LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez only needed a second to watch the ball fly. He engaged the attention of his Puerto Rican teammates in the dugout, pounded his chest several times, flicked his bat into the air and started jogging around the bases.
An up-and-away fastball from Team Mexico starter Julio Urías, who finished third in National League Cy Young voting last season, turned into a two-run home run for Báez. The homer to right field put Team Puerto Rico ahead, 3-0, in the first inning Friday in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals in Miami.
It was an electrifying moment.
“We played with a lot of excitement,” Báez said. “We played for our island. The support and how many people flew out to Miami was incredible. We had so much family there, too. As a team, we had more than 200 people as family members and friends. It was really, really fun.”
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Puerto Rico finished runner-up to the Dominican Republic and the United States in the 2013 and 2017 tournaments, respectively. This time, Puerto Rico lost to Mexico, 5-4, in the quarterfinals despite Báez’s three-hit performance.
All four runs were scored in the first inning.
“We played well,” Báez said. “The other team played better.”
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In his second WBC, Báez finished 7-for-19 (.368) with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, zero walks and three strikeouts in five games. He also helped Puerto Rico with his defense and baserunning.
Defensively, the second baseman glided across the grass to complete marvelous back-handed play up the middle in Puerto Rico’s first game in Pool D, a 9-1 win against Nicaragua. On the bases, he used a swim move to steal third base with two outs in the first inning in Puerto Rico’s third game in Pool D, a 10-0 win against Israel.
To avoid the tag, Báez stopped his momentum and lifted his left arm while his right hand found the base.
“I thought I was going to beat him to the bag, but I don’t know,” Báez said. “I guess I was late, and I hit all my breaks. That’s all I can say. He said he got my batting glove. I said, ‘No you didn’t. Almost.'”
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Before the WBC, the Puerto Rican players were debating whether to dye their hair blond or blue. When Báez decided to dye his hair blond, the decision was made for the rest of the team.
“It will go away when I get a haircut,” Báez said. “But I like it. We’ll see.”
At the beginning of the WBC, fans in Puerto Rico broke the Guinness World record for the most hair dyed. A total of 192 men dyed their hair blond. The community activity was an example of people on the island coming together to support Báez and his teammates.
Báez remembers attending the 2006 WBC as a teenager. He watched the games as a fan at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His cousin, Dicky Gonzalez, pitched for Puerto Rico.
“For us, it’s the unity, the way our island supports us,” Báez said. “All the stuff in the streets, stopping to watch us. We just feel big for our island. It’s hard to be here, (given) where we come from. We just give them a lot of credit.”
In this year’s tournament, Puerto Rico advanced to the single-eliminated bracket by beating the Dominican Republic 5-2, in the final game of Pool D. After the final out, closer Edwin Diaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during the on-field celebration.
Diaz spoke to the team before getting X-rays.
“We’re praying for him to come back sooner than anybody expects,” Báez said. “It was pretty tough.”
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Báez, who has the Puerto Rican flag tattooed on his right arm, hopes his efforts in the WBC impact the next generation of baseball players on the island, just like he was inspired by the Puerto Ricans who played before him.
“It was bigger when there was more people in the island,” Báez said. “Now, there are people around the United States and many places. It was bigger, in my opinion, in the past, and that’s our goal. Other than winning, it’s about sending the message to the future. It really matters for us to bring the sport back in Puerto Rico.”
On Monday, Báez was in the Tigers’ lineup in a spring training game for the first time since March 6. He whiffed at a first-pitch down-and-away slider in his first plate appearance.
Some things never change.
The two-time All-Star, seeking a bounce-back season, is feeling comfortable at the plate. In 2022, he hit .238 with 17 home runs in 144 games. But don’t forget, he hit .264 with 14 homers in his final 94 games.
“I was working on what I was working on here,” Báez said. “Trying to be on time, seeing that ball, getting that trust and my timing down. That’s really what happened. I’m seeing the ball pretty well.”
Báez deeply appreciated his most recent experience in the World Baseball Classic, but his focus has shifted now that he has returned to the Tigers’ spring training facility in Lakeland.
He knows Opening Day is right around the corner.
“I’m ready,” he said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.