Team USA's run in the WBC should make Yank fans thankful... and nervous

Last night, while the gods of Tinsel Town self-pleasured, Team USA eaked out a victory over the mighty Dominican Republic, the most baseball-crazy nation on earth. With Japan eliminated, America's path to the 2026 World Baseball Classic looks to be festooned with group hugs and product endorsements. It's all over but the buying.

Seriously, after toppling Dominica, does anybody fear Venezuela or Italy? 

But but BUT... last night's victory - (by Team America, not Team Leonardo) - should provoke angst across the Yankiverse.

USA won on HRs by Gunner Henderson and Roman Anthony, two young, ascending stars who look to be long-term Yankee migraines. Both hit their second HRs of the tourney - either could be its MVP - and both could enjoy a breakout 2026 regular season. 

Henderson, 24, is returning from a down year, when he hit a mere 17 HRs and batted .274. (His first full seasons, he hit 28 and 37, and he's a career .270.) He'll play SS for Baltimore and, for the first time, be protected in the lineup (by Pete Alonso.)  If Henderson rebounds - a likelihood, based on what we're seeing - the O's will vastly improve. 

Then there is Anthony, age 21, coming off a short season that should terrify Yank fans. In June, shortly after belting a 497-foot grand slam - the longest HR recorded in professional baseball last year -Anthony was unveiled in Fenway, the youngest new Redsock since Rafael Devers. He hit .292 with 8 HRs before tweaking a lat and missing the playoffs. Had he faced the Yankees in that short series, well, I shudder to think about it. 

Both are rising stars, capable of transforming a lineup. (Boston has signed Anthony to a long-term contract that expires in 2034.) And if you hope for the Yankee franchise response - well - good luck with that! We have The Martian and Spencer Jones, both moving in reverse. Either could soon be traded for, well - you've heard of A.I. Slop? Yank fans know of Cashman Slop.

Listen: The problem with the 2026 Yankees is not that they stayed pat with last year's playoff-bound roster. 

The problem with the 2026 Yankees is that they stayed pat with last year's playoff-bound roster... while the rest of the AL East improved. 

So, let's celebrate Team America. But be prepared to look back... and wince.