New York Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances announces he will pitch in WBC
Sep 25, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances (68) leaves the game in the ninth inning against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

A decision that will surely frustrate most New York Yankees fans, Dellin Betances has decided to pitch in the World Baseball Classic later this offseason.

New York Yankees late-inning reliever Dellin Betances made the decision on Wednesday that he will pitch for the Dominican Republic for the World Baseball Classic which begins on March 9, 2017.

“Both teams want me to play [for them], but I made a commitment to the DR,’’ Betances told George A. King III of the New York Post. “That is where my family is from, and I want to make them proud.’’

This is surely not good news for Yankee fans as it was evident towards the end of last season that Betances was struggling with velocity and command due to fatigue. It may not be a smart idea for him to tack on that many innings before the season starts but the Yankees do not have any right from stopping him from pitching.

Betances has pitched 247 innings over 227 games during the past three seasons which has been part of the reason he has struggled in September the past couple of seasons. He has one of the most innings pitched by any major league reliever over the past few seasons but he is seemingly going by his own judgment by not believing he needs extra rest.

The Yankees organization should certainly be worried due to their rough WBC luck through the years.

In 2013, while practicing with Team USA, then first baseman Mark Teixeira suffered a torn ECU sheath in his right arm and would only go on to play 15 games that regular season.

Betances will surely have a blast while playing for team Dominican Republic but the Yankees and their fans will be on their toes for every moment of it.


My name is Patrick Hennessy and I am an Editor as well as the Lead Trending Writer here at ESNY. I mainly cover the New York Yankees, but I also reach out to many branches of the sports world. I have had the opportunity to broadcast my work on many different platforms and I plan on continue doing so.