Spring training's loss is WBC's gain as viewership jumps
Many of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars like Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani aren’t playing in spring training these days
By DAVID BRANDT
Published - Mar 17, 2023, 07:22 PM ET
Last Updated - Jun 22, 2023, 03:34 PM EDT
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Many of Major League Baseball's biggest stars, like Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, aren't playing in spring training. They're in the World Baseball Classic.
Some baseball fans, particularly New York Mets fans, aren't sure that's a good thing.
But one thing appears certain: People are watching.
The fifth WBC tournament drew just over 1 million fans in the first round, according to numbers released Friday from MLB. That was up from about 500,000 in 2017. Part of the reason is there are more games since the tournament was expanded to 20 teams from 16.
