SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Cal Quantrill committed to pitching for Canada before he signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers on Feb. 1, and he reported to spring training determined to make a team.
That priority, however, doesn’t need to be mutually exclusive from participating in the World Baseball Classic, which is why the right-hander from Port Hope, Ont., didn’t waver and is set to start Wednesday’s win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home Pool A finale versus Cuba (Sportsnet, 3 p.m. ET).
-
-
Watch the World Baseball Classic on Sportsnet
The World Baseball Classic is back for its sixth edition, running from March 5-17 in Miami, Houston, San Juan and Tokyo. Catch all the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
“You only have so many opportunities in this sport to represent your country,” Quantrill said ahead of the outing. “I’ve played in the big-leagues for a long time now. They’re well aware of what I’m capable of. Any risk of coming here is outweighed by the joy of getting to wear that Team Canada on my chest. In the end, this is extremely competitive baseball, and in a lot of ways, it’s far more competitive than spring training. It’s not like they’re not able to watch and see. We can talk about how the outing went later on.
“I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity,” he added, “and I think the Rangers were understanding of that when they signed me. There was no problem.”
The Canadians lined Quantrill up for the Cuba contest after projecting earlier in the tournament that it would end up being the game they needed to win to advance. That’s exactly how it played out, as a 4-3 loss to Panama on Sunday removed any secondary pathways to the quarterfinals.
Both teams are 2-1, behind 3-1 Puerto Rico, which has already clinched.
Quantrill made two starts for the Cleveland Guardians in the 2022 American League Division Series versus the New York Yankees and he said pitching in the Classic “is a little like the playoffs.”
“You really can’t afford to take a game off,” he continued. “That being said, there are all these rules about how much you can pitch, so it’s kind of a blend. In terms of preparation, it doesn’t change much. You have a routine. It’s the same routine as it is for a playoff game, as it is for a spring training game, as it is for the WBC. I’ll go through my regular approach, and I think that’s the best you can do to be prepared for something like this.”
Quantrill planned to do some game-planning for Cuba prior to Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Puerto Rico and a little more Wednesday morning. He isn’t familiar with many of the Cuban hitters, “so I’ll be relying on some of the data we’re able to provide.”
The Canadians have Minnesota Twins scout Walt Burrows doing advance work while Christian Conforti, the Toronto Blue Jays’ advance information coordinator, is doing both pre-game work and handling video reviews.
Cuba is starting NPB star lefty Livan Moinelo, who is pitching in the round for a second time, benefitting from the four days of rest between outings. Blue Jays reliever Yariel Rodriguez, who’s already logged 4.1 innings in two outings, is expected to follow.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said outfielder Tyler O’Neill. “It’s going to be a dogfight out there. Looking forward to doing my part and playing as hard as we can collectively.”
Josh Naylor was hit on the back of the right elbow Tuesday and writhed in pain but remained in the game. Manager Ernie Whitt said the impact radiated through the ulnar nerve in the area and “you’d think it knocked your arm off, it’s very painful.”
Whitt checked if Naylor needed to come out, but “he said no and I said, OK,” and he is expected to be in the lineup again Wednesday.
Quantrill pitched for Canada in the last World Baseball Classic, when he couldn’t escape the first inning of an eventual 18-8 win over Britain, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks.
That experience has helped him be “more prepared for this type of tournament this early in the season.”
“At the time, I was coming off a ton of innings (186.1 innings with Cleveland) and probably wasn’t where I needed to be,” said Quantrill. “I’m ready to rock this time. I got started earlier. I know this is a big opportunity for Baseball Canada and want to put our best foot out there. Ready to go, and it will be a blast.”
