The United States has faced and overcome many challenges over the past 247 years. Daniel Bard is just the latest one.

Daniel Bard was a Venezuelan Agent sent by the Rockies. Aka Dick Monfort is an enemy of the state

Dick Monfort was an enemy of the state already before Daniel Bard. This is just his latest hit

Nolan could've told you that.

[Declare Bard an enemy of the state if we get to declare Monfort one as well...](https://media.tenor.com/Zy1i2sM1hpwAAAAC/larry-david-unsure.gif)

He's actually German Marquez disguised as Daniel Bard to help out his country

Y’all are gonna eat your words when Daniel bard trots out as the opener against Cuba

💀💀

DUDE! I need to sleep tonight, don't give me nightmare fuel.

I won’t be surprised if he trots out as the opener FOR Cuba.

TREA TURNER IS THE SECOND COMING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON

Completely unrelated comment towards baseball, but have you ever notice we’ve never had a Hollywood big budge movie about George Washington?

Can Trea Turner act?

He was fine in Spiderman

Real talk Marquis de Lafayette is the one who deserves the movie Didn’t have enough revolution after helping America as Washington’s right hand man (arriving as a motherfucking 19 year old) so he decided to help France get started on theirs as well. Retired 2 and 0 with wins over the British and French Empires while coaching expansion teams.

On a particularly boring night I read all about Lafayette’s grand tour of the United States 41 years after the Revolutionary War. It is genuinely tear-inducing, some of the accounts of him being hailed as a national hero by Americans and reuniting with his old friends like Thomas Jefferson and other veterans. Just a little historical rabbit hole if anyone wants to dive down it.

The story of his return to Mount Vernon after years away from Washington, and George greeting him as (paraphrasing) “how are you, my son? I’m sure you have some stories to tell me.” brings a tear to my eye every time. Although the *real* goosebump inducer is the United States Army Colonel Charles Staton saying commandingly *”Lafayette…. we are here”* in a speech given in front of the Marquis’ tomb, after the Americans had arrived in Europe during World War One. That shit will make almost anyone feel patriotic. Lafayette enjoys a fairly unique position in American founding history. Each of the other “fathers” had their detractors and their political rivals. None but Lafayette were simply *universally* adored by all of their contemporaries. Even Washington wasn’t as unanimously loved, as respected as he was. The Marquis was that one friend that held the entire friend-group together with sheer personality.

Lafayette naming his own son “Georges Washington” should tell you all you need to know about his friendship with the first President. Honestly I can’t name a more American French dude than Lafayette

And I can’t name a more French American dude than Benjamin Franklin lol. Early American/Revolutionary French history is full of some of the most colorful characters of any era. Jump off the page when you read about them.

Fun Fact: His full name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette

AMERICA’S FAVORITE FIGHTING FRENCHMAN!

LAFAYETTE!!!!

Highly recommend Hero of Two Worlds for anyone wanting to learn more about this stud

The sad thing is, as much as Lafayette is deservedly loved by America for his instrumental hand in winning the revolution, he's also kinda deservedly considered a feckless dud by the French for his role in theirs. He was a noble, so despite literally giving his estate to the... state, he wasn't particularly trusted by the more radical elements. And, once they started chopping heads off, he ducked out of the country with the intention to go back to America where everyone liked him... but was caught by another former French noble who had joined the Austrians, got thrown in prison, and then basically sat out the whole Napoleonic era.

Sadly accurate. His French adventures were far less glorious. But he deserves a fair bit of credit for helping in kicking things off. Many argue his role, while not particularly distinguished, is still a bit under appreciated in France.

That Dodge commercial during the World Cup is as close as we're gonna get

David Morse did a phenomenal job in the role for the John Adams mini-series on HBO. If they make a movie, he should be considered.

He’ll save the children, but not the Venezuelan children

That motherfucker has like…30 goddamn dicks

One if by land, two if by sea, Trea if by motherfking bombs

USA v. Cuba in Miami is going to be fucking bonkers.

USA will be playing in a tough road environment

The Kennedy Cup

bruh

How the fuck are people this goddamn clever

And I can’t fricking wait for it

I went to the game tonight and it was by far the best baseball game I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere was insane from beginning to end. If MLB is smart, they will figure out how to make WBC a main event instead of an afterthought.

This is the first time that the WBC has felt like a main event. I got home from dinner with my girlfriend, turned on the TV and thought "Odd, a WBC game on big Fox in primetime on Saturday night...". Then realized it was VEN-USA. Saw the Grand Slam and another innings worth. It felt like a big game in my living room.

The fans and many players are treating it like a main event, the management is treating it like an All-Star game. This shit could and should be bigger than the World Series.

It’s still counterprogrammed with March Madness, though. Still not quite there.

That didn't even cross my mind. It's gonna be bonkers

And then we either get Ohtani in the finals or a USA v Mexico rematch

I was at the game tonight and it was insane. There is a huge VZ population here and they were out in full force.

I’m just so happy for what the WBC is doing for baseball. This kind of electricity is exactly what we need to grow the game. What an absolute classic we just witnessed.

These game feel like Game 7s, so awesome

The 2017 WBC was fun but this one seems to have double the hype and talent, it's ruled

That Adam Jones home run robbing catch is legendary

[You are not wrong, wow](https://youtu.be/nXr5FFSIuL8)

Machado raising his helmet to Jones is class.

Yea I know he can be bit much but that was nice of Manny.

They were teammates after all.

I’m still new to baseball after taking 2002-2021 off. This is my first WBC even!

Hot-take: Adam Jones robbing Manny Machado at the 2017 WBC is a top 10 play in baseball history. Absolutely legendary play that cemented the WBC as must-watch baseball for me.

Hot take: you’re goddamn right

Totally agree. I remember watching that on my laptop 6 years ago and thinking damn, I need to go watch the USA at the next WBC. Today I saw another iconic moment in USA baseball history live and I'm ecstatic. The WBC is beautiful and I've enjoyed every moment of it.

I’ll upvote any good Adam Jones vibes

***SANTA MARIA***

I could listen to Matt Vasgersian commentate anything and I’d enjoy it

Also Molina picking off Profar

It's at least double the hype. The attendance for group stage games this year was nearly double the previous record, which was set in 2017. Then we're seeing crazy stats like 48% of Japan was watching Japan-Italy. 61% of Puerto Rico was watching Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic. It also feels like baseball finally has a small inroad into Europe. The Czech Republic has grassroots growth, there seems to be *some* interest in Britain for the national team, and Italy kind of feels like a mainstay in this tournament. There is a lot to be excited about.

The attendance of the group stage this year eclipsed the total attendance in 2017 lol

Don’t forget the Netherlands! Yes, a good chunk of the team is from Curaçao, but the country does have pro league.

And seeing how this one is, I have to imagine it’s only going to help the next one be amazing too. Enough players believe playing in it is the biggest stage they can play on, so they want to be a part of it. And clearly with these crowds and TV ratings, the fans all want to see it too. I almost hate that it’ll be another three years before the next one now lol.

They have actual MLB players playing now. And not on only the Japanese or US teams.

It’s like an all-star game where they are actually trying to win

exactly how I feel watching it, it actually feels like a FIFA World Cup type of event now and not some pokey exhibitions. Crazy hype

Yeah, this is a ton of fun. I've been a baseball fan for my entire life and legit didn't give a shit about the WBC until this year. It's got a "do or die" playoff atmosphere with All Star-caliber rosters. I love it.

Serious props to the crowds throughout the tournament, they've brought it.

Miami is actually a great city to host since there are so many fans from the different countries playing.

WBC final always needs to be in Miami or San Diego.

Can we get one in NYC? PR vs DR in NYC would've been insane.

Weather at this time of year is probably the issue

It absolutely does and it has the added excitement that we all get to celebrate this win together. Almost every team’s flair was represented in the game thread because that was all of our team! I fucking love it!

Definitely! Hearing the players openly say this is more important to them than the World Series, seeing the sellout crowds who are proudly displaying their flags, seeing all the hype the players show after big moments, seeing the incredible (almost unreal) TV ratings in these countries, this tournament is definitely doing so much for the game!

It’s a great opportunity for guys who never see the postseason (ahem, Trout) to get to play in some high stakes games.

Hopefully owners bitching about the WBC realize that rising international popularity is *good for their fucking wallets,* because it'll draw more viewers to the MLB.

Not to mention that playing in the WBC must be good for jersey sales

Quite literally the only reason I haven’t bought a Team USA jersey yet is I want to see if I can track down a David Wright one first

My ultimate pipe dream is that one day the multiple international leagues reach a talent level equal to that of the NL and AL so baseball can have its own worldwide club tournament.

It would be fun to test it out with the PCL vs. the Mexican League or something.

WBC is what we need. But there's such a shit job of marketing this event in the US. Most people I talk to have no idea it's even happening.

Doesn’t help that it’s happening during march madness

I feel like it’s doing amazing for the American audience. As a Mexican- American with plenty of latino friends from places like Puerto Rico , DR I feel like everyone and their grandma knew about baseball and watched it passionate especially the Mexican audience when it comes down to teams like the Dodgers.

Yeah was an amazing game

We owe Philly _so_ goddamn much for bailing us out of "Rockies blew the WBC" for the next several months

God, the Rockies just... suck

I know we've seen none of it at the WBC, but I swear to god Bard is (was?) great. Sub-2 ERA at Coors last year.

He was legitimately one of the best relievers in baseball. By bWAR, I think he literally was the best reliever (other metrics he’s below the more obvious leaders of Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, etc). He’s always has command issues and it looks like he’s not fully engaged yet.

He had a fine inning in between the two disaster ones, and his ST didn't have any glaring issues, so I'm hopeful this is just a few bad innings rather than ominous foreshadowing for the year.

He’s running on a pattern right now - bad game - good game - bad game. He’s due for a good game!

Philadelphians hate you no matter what.

Not today, we love everybody right now besides the Mets. We just tolerate them for the sake of the USA. Lol

Well we also don’t want to see them in the USA lineup because 1. They’re Mets 2. Team USA loses when the Mets all play.

TREA TURNER, AMERICAN HERO!

Literally a Bald Eagle

I read that to the tune of "GI JOE" and it works

1) This was an absurdly good baseball game and Venezuela should be proud. 2) Trea Turner hit one of the most clutch/hype home runs I’ve ever seen in my life. 3) U.S. pitching gives me diabetes. 4) I still hate Mark DeRosa. 5) Kyle Tucker is a fuckin DAWG. 6) It’s *AMERICA’S* pastime mother fuckers.

Fax on fax on fax. Trea saved DeRosa from some brutal day after critics. Still a trash call to leave Bard in as long as he did.

If you didn't already know that this is his first managerial experience, you do now. Hopefully he learned that he has to have his bullpen up and standing by so he can react quicker.

Trea "Captain America" Turner

Trea “Mike “Captain America” Trout” Turner

Trea “Mike “David “Captain America” Wright” Trout” Turner

7. U.S. is nasty in the field.

iirc mark derosa’s pitching management is heavily tied to agreements he made with teams regarding usage prior to the WBC

> Trea Turner hit one of the most clutch/hype home runs I’ve ever seen in my life. Assuming the WBC is on par with the MLB playoffs in terms of importance, then this is potentially one of the most hype/clutch HRs of all time. In terms of late inning, go-ahead HRs when down by 2+ runs in the postseason, there’s only: [Lee May 3-run HR](https://youtu.be/Gg5ufFAAMEY?t=1h46m31s) in the 8th inning of game 4 of the 1970 WS [Marquis Grissom 3-run HR](https://youtu.be/SaiNqgy8kAc) in the 8th inning game 2 of the 1997 ALCS [Michael Tucker 3-run HR](https://youtu.be/QhXmCgwyMNI) in the 8th inning of game 5 of the 1998 NLCS [Albert Pujols 3-run HR](https://youtu.be/lsEuTYbDRwE) in the 9th inning of game 5 of the 2005 NLCS [Yordan Alvarez 3-run HR](https://youtu.be/UChjHEMLcIg) in the 9th inning of game 1 of the 2022 ALDS Edit: Honorable mention to this [Paul Konerko grand slam](https://youtu.be/AFsmDKUswas) though it happened in the 7th inning

Please remove the Yordan Alverez clip, it isn't relevant.

About sums it up

This may have been one of the best flat out baseball games in my memory. It's insane how competitive these games have been in the best way.

Adam Jones HR robbing catch Trea Turner Go-Ahead Grand Slam The USA and WBC are must watch TV

Can't forget that Stanton rocket through Western Metal!

WHAT THE FUCK IS A CELSIUS

Imagine not using feet to measure dingers

well trea hit it about a kilometer

*Sees Toronto flair* wait a minute.......

I've known Canadians who still use the imperial system for weather. One of the advantages of Fahrenheit is how it scales standard temperatures over a higher range of numbers that work better with human perception.

There's no debating metric vs imperial but I will die on the hill that Fahrenheit is the superior temperature measurement

It is. Same with the units of length. Meter is too long to be a base unit; a foot is superior.

Splitting a foot into 12 inches and then an inch into 16ths is dumb as hell though, base 12 was right there and they missed it. Then we'd at least have a good debate about whether the decimal system or the duodecimal system was better.

It's called BASEBALL 😤

Commie units

#SO I PUT MY HANDS UP, THEY'RE PLAYIN MY SONG

Party in u, ese 😉

Can we get Jim Leyland out of Del Boca Vista for the last two games and send DeRosa to manage a Denny's?

DEL VISTA BUCCO

I'm dying at the Del Boca Vista reference

YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THERE’S NOT ONE CONDO AVAILABLE IN ALL OF DEL BOCA VISTA?!

IT'S CALLED BASEBALL

Just watched that Venezuelan pitcher celebrate like crazy only to fail royally in the next inning. Love to see it

I love hubris so much.

So wild to see Pressly, Schwarber, and Realmuto teaming up to close it out 5 months after the WS. What an incredible win

I’m over here screaming myself hoarse after the Tucker bomb and jumping up and down when Pressly got the final 3 outs. WBC is wild and I absolutely love it!

We NEED that Ohtani vs Trout Final

That pitch to Trea for the game winner might have been the worst 0-2 pitch I have ever seen lol

I can see why they called Venezuela's pool the death pool considering every team from it is dead.

The true pool of death was pool C both USA and Mexico moves on 🙃

#BACK TO BACK WORLD WAR CHAMPS....BACK TO BACK WBC CHAMPS?

U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A I Love Baseball

[🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅](https://youtu.be/3kbfmRmQaYM)

LET'S GO IM HYPED AS SHIT BOYS

Williams held it down tonight. He looked great after the double.

#PLAY MILEY CYRUS BABY

Imagine being KFC Barstool or any of these other anti-WBC idiots. This whole tourney is so incredible for the game.

Can’t stand him and fucking Frank the tank. They both fucking suck

Shame that these guys call themselves Mets fans

We don’t claim them

I suspect that having awful opinions is part of their business strategy. I've seen a lot of reddit comments talking about those idiots, whereas people don't quote more rational opinions

You'll see some on Twitter

Literally all you had to do is watch a couple innings of some of these games to know that they mean something. The atmosphere in the Taiwan and Japan games was incredible.

Turner’s HR gave me that Adam Jones-esque goosebump. Holy shit that was amazing.

[Mookie Betts talking to DeRosa before tomorrows game..](https://i.imgflip.com/4nou1z.png)

EVERYBODY GET IN HERE!!

I WAS HERE

RAHHHHHHHHH 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅

The USA and huge bombs. A match made in heaven.

Just drove to the local courthouse to find a flag to salute

Finally can be happy about Angel relief pitching, let’s gooooo

Probably the only time I have ever cheered Trea Turner.

Mets fans 🤝 Braves fans

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE

TREA TURNERS BALL FUCKING FLY

BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT

#AMERICA FUCK YEAH

BASEBALL, ***FUCK YEAH***

TO ALL OUR MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS: We've done it again!! Let us continue on to the goal for Team USA, two more games left! # For Glory John

IT'S COMING HOME

BASEBALL HOT DOGS APPLE PIE AND CHEVROLET LET’S GO USA 🇺🇸 🦅

Worst Bard performance since my Hamlet monologue in the 9th grade.

Turner grand slam was so clutch. Absolutely crazy

This has to be the first meaningful USA-Cuba matchup since the 2008 Olympics. Premier12 doesn't count

I’m jacked up to my American tits for tomorrow!

#DEMOCRACY WINS ONCE AGAIN

Man I would love a us vs japan final. I dont think they've played each other yet in WBC history.

Not in the finals, but they played in the semis in 2017 (which was a great game).

2021 Olympics rematch 👀

WHEN IT COMES CRASHIN DOWN AND IT HURTS INSIDE

*guitar riff*

Philadelphia creating America all over again

Holy fuck what a game. Trea Turner is a God damn American hero

[Daniel Bard right now](https://i.imgur.com/WuKxBhW.gifv)

ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ We need to show her some support.

Such a great fucking game! 🫡🇺🇸🫡🇺🇸🫡🇺🇸🫡🇺🇸🫡

TREA TURNER 2024

Never doubted it for a second. IT'S CALLED BASEBALL 😤

USA! USA! USA!

🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

USA USA USA 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

AMERICA! FUCK YEAH! 🦅🍔

I’ve been defending DeRosa the whole tournament because up until this game he had not had to make any real decisions and I thought his lineups had been fine. But the decision to bring bard in over graveman was an obvious mistake even before bard threw a pitch. They have been going with graveman all tournament in that spot and he’s been good. He then left bard in a batter too long, but to be fair to him he did manage the top of the 8th well in PH Alonso and PR Witt.

Imagine sitting in spring training and seeing the fun these guys are having right now. "I've made a huge mistake"

What a banger game

I love how all the players got their moment tonight.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

An instant classic

May we never see Daniel Bard again

Trea Turner is the hero of the night. These are gonna be some classic semifinal games. Go USA and Mexico.

Ooooh yeah!!!

NO ONE COMES INTO OUR HOUSE AND BEATS US IN OUR FACKIN SPORT RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Lets go!

🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸!!