World Baseball Classic Inc. announced today that Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. will serve as a Global Ambassador for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. In this role, exclusive interviews and access featuring Griffey and significant participants of the global tournament will be featured across World Baseball Classic content platforms and MLB Network studio programming.
In an effort to highlight how different cultures deeply connect with baseball, Griffey is currently in Nicaragua shooting content with its National Team manager, Dusty Baker. The 13-time MLB All-Star and 1997 American League Most Valuable Player most recently traveled to Miami to spend time with Manny Machado and Junior Caminero of Team Dominican Republic. Beginning March 2nd for workout day, Griffey will tap into his love for photography by being embedded with Team USA for content capturing through his lens.
“Growing the game of baseball all over the world is a continuing mission I have,” Griffey said. “There is so much anticipation around this tournament, so to get the chance to lock in and share how all of these different countries connect with our great game is an opportunity I’m truly excited about.”
Griffey, who has served as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred since 2021, was a member of Team USA in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic, in which he batted .524 with three home runs. Griffey most recently was the hitting coach for Team USA in the 2023 WBC. One of the most popular players of his generation, Griffey’s 22-year Major League career was spent with the Seattle Mariners (1989-1999, 2009-2010), the Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008) and the Chicago White Sox (2008). “The Kid,” who guided the Mariners to their first two Postseason berths in franchise history in 1995 and 1997, was the youngest member of MLB’s All-Century Team, which was unveiled in 1999. Griffey’s 630 career home runs rank seventh all-time. The previous Global Ambassador for the World Baseball Classic was a fellow Hall of Famer, the late manager Tommy Lasorda, who served in that capacity for the first two installments of the tournament.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to begin with Pool C play in Tokyo, Japan presented by Dip on Wednesday, March 4 (Eastern Time)/Thursday, March 5 (local time). The remaining three pools – Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico presented by Discover Puerto Rico; Pool B in Houston presented by Capital One; and Pool D in Miami presented by Capital One – will all begin on Friday, March 6th. The full schedule of games, including U.S. broadcast information, for the 2026 World Baseball Classic can be found here. Single-game tickets for all venues are available at WorldBaseballClassic.com/tickets. For more information about the 2026 World Baseball Classic, please visit WorldBaseballClassic.com. The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as the sport’s official National Team World Championship.