The Czech national team also has players from the major leagues.
On the 7th (Korean time), the Czech national team announced the roster for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), including infielder Eric Sogard (37), who played an active part in the major leagues. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Sogad is eligible to represent the Czech Republic as his mother is of Czech descent.
Sogard was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft and made his major league debut in 2010 with the Oakland Athletics. He played 11 seasons in Oakland with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.
He played스포츠토토 in 815 career games through 2021, batting . After being released by the Chicago Cubs in July 2021, his major league career was cut short.
The Czech Republic was drawn in Group B in the first round along with Korea, Japan, Australia and China. The Korean national team is scheduled to play the third match of the first round against the Czech Republic on March 12.
The Czech Republic advanced through the preliminary round to the main round. It is known that there is no major league player other than Sogard.
Meanwhile, Japanese national team coach Hideki Kuriyama (61) was wary of the Czech Republic, which had less information than Korea and Australia, saying, “I don’t know what kind of baseball they play.”