Manny Machado Prioritizes Dominican Team Success in the World Baseball Classic
Santo Domingo – Dominican star third baseman Manny Machado has made his position clear: the national team’s victory in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic is his top priority, even if this means sharing playing time with other renowned players. This statement was made during an interview with Paloma Almonte from UCA Deportes, where Machado shared details of a conversation with Albert Pujols, manager of the Dominican team.Machado highlighted the importance of including José Ramírez in the starting lineup, showing his willingness to rotate positions to ensure the team’s success. The San Diego Padres player was also asked about the expectations of Dominican fans, who are already speculating about possible lineups. It’s difficult. I think it’s very difficult to set a lineup. Trying to do that is even more difficult when you have so much talent, so many future Hall of Famers. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is how we’re going to win every day. Machado acknowledges the difficulty of choosing a lineup with so much talent available, but reiterates that the main objective is victory.I told Albert (Pujols) that José (Ramírez) has to play. If we have to rotate, whatever, at the end of the day it’s about trying to win.
Manny Machado
