Hey, did you see what Team USA did to Team Canada on Monday night in the World Baseball Classic? After getting shellacked by Mexico, the boys in the red, white, and blue made sure there were bombs bursting in air in the first inning.
USA put up nine runs in that frame, which was capped by a three-run homer from Mike Trout. That was all excellent to see. What wasn’t so excellent to see — for Mets fans, at least — was how the MLB on FOX Twitter account shared that particular update:
CAPTAIN AMERICA HITS ONE OUT ??
Mike Trout makes it 9-0 for Team USA!!! pic.twitter.com/toDTp1wGtp
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 14, 2023
Wait… did they call Trout Captain America? Already??
Yes, I know he’s the captain of the club. And, yes — I know he is a big reason why manager Mark DeRosa can run out an All-Star lineup every single night, but come on folks. It’s a little early for this, yea?
Of course, when Mets fans hear that nickname, the first thought that comes to mind is David Wright. He earned it after having some clutch moments in the two WBCs he participated in. It came to a head in 2013 when he hit .438 with a tournament-leading 10 RBI in eight games played. Part of those RBI came on a grand slam against Team Italy to break a fifth-inning tie.
As for Trout, everyone loved watching him hit that big fly. I mean, his swing is incredibly sweet, so it’s fun to watch him do just about anything in the batter’s box. But should he really be dubbed Captain America just yet? He has a .250/.538/.625 line through three games with that one homer and three total RBI.
Probably not, but people are going to do it anyway. While looking through the sea of Twitter replies and quote tweets, I noticed that people weren’t just proclaiming Wright as the only Captain America. Former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was also getting some love.
Let’s not forget, Team USA is currently defending its WBC title, which they won in 2017 with Jones on the roster. He also provided an epic catch during a game vs. the Dominican Republic.
So, yes — there will be many more players getting dubbed as Captain America in future years. Mostly thanks to the World Baseball Classic. That’s just the way it is. You know what they say, though…imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Other players may eventually get this cool nickname, but there can only be one dude who was the first to get it.
That was and will forever be Mets third baseman, David Wright.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
