The World Baseball Classic is closer than ever, and Team USA is considered one of the favorites, especially given the number of stars set to take the mound and showcase their best stuff. Lance Lynn, however, had a message for pitchers who may fear injury while representing the national team: don’t be afraid.

During a segment on Cardinal Territory, Lynn made his stance clear: “If I’m going to blow out [my arm] in March, I’m going to blow out with Team USA on my chest,” in what sounded like an indirect message to pitchers concerned about getting hurt.

The veteran right-hander, who won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011 and owns a 3.74 career ERA, pitched for Team USA in the 2023 WBC, when the team captured a silver medal. He also represented the national team at the 2007 Pan American Games, where he earned another silver medal.

Injuries in the last World Baseball Classic

During the 2023 edition of the World Baseball Classic, no Team USA pitcher was reported injured during the tournament. However, the most notable injuries of the event involved Edwin Díaz and José Altuve, both of whom missed part of the 2023 MLB season as a result.

Díaz, who was pitching for the New York Mets at the time and representing Puerto Rico, did not blow out his arm. Instead, he suffered a knee injury, tearing the patellar tendon during a postgame celebration with teammates after giving everything he had on the mound in a victory.

Lynn’s message could be viewed as controversial. He did not suffer an injury following the WBC and, despite pitching for two MLB teams that season, the White Sox and the Dodgers, made 32 starts, posting a 5.73 ERA and a 13-11 record despite the added workload of the international tournament.

MLB doesn’t want injuries in the WBC

It’s also worth recalling Rob Manfred’s comments in 2023 when addressing the topic. The MLB commissioner emphasized that the league does not want injuries and noted that officials were exploring ways to adjust the WBC schedule to better align with the regular season and postseason calendar.

“We have talked about timing until your head hurts,” Manfred said prior to the 2023 WBC Final. “It’s just no perfect time. We can’t really do it during the playoffs because so many players would be down. We have talked about something in the middle of the season. I think on balance, although it’s not perfect, this is probably the right place for it.”