"Well thats just pretty cool innit", "Baseball isn’t just here to take part it’s here to take over" - MLB fans happy to see Great Britain qualify for World Baseball Classic for the first time ever

MLB is a global league and baseball is a global sport. The statement once again proved to be true as a shocker occurred in the qualifiers for the World Baseball Classic 2023.

In a stunning come-from-behind extra-inning upset, Great Britain overcame Spain to punch their ticket to the WBC next year.

"For the first time ever, Great Britain has qualified for the World Baseball Classic 🇬🇧" - @ FOX Sports: MLB

Several fans took to Twitter to react to the news. Here are some of the reactions:

It was Great Britain's first ever successful attempt to be a part of the baseball spectacle.

Spain came out of the gate strongly lighting up MLB veteran Vance Worley, who was the starter for the Brits. The Seattle Mariners' number one prospect Harry Ford's home run pulled one back for the UK and helped them end the first inning at 4-1.

After issuing five runs by the end of the third inning, Worley was replaced by another former MLB player in Michael Roth. The latter then proceeded to surrender a three-run home run to number 18 prospect Noelvi Marte, who was playing for Spain. This pushed the Spanish lead to five with a score of 8-3.

Spain carried a 9-6 lead heading into the seventh inning. However, Great Britain pulled back two runs courtesy of D'Shaun Knowles' two-run shot to trim the lead to one.

Great Britain were successful in preventing Spain from scoring after that point. With the team down by one, Jaden Rudd smashed a home run to right field to tie the game 9-9 at the end of regulation, sending it into extras.

In the top of the tenth, Britain's Alex Crosby sent a ball to left field, which was good enough for a sac fly. This drove home Matt Koperniak and sealed a 10-9 victory for the Britons.

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Great Britain's history with the MLB

The history of baseball in Great Britain can be traced back as early as the 1700s. In the modern day, the MLB has hosted a series in the UK called the London Series. It started off in 2019 between arch-rivals the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Several players hailing from the nation have played in the majors. Lance Painter, Danny Cox, and Bobby Thompson are just some of the most notable names that have graced the league.

With Great Britain's qualification to the World Baseball Classic, they just became the latest lowest-seeded team to qualify for the event. This is also only the third time that they will play in a major international tournament. They previously won the Baseball World Cup in 1938 and placed 15th in the same tournament in 2009.

The last version of the event was held in 2011 and was replaced by the World Baseball Classic as the premier international baseball competition instead.