It’s championship or bust for USA at WBC
Clay Holmes has large aspirations for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.
In an interview with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on The Post’s “The Show” podcast On Tuesday, Holmes mentioned the US squad is there for one factor solely — to win.
It has the celebs, luring players like Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper to play for the primary time of their careers. It has the up-and-coming children, like Roman Anthony and Nolan McLean.
With what Holmes referred to as a “dream team,” the expectations are sky excessive.
“We’re in this thing to win it. It’s very obvious, that’s what we want, that’s what we’re here for,” Holmes mentioned. “The more you play, the more you see it matters to the fans, the more you see how much it matters…we all feel that we all want it.”
Holmes, now a beginning pitcher for the Mets and a former reliever for the Yankees, has additionally felt the attract of enjoying with a few of the recreation’s largest stars, just like the aforementioned Judge.
“It is definitely a dream. It’s the best players in the world,” Holmes mentioned. “You’re on the identical workforce, you are on the identical buses, you are chatting it up within the locker rooms, and also you’re enjoying for one thing that issues.
“I think this has come together tremendously,” he added. “It’s the place you want to be. It’s the baseball you want to play. And it’s lived up to the hype for sure.”
Holmes additionally talked about that Judge, his former teammate within the Bronx and the US captain, cares a lot about successful that it “bleeds out to the rest of the clubhouse.”
“To have him as a captain, to just have that presence of what he stands for, how he pushes team and players is the start of this,” Holmes mentioned of Judge. “He’s a leader, and it happens naturally for him.”
Through three video games of pool play, the US is 3-0. The Americans demolished Brazil15-5, and Great Britain, 9-1, earlier than holding off Mexico, 5-3, Monday evening.
The US’s closing pool play recreation is Tuesday at 9 pm towards Italy, the place a win would clinch Pool B’s prime spot within the quarterfinals. It would play the runner-up of Pool A in that case.
From there, the US would want to win three extra video games to seize its second WBC title — and fulfill Holmes’ “championship or bust” philosophy.
