away.” He continued, “They showed that they should be in this tournament, and you tip your hat to them.” Spencer had to put his phone on silent to even get any sleep due to all the messages of “support and encouragement.”
Great Britain batted around in the first, jumping out to a 3–0 lead. Canada responded in the bottom half, making the score 5–3, but Great Britain kept responding. In the top of the second, they made it 5–4. Canada extended the lead to 6–4, but Great Britain got that run back in the next frame. In the bottom of the third, Canada extended the lead to 10–5, but Great Britain slashed it to 10–8 on a three-run home run by catcher Harry Ford. Great Britain’s pitching staff ultimately ran out of gas as Canada rattled off six runs in the bottom of the fourth and a run each in the next two innings. This gave them a run-rule 18–8 victory in seven innings.
Spencer said afterwards, “There are still two games to play. For us, it’s right back at it tomorrow.” He also pointed out that they kept battling. “Inning by inning, the energy I felt as guys came off the field — especially the way we kept punching back in the early innings — was, ‘Hey, we’re right in this.’ We just keep going.” Others pointed out that although Great Britain got run-ruled, they still scored eight runs off a much more established national team. Whitt also mentioned that Great Britain “kept battling, battling back.”
Day Three: Colombia — A Landmark in Great Britain Baseball History
“What defines a winning tournament team is that relentless ability to punch back. So we actually talk a lot about being the kind of team that’s fearless, that’s selfless and relentless. And it’s being relentless that’s defined us; that’s what got us here.”
Spencer spoke those words when told what Whitt said about battling back. And the Colombia game, which came the day after the run-rule loss to Canada, made him look like a prophet.
Colombia had Day Two off, fresh off their emotional 5–4 win over Mexico on Day One. In the pregame press conference before the Great Britain game, he started to say that speed was Great Britain’s only weapon. Immediately after saying “only,” he corrected himself to say, “they have a few weapons, and speed is one of them.”
Colombia led 1–0 after two and 3–0 in the middle of the fourth. But as they had done several times before, Great Britain punched back. Single by Harry Ford. Walk by Nick Ward. Throwing error on a pickoff attempt, advancing Ford to third. Sacrifice fly by B.J. Murray. Walks by Darnell Sweeney and Jaden Rudd to load the bases. After a swinging strikeout, a two-run game-tying single to left by Chavez Young.
More came in the fifth with Ward on second, Sweeney on first, and Rudd at the plate with two outs. A wild pitch advanced the runners one base each. Rudd ultimately doubled, giving Great Britain a 5–3 lead. It became a 6–3 lead on a solo homer by Ford in the bottom of the seventh. With Ward on first and one out, Sweeney doubled, putting runners on second and third. A wild pitch plated Ward.
Finishing It Off
Reliever Ian Gibaut entered the game in the top of the eighth with two on and nobody out. He pitched out of the jam to hold the 7–3 lead. In the ninth, he gave up a leadoff home run. A ground ball to third by Harold Ramirez looked like it would be the first out of the inning, but an errant throw instead put Ramirez on second with nobody out. A fly out and single put runners on the corners with one out for Reynaldo Rodriguez, who was Colombia’s hero against Mexico.
Spencer headed to the mound for a chat. He said he asked Gibaut how he was feeling. Of course, the answer was “fine.” Then Spencer asked if he “wanted to deliver.” Spencer said Gibaut told him he did, so Gibaut stayed in the game.
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If Gibaut could get a ground ball, Great Britain had a chance to turn a game-ending double play. But he uncorked a wild pitch, advancing Jorge Alfaro from first to second and wiping out the double play opportunity. One pitch later, Rodriguez hit a grounder to short. Sweeney fired wide to first, where Ward made the scoop of the tournament. Falling to the ground on the right-field side, Ward picked it backhanded out of the dirt while at full extension. Ramirez scored, bringing up Meibrys Viloria as the tying run with two outs.
The first pitch missed the strike zone for a ball. Viloria swung and missed two straight changeups, bringing the count to 1–2. Gibaut fired a fastball at the top of the zone. Viloria flailed in vain, striking out to give Great Britain their first-ever World Baseball Classic win.
“My Hat’s Off”
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“I am not surprised at all,” Cabrera said after the game. Of Ford, he said, “Unbelievable…. You make one mistake, and he makes you pay…. He’s that good.” Cabrera mentioned Ward as well. “Unbelievable save by the first baseman on the ball in the dirt. If the ball goes up, it’s a different story.” He concluded with, “My hat’s off to Great Britain. They played a fantastic game today.”
Going into the final game against Mexico, Great Britain had a chance to stir up chaos in the standings. A win would have given them a chance to make the quarterfinals in Miami. It also would have put Mexico in serious jeopardy of missing the quarterfinals. Mexico manager Benji Gil knew what to expect against Great Britain. “They’re going to be relentless,” Gil said. “I think they’re going to do everything they can to put themselves back in the tournament. Obviously, they aren’t thinking about anything other than winning.
“I know they have good speed. Maybe not as experienced a team as the other ones in our group. And that’s kind of to be expected, being that they don’t have much history as far as baseball. But we’re not looking past them.” He went on to say Mexico would treat them the way they treated the U.S. team, only with fewer scouting reports.
Great Britain fell behind in the second but tied the game in the top of the sixth. Mexico took a 2–1 lead in the bottom of the seventh on a walk, wild pitch, and single. Great Britain did not manage another baserunner, finalizing the score and bowing out of the tournament.
Great Britain Big Winner at WBC
Gil said Great Britain “pitched the best that they have pitched” all tournament in Mexico’s 2–1 victory. He encouraged those listening to tip their hats to them, adding that they “played like a big, great team” and would have given any team problems.
When USA beat Colombia the next day, a result that surprised few, Great Britain and Colombia both finished 1–3. Great Britain had the tiebreaker, putting Colombia in last place for Pool C. As a result, Great Britain automatically qualified for the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic.
So despite a 1–3 Pool C record, the tournament was a big win for Great Britain. They held a heavily favored USA team, one loaded with perennial All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, to a four-run win. While being run-ruled by Canada, they still scored eight runs. One day after being run-ruled, they beat Colombia, whose previous game was a win over Mexico. They themselves held Mexico — an eventual semi-finalist — to a 2–1 score.
Growing the Game
Quantrill said that going into the tournament, there was a lot of interest domestically. “(With) the kind of team we put together, there was a lot of excitement,” he said. Great Britain was “excited to show the world what we had. I’m not sure internationally how many people knew about that, but I think now it’s definitely changed.”
Their Twitter following more than doubled during the tournament. Harry Ford became a national hero, gaining the nickname “Sir” Harry Ford and spawning one of the greatest Twitter videos of the year so far. “Hopefully,” Quantrill said, “at the grassroot level it keeps developing, and hopefully we get a lot more interest at the youth level. You can already see that developing. Long may that continue. It’s very healthy in the UK right now.”
.@GB_Baseball won their first ever match at the #WorldBaseballClassic last night – an inspirational, magical, historic achievement – and we were lucky enough to be joined by home run hero Harry Ford in assembly this morning! #LetsGoGB 🦁🇬🇧⚾️@MLBEurope @WBCBaseball @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/zuPw9oLyhQ
— St Gregory Primary (@StGregoryCEVCP) March 14, 2023
Quantrill said qualifying automatically for 2026 is “incredibly exciting.” He and several friends who played baseball together in the UK attended the U.S.-Colombia game. When the U.S. won, securing Great Britain’s place in 2026, he and his friends were “absolutely delighted.” He added, “Hopefully, it’s something for us to go back and speak to our friends and family about.” He is hopeful that everyone doing that will continue to drive a larger social media following and news coverage. This could create a domino effect. In three years, he predicted, “There could be a lot more of us out here and somewhere like Phoenix.”
No Longer the “Easy Game”
“We got better every day,” Spencer proudly stated after the Mexico game. “From the first day of preparation before the qualifier, to the journey to this main tournament, and then the journey through this main tournament, I feel as though we just kept improving. That makes me feel really, really good about the job that my coaching staff — that the full delegation — has done. Everybody was pushed to new places in their roles in this program and in this tournament. It feels like we made mistakes, and I told everybody we would. But we have to walk away from this and feel like we’ve arrived. I said the other night, beginning of Chapter Two. And Chapter Two is looking like a great story.”
Participating in the 2023 edition gave Great Britain baseball $300,000, which converts to 278,385 Euros (€) or 245,358 pounds (£). According to the broadcast commentary of the Great Britain-Colombia game, when Great Britain qualified for the WBC in November 2022, the entire program had a budget of €25,000 — fewer than 1/10 of their participation earnings. In 2026, they’ll earn at least $300,000 more.
But their showing in the WBC was about more than money. It was about gaining respect, both internationally and domestically. In the very first tournament Spencer managed for Great Britain, the under-23 Euro, he told his team, “Everybody’s going to look at our name on the schedule and they’re going to go, ‘That’s the easy game.’ Your job is to make sure when the tournament is over, they don’t say that anymore.”
“That’s the job that this team has to do whenever we suit up on these big stages. We achieved that. I don’t think people will see Great Britain on the schedule again in the future and think, ‘That’s our easy game.’”
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