HOUSTON — Jonathan Aranda was an unknown rookie the last time Mexico played in the World Baseball Classicc in 2023, and really, was little more than a cheerleader.
Now, three years later, he’s an All-Star first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, and was the primary reason Team Mexico averted a huge upset Friday with n 8-2 victory over Great Britain in the opening game of the WBC in Houston.
“He is an All-Star, I think he is a perennial All-Star,’ Team Mexico manager Benji Gil gushed. “I think he is going to end up being an MVP-type candidate hitter.’
It was Aranda’s two-out, three-run homer in the eighth inning, hooking into the left-field Crawford Box seating section that snapped a 1-1 tie before Mexico blew it open in the ninth.
“I never ran this fast after a home run, ever,’ Aranda said. “It was a very [significant] home run because we were tied, and then that at-bat gave positivity for the team. I was so happy for the team. Not just the team, but for the country.
“We are playing for these colors and I’m very happy for that.’
Mexico had gone completely hitless since Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s one-out homer in the second inning. The team sent 22 players to the plate and producing nothing more than a walk or hit by pitch. The only time Mexico got even close to a hit was when Great Britain right fielder Trayce Thompson robbed Aranda of a double with a leaping catch at the wall.
“We kept repeating in the dugout, just keep having good at-bats,’ Gil said. “It is going to come. It is going to come. And credit to our players, they just kept battling and having good at-bats. …
“They never lost faith. They kept fighting, grinding.’
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It looked like the same story in the eighth when Alek Thomas and Joey Ortiz each struck out, but then Gary Gill Hill ran into control problems. He walked Jaren Duran and Randy Arozarena. Great Britain manager Brad Marcelino saw enough, and summoned right-handed Tristan Beck of the San Francisco Giants to face the left-handed Aranda.
“Arguably one of our better arms on the back end, big-league arm,’ Marcelino said.
Beck immediately fell behind, 2-0, missing on sliders, and then tried to sneak a fastball past Aranda. Mistake. Big mistake. Aranda went the 96-mph fastball into the Crawford Boxes, and the crowd of 27,724, mostly cheering for Mexico, finally could exhale.
“When I hit it, I didn’t know it was going to be a home run,’ Aranda said, “and I started running hard. When the train’s horn went off, that’s when I knew it was a home run.’
Certainly, this is a different Aranda appeared for Team Mexico in 2023. He was a reserve infielder and had only six plate appearances, producing a single and striking out three times. He was blocked by Joey Meneses and Rowdy Tellez at first base and made only one start in six games.
“Even back then he was an absolute stud,’ Gil said. “I think it was more of a situation of where to play him.’
This Aranda is coming off his breakout year when he hit .316 with 14 homers and a .883 OPS last season for Tampa Bay, making the All-Star Game. He missed most of the last two months when he broke his left wrist in a collision with Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, but as he proved Friday, he is now a bona fide star.
“Last year, at the All-Star break, he was one of the top 10 hitters in all of baseball,’’ Gil said. “Doesn’t matter where they’re from, or what position. And you can see the quality of his at-bats.’’
Aranda simply said: “I’ve matured a little more, and I’ve simply kept doing the same things.’’
Certainly, it was a huge thrill too for Alvarez, a back-up infielder for Atlanta who grew up in California, and doesn’t know a lick of Spanish. While Aranda ran quietly around the bases in his home-run trot, Alvarez went wild, pumping his chest with his fist, throwing his arms into the air, skipping, hopping and high-fiving everyone but the peanut vendors.
“I really blacked out when I hit it,’ he said. “I think it’s just an honor to represent this country. It means the world to my parents. I want to represent the country how they would. So whatever it takes to win these games, I am willing to do whatever it takes.’’
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