BRADENTON, Fla. – Alejandro Kirk’s delayed arrival at Toronto Blue Jays camp as he awaits the birth of his child led the All-Star catcher to withdraw from Mexico’s team for the World Baseball Classic.
Manager John Schneider, speaking after his team’s 9-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in their Grapefruit League opener, described the call as a “collective decision,” one that came “after much talking.”
“We decided collectively probably best to not to do the WBC,” he added. “That's the decision that he came to. As soon as the baby comes, he's coming right to camp and he'll be here.”
The clock essentially ran out on Kirk, who at this point won’t have enough time to both learn Blue Jays pitchers, acclimate to baseball’s new rules, and leave camp for 10 days or more to play for Mexico.
“And he understood that, too,” said Schneider, “understanding where we are on the calendar and understanding the build up, all that stuff. It was a collective decision.”
Mexico is due to play out of Pool C in the tournament’s first round with Canada, the United States, Colombia and Great Britain.
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