These 3 Angels pitchers shined in Classic

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- While it was superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout who were deservingly the talk of the World Baseball Classic after their epic matchup to end the tournament, they were far from the only Angels players to have a memorable experience in the tournament.

Lefty Patrick Sandoval pitched like an ace for Team Mexico against Team USA and Team Japan, allowing one run over 7 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. And he held Trout and Ohtani hitless, as he struck out Trout and walked him, and struck out Ohtani and got him to line out. Although Sandoval said Ohtani was quick to note his out left the bat at 110.1 mph.

“I guess it was just a confidence boost to see that my stuff plays against those guys and that it will play against anyone,” Sandoval said of his starts against Team Japan and Team USA. “But it was crazy. I’ve never pitched in any environment like that in my life. It was really cool to get that out of the way and done with for now, and prepare me for a postseason run.”

Sandoval also praised Angels infield coach Benji Gil, who served as Team Mexico’s manager. Gil aspires to be a Major League manager, and his stock improved with Mexico’s impressive run in the tournament.

Sandoval added that he’d love to play for Team Mexico again in the 2026 WBC because he had such a great experience this year. Sandoval, who was born and raised in nearby Mission Viejo, Calif., was asked if he’d consider playing for Team USA in the future. He said they never contacted him, while Team Mexico embraced him and wanted him on the roster.

“Too late,” Sandoval said. “Once I got with [Team Mexico], it was like, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be.’ The clubhouse was incredible. Those guys were awesome. It was so much fun to play with those guys.”

Fellow Angels lefty Aaron Loup was a late addition to Team USA’s roster but also pitched well in relief, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings, including entering with the bases loaded in the championship game. He said pitching in that environment helped him get ready for the start of the season.

“It was just an absolute honor to represent my country,” Loup said. “I had a blast with all the guys in the locker room. It was a great time, making it all the way to the finals. It didn’t end up the way we wanted it, but I had a good time.”

Sandoval and Loup weren’t the only Angels pitchers to fare well in the tournament, as right-hander Jaime Barría was solid for Team Panama, Zack Weiss was strong for Team Israel and Gerardo Reyes threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Team Mexico. Lefty José Quijada recorded a huge strikeout against Team USA’s Kyle Tucker in the semifinals and celebrated wildly, but struggled the next inning.

Infielder David Fletcher also had his typical Fletcher-style hit against Ohtani for Team Italy, while Gio Urshela made several strong defensive plays for Team Colombia but had a tough time offensively. Luis Rengifo only got six at-bats with Team Venezuela, which worried the Angels, but he’s been getting plenty of playing time late this spring and has been hitting well.

Every Angels player who participated in the tournament enjoyed their time, and Sandoval offered advice to anyone on the fence in the future.

“Play,” Sandoval said. “It’s awesome. It’s so much fun.”