But Garcia has opened eyes in the United States with his strong play.
Garcia broke a tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning of Venezuela’s 4-2 win Monday over Italy. On Saturday, Garcia hammered a two-run homer that gave Venezuela the lead in its upset win over Japan.
You could say Garcia has been Captain Clutch for Venezuela, which has enjoyed a decided home advantage in games played in Miami during the WBC.
Captain Clutch was one of the nicknames Yankees fans gave Derek Jeter, who is now a broadcaster for Fox Sports. After Venezuela defeated Italy, Jeter asked Garcia about the enthusiastic pro-Venezuela crowd.
“Take a look around, does it remind you of Kansas City?” Jeter asked.
Garcia replied: “Not even close.”
Jeter’s final season came in 2014, when the Royals made the American League pennant. The following year, the Royals won the World Series and Kauffman Stadium was rocking.
Heck, it was loud when the Royals played the Yankees in the 2024 ALDS.
Some fans thought Jeter took an unnecessary shot at Kansas City, which has had the best WBC TV ratings.
“Hating on the biggest viewing area of the tournament,” one wrote.
Another quipped: “Yankees try not to be so incredibly unbearable challenge.”
“why post this clip?,” another opined “its a stupid question from your blockhead panel that should know better than anybody that no atmosphere in the entire league compares.”
“This is one (of) the most dumbest questions I’ve ever heard by a former big leader,” another wrote. “Interpreted: ‘Let’s get all the good players off of the Royals and send them to the Yankees. They need to be in the bigger markets.’ Pisses me off.”
This was perhaps the best fan response: “You could replace ‘Kansas City’ with any major league hosting city and it would be the same answer.”
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