Back with Rockies, Tovar hoping to spread joy of World Baseball Classic title

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Ezequiel Tovar dropped to his knees in the path between second and third base, overcome by celebration, prayer, thankfulness and emotions that transcend any language as Venezuela completed its 3-2 victory over Team USA in Tuesday’s final of the World Baseball Classic.

It was a rare emotional outpouring from Tovar, a stoic fellow who can best be described as 24 going on sage.

Then again, at the same time Tovar has put together mostly stellar individual performances since debuting in 2022, the Rockies have had records that force one to hold in his emotions -- with 100-plus losses in each of his three full seasons.

But Tovar, who wore his Venezuela jersey around the Rockies’ complex after he rejoined the team on Thursday, showed he can let joy loose. And it was full-throated joy, as he -- and teammate Antonio Senzatela -- sang their country’s anthem from the field.

“It’s joy that no one can take from us,” Tovar said, with Edwin Perez interpreting. “That’s in the history books. It’s the first for the country, so obviously that means a lot. That moment, no matter what happens in the future, is in the history books. They’ll remember Venezuela’s first WBC win.

“You felt it right away. I felt it in the skin. I felt it everywhere. As soon as that national anthem hit, everyone was remembering what’s happened in Venezuela. So, obviously, that was just a beautiful moment.”

Senzatela seconded the emotion.

“You remember mom, dad, grandpa, family, everybody you know,” Senzatela said. “You remember all the kids that were playing with you in Little League. That’s amazing.”

Tovar’s All-WBC performance in the tournament -- 8-for-17 (.471) with three doubles and two steals -- could be a sign of greater joy for the Rockies, who look upon him as a leader. There was a sense that stardom was coming when he led the National League with 45 doubles and led the Rockies with 26 home runs in 2024, but hip and oblique injuries last year limited him to 95 games and less-than-stellar numbers (.253 average, nine homers, 33 RBIs).

Building on the WBC with a year like ‘24, or even better, could also increase awareness of Tovar beyond Colorado.

“I don’t think I’ve thought of that yet,” Tovar said. “For all of us going into the WBC, we were all just trying to play our part, whether that’s hitting, defense or even running the bases. Every single moment counts.”

Tovar’s moment started as a frightful one. In the eighth inning of Venezuela’s quarterfinal against Japan, Tovar took too large a lead off second base, but the pickoff throw ended up in center field. Tovar dashed home to score the final insurance run in the 8-5 upset victory.

“As soon as I turned around to second base, I froze; I was like, ‘Oh,’” he said. “Thankfully, you know what happened.”

Can Tovar, in the third year of a seven-year, $63.5 million contract, carry the spirit of the WBC to the Rockies, a young team that has been through much losing and could use some joy? Many fans and observers are calling for demonstrations of happiness and celebration across the various cultures during the Classic to become more a part of a game that -- fairly or unfairly -- is accused of being somber and self-policing.

“You’ve seen a trend the past 10 years in the way the game has gone, where emotion is rampant in MLB -- and it’s a good thing,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I think it [spreads] to each individual player. It compels them in a different way to play better, and give all they’ve got.

“Emotion is a real thing in baseball. I’m watching Venezuela play and watching ‘Tovie’ play, and he had a ton of emotion that I haven’t necessarily seen from him before. And I loved it.”

The MLB season is 162 games over six months, not a condensed tournament like the WBC. Still, Tovar said there is a place for happiness when things go well.

“You’re going to fail,” Tovar said. “If you let that failure get into you, that’s when you know things are going to go wrong. It’s a game -- especially in the tournament -- that’s filled with passion.

“So you’ve got to put that passion at the forefront.”