Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz will pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, according to the WBC roster announcement made on Feb. 5.
Team Mexico is ready for the #WorldBaseballClassic ?
FULL ROSTER: https://t.co/FRXZSOnP8v pic.twitter.com/k03UFlu9BX
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 6, 2026
“Oh, it means a lot. I am really happy. Hopefully, I have the opportunity to go, and nothing is for sure yet,” Muñoz told World Baseball Network on Sept. 14, 2025 in Kansas City. “I will confirm as soon as the season is over, but right now, I am focused on finishing the season strong, and if I am healthy, I’m going to be there.”
Everything worked out for Muñoz, who was one of the best relievers in Major League Baseball this past season, although there was one point in his career when he thought he would never pitch again. When he was with the San Diego Padres, Muñoz underwent Tommy John surgery on March, 19, 2020.
“When I was in rehab for Tommy John surgery, I got hurt again 12 months after the surgery. Then at some point, I thought that maybe I won’t be able to throw anymore,” Muñoz told World Baseball Network. “And, obviously, with the support of my family, my wife, my brothers, my parents, and all those people together, they got me back on track, and I was able to get out of it.”
Muñoz signed with the San Diego Padres out of Mexico in 2015 as an international free agent for $700,000. He made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2019 and was traded to the Mariners while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 30, 2020.
“I was really excited to be part of the Padres, and I am really always thankful to them because they gave me the opportunity to be a professional and they developed me,” Muñoz added. “Then they trade me to Seattle, and I am always seeing that the changes are good for a reason, right?”
Five years later, Muñoz had a career low ERA of 1.73 and a career high 38 saves with Seattle. He pitched 62 ⅓ innings with 83 strikeouts in the regular season. Muñoz was also lights-out in the postseason, not allowing a run over 8 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts. The Mariners made it to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays but ultimately fell short.
“Probably what I’ve been changing is more like the mental side, and the other thing too was, like, just take everything day by day. Sometimes, before I get too worried about what already happened, if I have a bad outing, I would think too much about it,” Muñoz told World Baseball Network on his breakout campaign. “And these are things that I can’t control anymore. So that was one thing that helped me a lot.”
Muñoz idolized several Mexican pitchers that came before him, such as Fernando Valenzuela, Óliver Pérez, and Joakim Soria. He will now get to compete with Mexico for the first time in the WBC in Pool B at Houston in Daikin Park. Mexico made it to the semifinals in the 2023 WBC and lost to Japan.
Pool B will consist of Mexico, Team USA, Italy, Brazil, and Great Britain, and it will begin on March 6, 2026, and run through March 11, 2026.
Photo: Seattle Mariners pitcher Andrés Muñoz reacts after walking Detroit Tigers’ Gleyber Torres during the eighth inning in Game 5 of baseball’s American League Division Series Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
