Burdge: The WBC is More Exciting Than the World Series

The World Baseball Classic is not meaningless and it matters. 

The debate over whether or not this is true of course exploded after Edwin Diaz’ season-ending injury during Puerto Rico’s celebration after beating the Dominican Republic.

If the Mets were my main team and not just my National League team, I would be completely outraged too. Maybe I would, for minute, feel that my team’s closer took a risk he shouldn’t have by playing in the WBC and players shouldn’t take that risk because the tournament doesn’t matter at all to the season ahead.

But then I would get over it. 

Because not only is the WBC not meaningless (and we already know all the reasons why it’s not), I think it is more exciting than the World Series. 

It is undeniable that a lot of the action throughout this WBC has been jaw-dropping and has made for some can’t-miss television. Just watching that Japan-Mexico game on Monday night alone was an absolute roller coaster -- and not only because I bet the over 8.5 runs and had Japan moneyline in a parlay. 

I had more fun watching Japan-Mexico than I ever have watching a World Series game, including those in which the Red Sox were playing because those are more nerve-racking than fun. These games are truly on the world’s stage and with players representing their countries, the energy is just naturally higher and the pride the players have in wearing their heritage on their uniforms alone makes this meaningful. 

Tonight, the stage is set with USA looking for its second straight WBC title, while Japan took the first two ever WBC titles and is seeking a third. It is Mike Trout vs. Shohei Ohtani. Two powerhouses and arguably two of the greatest baseball players of all time who also play on the same MLB team.

And this matchup was brought to us by some of the most electric baseball I’ve seen in a long time, with Japan taking down Mexico 6-5 on a walk-off double. Then you have Team USA in this one after beating Venezuela, thanks to a Trea Turner grand slam. I hate to think the World Series might actually be boring after this WBC, but this tournament is going to be tough to top. And I know tonight’s Japan-United States will be the perfect climax to all of this. 

If you’re betting on this game, you’ll want to hear about this: Caesars has a 50% boost for any wager, so you could bet Team USA's moneyline at +120 (boosted from -125), or Japan at +183 (boosted from +122) to win, so there's some major value there either way.

On top of that, FanDuel is offering an odds boost on Mike Trout or Trea Turner (who has been on fire) to hit a home run and Team USA to win, boosted from +210 to +300!

To round out the trifecta, DraftKings has an offer for you to bet on the USA moneyline and get a bonus bet back (up to $15) if they lose to Japan. So when you’re placing your bets on these games, you’ll want to take advantage of these boosts and the great welcome offers, too!

I know I will be doing just that with my moneyline bet on Team USA to win this. Because ... America!