It took only his first at bat for Aaron Judge to declare the United States’ intentions in the World Baseball Classic. Those intentions were to win. Judge hit a home run to make it 2-0 over Brazil. However, the United States had to overcome sluggish starts to secure big victories over Brazil and the United Kingdom.

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) this year seeks to capture the inspiration that causes the viewer and attendee to rally around the United States during competition. The United States roster is dubbed as one of the most talented ever constructed for this event. Stars such as Aaron Judge (who is being dubbed ‘Captain America’ by supporters), Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, and Alex Bregman are on the roster. Garrett Whitlock and Roman Anthony are the two Boston Red Sox players on the roster. The Red Sox have 15 players participating in the WBC in total. This tournament has become so popular that Clayton Kershaw of the US came out of retirement just to end his career in this event.