Eduardo Rodriguez Says Winning World Series Does Not Compare to WBC Crown

Venezuela put the finishing touches on a spectacular run to the World Baseball Classic crown by shocking the United States in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. Eduardo Rodriguez, who has long been fighting to get back to the heights he enjoyed while being an integral part of the 2018 World Series-winning Red Sox, shined on the mound by throwing 4 1/3 innings of scoreless ball against a formidable American lineup.

Rodriguez was among the many Venezuelans showing open emotion after the final out was recorded and they could begin to savor their title. It was plainly obvious how much the accomplishment meant to those associated with the team.

This happened a few hours after Fox Sports' Derek Jeter dismissed the comparative importance of the WBC against the World Series.

"I think the people that say it's bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series," Jeter said.

"I think the people that say it's bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series." 😂

– @derekjeter on the WBC pic.twitter.com/F6lOh6CoFI
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 17, 2026

That's a fairly solid bar but the sentiment seems to fly in the face of a growing pile of evidence. First off, Aaron Judge kicked off this whole discussion by comparing the crowds at the two events.

"It's been bigger,” Judge said. “The World Series I was in, the crowd here, the crowd we had when we played Mexico... it's bigger and better than the World Series. The passion these fans have representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there's nothing like it. And that’s what you dream of as a kid. When I was back in my backyard playing Wiffle ball this is the moment you dream of. Big spots, big situations and it gives me chills right now thinking about how special it was. I try to take a moment every game to look around and appreciate the crowd and appreciate the moment and it’s just a blessing to go out there and do our thing.”

Judge, of course, played in the World Series two years ago as captain of the Yankees—a role famously played by Jeter.

Rodriguez added his own perspective to the conversation while joining MLB Network's postgame show.

"I won the World Series a couple years ago," he said. "And this is the greatest moment I ever got on the mound."

"I won the World Series a couple years ago... and this is the greatest moment I ever got on the mound."

- Eduardo Rodriguez on his performance in the #WorldBaseballClassic Final

MLB Network + @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/laYv4XcYyA
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 18, 2026

Comparison really is the thief of joy. There's really no need to be arguing over what is more important or what is more special when the players themselves are straight-up telling everyone how they feel about it. There's also no reason the World Baseball Classic needs to be bigger than the World Series, as the very fact that such a thing is being debated is evidence of how far the tournament has come.