Brayan Bello got off to a shaky start in spring training 2026. The 26-year-old righty who spent two seasons near the top of the Boston Red Sox's rotation let up nine runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over his first 3.1 innings in the Grapefruit League.
Then, Bello changed his clothes. He donned different shades of red, white and blue to represent the Dominican Republic, his home country, in the World Baseball Classic, and the event seems to have transformed his spring.
Bello logged seven strikeouts over five one-hit innings against Team Israel in pool play. He let up just one hit and one run off a homer off the bat of Pittsburgh Pirates utility player Spencer Horwitz.
Bello's first WBC outing was so successful that Team DR could've justified starting him against Team USA in the semifinal round, but the righty departed the tournament early because he didn't feel he was getting enough work to successfully build up to the coming season. Even if the DR was eliminated without him, Bello's return to Red Sox camp has been triumphant — he's made two starts since March 14, and he hasn't let up a run on seven hits with 14 strikeouts over 11 innings.
The World Baseball Classic must've been the perfect warm-up for Red Sox's Brayan Bello
Bello isn't usually a high strikeout pitcher and uses mainly ground balls to generate outs. He clocked 6.70 strikeouts per nine innings last year, which he's already raised to 10.67 in spring training. He's also worked to limit walks over his many years in the Sox's rotation and his two free passes over 14.1 innings show serious progress.
Pedro Martinez, one of the most legendary pitchers in baseball, has mentored Bello throughout his time in a Red Sox uniform. Early this spring, Martinez said he expects Bello to break out this year and said he's in "perfect shape." His in-game results are finally beginning to reflect that belief.
For as many baseball fans who love the WBC, there are fans who are concerned about how the tournament will affect the regular season — exhaustion could set in early or anyone playing in the tournament could've been injured in such a high-stakes environment. But Bello's spring has prefectly showed what representing one's country can do for a player.
Players have relished the opportunity to play for something bigger than themselves, or the city or state on the front of an MLB jersey. The WBC could've helped Bello hit his stride and become the best version of himself, the one the Red Sox and Martinez have long said he could be. All he has to do is carry his early results into the regular season.