As I watched Wilyer Abreu hit a solo home run in the final of the World Baseball Classic, it got me thinking about how much the Boston Red Sox showed up in the tournament. 16 Red Sox players had the honor of representing their country during the World Baseball Classic:

• Roman Anthony and Garrett Whitlock for the United States

• Abreu, Willson Contreras, and Ranger Suárez for Venezuela

• Brayan Bello for the Dominican Republic

• Greg Weissert and Mickey Gasper for Italy

• Masataka Yoshida for Japan

• Jovani Moran and Eduardo Rivera for Puerto Rico

• Jarren Duran for Mexico

• Ceddanne Rafaela for the Netherlands

• Nate Eaton and Jack Anderson for Great Britain

• Tsung-Che Cheng for Chinese Taipei

My Hottest Take: Who Said The Red Sox Needed A Big Bat?

The Red Sox players came to play. The World Baseball Classic is basically their spring training for a week before rejoining their clubs, depending on how well their teams did. It did not take long before the Boston Red Sox started to show their power.

The first night, Anthony and Duran showed off their bats, with Anthony hitting a three-run homer and Duran hitting two homers on top of starting a rally to nail Anthony at the plate. Anthony has gone 6-for-19, with one home run, six RBIs, and four walks; the key play came with the homer against Mexico.

Abreu has been a huge asset for Venezuela, hitting a three-run homer to put Venezuela over Japan and a solo home run in the final against the United States.

Yoshida took off for Japan, which made his claim for a spot on the main roster even more of a situation for the logjammed outfield. Yoshida went 6-for-16 with a .444 on-base percentage, two home runs, one double, and six RBIs in five games.

The Red Sox hitters showed up to play, and they did not disappoint.

What You Need To Know: Even The Pitchers Are On Fire

The batters showed up to bat and the pitchers showed up to pitch. InBrayan Bello’s lone startfor the Dominican Republic, he tossed five innings while only allowing one hit with seven strikeouts and no walks. Greg Weissert got one of his saves against the United States in Italy’s upset win. Garrett Whitlock looked like the ace of the bullpen, shutting down the other team, getting Team USA’s only save, and getting the hold protecting small leads when coming in.

The entire group who made their way to the World Baseball Classic has been collectively tearing up international play. Let’s see what is going to follow suit leading into the season, as all players now will be heading back for the final week of spring training.

Before You Go: Let’s Hope It Translates to the Regular Season

While the ball has been flying off their bats during the World Baseball Classic, fans are hoping the ball flies off their bats the same way as the team gears up for Opening Day. If the players are able to keep up this level of hitting and pitching, the Boston Red Sox are going to be one scary team.