For the first time in history, USA won the World Baseball Classic fighting against 16 countries around the world.

For those who are not familiar with WBC, this tournament is set up very differently from what you normally know. A unique part of the WBC is that you get to see all the different baseball cultures. WBC was first played in 2006, which is not long ago, and happens every 4 years. Japan won the first two games in 2006 and 2009, and Dominican Republic was the last winner in 2013.

It is fought by 16 countries from around the world, and is divided into four pools. Each pool is competed by four countries against each other in various places, and the top two teams are allowed to go to the semi-finals. Then the remaining eight countries are sorted into two pools and fight each other again as they did previously. Finally the four finalists are ready to fight for the number one title in the world.

Although USA participated in all four games in the past twelve years, they were still unable to make it into the top three and could not earn a single medal.  Part of the reason for their lack of success is the WBC games always occur right during the spring training season in the major league, and team USA is unable to collect the best players. However, this time the US was able to overcome this obstacle.

This year, the four finalists were United States, Japan, Netherlands and Puerto Rico. The other three countries contained major professional players and all were not easy to defeat. The final game was played against Puerto Rico. USA brought Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays up to the pitching mound to start off. Puerto Rico started with Seth Lugo from the New York Mets. It is not unusual for players in the American major league to represent another country, especially for Puerto Rico, as it is legally a U.S. territory. The final game ended with the score 8-0, not letting Puerto Rico score a point.

The MVP award went to Marcus Stroman for his stunning pitch. The trophy ceremony was celebrated with fireworks lighting up the Dodgers Stadium as it was filled with roaring crowds. The US ended the WBC with high hopes for another win four years later.