During Wednesday’s press conference at Dodger Stadium to announce the 2017 World Baseball Classic Team Mexico staff and roster, newly acquired Dodgers reliever Sergio Romo was asked what it would be like, Lord willing, for him to play in the WBC finals at Dodger Stadium, having grown up a Dodger fan. And while the question was meant specifically about the upcoming WBC, the soon-to-be 34-year-old Brawley, California native’s answer went beyond just the WBC.

“For me it was always a childhood dream playing at Dodger Stadium, period. You know, have Vin Scully say your name and all that good stuff,” Romo said. “But to be able to play on the world stage – represent Mexico, represent my family – it would mean a lot to me. I think it would be a special event not just for myself but for all those Mexicans and Mexican-Americans that are in the area. I think these colleagues of mine can agree and feel the same way, that it would be a tremendous honor to be able to play and win in front of your hometown so to speak.”

Newest Dodger Sergio Romo said that it would mean a lot to him and his family to play in the WBC finals at Dodger Stadium, where his favorite childhood team plays.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Should Romo and his WBC teammates be fortunate enough to make it into the semi-final and final rounds to be held at Dodger Stadium March 21-23, 2017, he will have played there even before his first game as a Dodger.

As for veteran Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, he too would enjoy playing before the large Mexican and Mexican-American population in Los Angeles, but said that at this level of competition it doesn’t matter to him where he plays … sort of.

“You know what? It’s like a great thing to think about but you don’t sit there and say ‘Well, if the final games was somewhere else I’m not going to play as hard because it doesn’t mean that much, I don’t really care to get to the finals because it’s at this place,'” Gonzalez said. “It’s almost like a bonus that it’s at Dodger Stadium. You get to play in front of our home crowd, in front of our people, in front of the great fans of L.A. We’re going to have the best cheering squad behind us obviously because of all the Mexicans here and all of the people who will travel from Mexico to support us. It’s an added bonus but we’re still going to be focused on making it to the finals just like if the game was somewhere else.”

Although AGon said it would be a “bonus” to play in the WBC final rounds at Dodger Stadium, he and his teammates would play just as hard to make the finals if they had been played elsewhere.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Noticeably missing from Team Mexico’s roster for the first round – which will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico – is 20-year-old Dodgers left-handed phenom Julio Urias. However, according to Team Mexico manager Edgar Gonzalez, this could change in later rounds should his team advance.

“The reason about Julio Urias – obviously it’s a pitcher that everybody wants to see on the roster, especially pitching in Guadalajara – they came to a decision between him and the team that he wasn’t ready to pitch the first round,” said the elder Gonzalez brother. “He might be ready for the second round but as of now we don’t have permission yet from both the Dodgers but also from him. He’s not ready to throw yet, until he will be ready. It could change, but as of now he’s not ready and he’s not on the roster.”

Team Mexico manager Edgar Gonzalez is well aware of the disappointment that fans have about Julio Urias not being on Team Mexico’s roster but said that there is still a chance that he could be added in the later rounds of the tournament. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But one Dodger prospect who is on the 2017 WBC Team Mexico roster is number four-ranked outfielder Alex Verdugo, who also represented Team Mexico in a four-game exhibition series at the Tokyo Dome in Japan last November. Has AGon had a chance to talk about what to expect in the upcoming WBC with the 20-year-old Tucson, Arizona native?

“Yeah. ‘Have fun.’ That’s what I tell everybody,” Gonzalez said. “‘When you get there you’re going to love it. Just the atmosphere, the people, the fans, everything that comes with it is something that you’ll never experience in the U.S., even if you play in the playoffs. I would say that it’s even better than the playoff atmosphere. It’s exciting and you’ll love it.'”

Although it is probably safe to say that most Dodger fans will be pulling for Team USA to make it into the finals and win the 2017 WBC, if they do not, it will be hard not to root for Team Mexico in their stead. Should this happen, I have a sneaking suspicion that we just might see a young, hard-throwing left-hander from Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico make an appearance.