One of the best pitchers for the Philadelphia Phillies is taking his talents to the World Baseball Classic in 2026. Taijuan Walker will pitch for Team Mexico in the WBC, per the Phillies' social media.
Walker is one of several Major League Baseball players to play in the WBC later this year. On Tuesday, it was also announced that Toronto Blue Jays star Ernie Clement will play for Team USA. Francisco Lindor, Shohei Ohtani and many others are also playing in the event.
Walker pitched for the Phillies this past baseball season and put up some great numbers at times. The Phillies hurler had a 4.08 overall ERA during the regular season, and picked up five victories.
Other MLB players on Team Mexico include Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran.
Several MLB stars are playing in this year's World Baseball Classic
There should be a lot of fun games in this year's WBC. Team USA is bringing all sorts of stars out to play for the club, including New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. The Japan team has Ohtani leading the way.
The addition of Walker certainly helps bolster Team Mexico in the event. Walker is a veteran of MLB who has played for several teams, including the Phillies and Seattle Mariners. He helped lead Philadelphia this season to the postseason.
“I busted my butt in the offseason,” Walker said, per MLB.com, in the summer of 2025 about his work ethic. “I wanted to come back this year and just show that I worked hard and I was ready to get back in the rotation.”
In 2023, Walker had a monster season, posting 15 wins for the Phillies. He has a lifetime ERA of 4.18. The hurler appeared in 34 games this regular season for Philadelphia, who lost in the MLB playoffs to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The World Baseball Classic begins in March.
