He pitched in first Classic at 19. Twenty years later, it was an emotional farewell

SAN JUAN -- Paolo Espino doffed his cap to the Panama fans at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico and gave his teammates high-fives and hugs as they poured out of the dugout.

A 20-year career that started way back in the very first World Baseball Classic in 2006 had come to a close. And it finished with a masterful flourish in an eventual 4-3 loss to Colombia: 4 1/3 innings, one hit, one walk, four strikeouts and zero runs.

“Those moments were very special,” Espino said postgame of walking off the mound for the last time. “The way the players approached me and came to me, and then [catcher Christian] Bethancourt has the initiative, when they came to ask for the ball, he was the one who had the initiative to say, ‘Hey, ask for another one, so he can keep that one.’

“It's those little details that you realize the importance the other players around you have towards you. It was really nice. I did tear up. I did choke up a little, but we ended well. We ended physically healthy.”

Espino pitched in the inaugural World Baseball Classic at the age of 19 – throwing a scoreless inning for his homeland of Panama. He is one of three players rostered in this year’s tournament to have also appeared at the first iteration, including Shairon Martis (Netherlands) and Alexei Ramirez (Cuba). Since then, Espino appeared in 97 big league games for Milwaukee, Texas, Washington and Toronto across six seasons. He’s pitched in 376 Minor League games, in multiple Caribbean winter leagues and three Classics.

Earlier this week, the 39-year-old had announced this tournament would be his final time pitching. The loss wasn’t the way he wanted to go out, but at least he gave his team a shot in a tournament that helped launch his career so many years ago, on an international baseball circuit he was so glad to be a part of.

“It was a great experience. I love the competition,” Espino said. “First of all, you get to learn so much also about the culture. You get to spend time with a lot of people that are not from your country. You get to learn a lot from them too.”