Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is among the several MLB stars competing at this year’s World Baseball Classic. Duran is featuring is his second WBC with team Mexico.
During Mexico’s game against Brazil on Sunday, Duran smased a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to give his team a 5-0 lead. His father, Octavio, who was in the stands at Daikin Park, was pumped after his son’s home run.
The video of Octavio’s reaction went viral on X, garnering almost 200k views in less than six hours.
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While the Red Sox outfielder was born in California, he is eligible to represent Mexico since his father is from the country. Duran represented Mexico in the 2023 WBC and is proud of representating his father’s name.
“Being able to go out there and support my dad is big,” Duran said. “I feel like I don’t get to support that side of him that much. So this is going to be a huge honor for me to go out there and represent my last name and his last name.”
Jarren Duran round to show Red Sox “character” at World Baseball Classic
Jarren Duran, who earned his first All-Star selection in 2024 during a breakthrough season with the Red Sox, is showing the “character” of the franchise at the tournament.
“I feel like it’s just a daily thing,” Duran said. “You’re always carrying your family’s name and the Red Sox, and it’s a good way to go out there and represent what the Red Sox are about, and kind of show the kind of characters that we have over here.”
Duran was part of the Bronze medal-winning Mexican roster in 2023. Following their consecutive wins, Mexico will play against Team USA on Monday. USA are the overwhelming favorites to win the tournament and have their two games so far. Duran & Co. will face a stiff test against the Aaron Judge-led Team USA.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
