Ryan Long's Journey Back to the World Baseball Classic
Ryan Long’s journey back to the World Baseball Classic began, oddly enough, with a strikeout that still echoes.
Three years ago, the tall right-hander out of Pomona College stood on an international mound, wearing Great Britain’s colors, and fanned Mike Trout — a future Hall of Famer and the face of Team USA. For most pitchers, that moment would live as a career snapshot, a story to dine out on for decades.
Long chose to treat it as a starting point.
Last month, the 26-year-old returned to the WBC stage and quietly delivered again. Working out of Great Britain’s bullpen, he logged two scoreless innings across a pair of relief appearances, steady and unflustered in a tournament built for chaos.
Great Britain’s run ended early. They finished behind Italy, Team USA and Mexico in pool play. The scoreboard, though, didn’t tell the whole story of their week in Houston. With Long helping to stabilize the staff, the team did enough to secure a spot in the next World Baseball Classic, locking in their place among the 20 national teams that will gather again in three years’ time.
For Long, whose mother, Liz, was born in England, the Union Jack on his chest is more than a uniform detail. It’s a tether to family and identity, wrapped inside the most global version of the sport he’s spent the last several years chasing.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” he says. This time, he arrived not as the wide-eyed newcomer who once stared down Trout, but as a pitcher who has logged four more years against advanced hitters and come away with something crucial: conviction. “I felt more confident this time and had more trust in myself and in my pitches. Over four years, I’ve pitched against a lot of high-level hitters, and I know I can get any hitter out. That confidence definitely helped me this time around.”
The roster around him told its own story. Great Britain’s 30-man group in Houston looked less like a single nation and more like a baseball atlas. Players with roots in England and Wales shared a clubhouse with teammates tied to the Bahamas, Scotland and the British Virgin Islands. Accents bounced off the walls. So did stories.
“You try and get to know these guys as fast as possible, find ways to connect, and then go play four really meaningful games with them,” Long says. It’s speed dating with stakes: a few days to build trust, then step into elimination-level baseball. “It’s a unique experience, but it’s amazing. I love it.”
For Long, the WBC is not just a break from the grind. It’s a showcase of the sport at its purest, with national pride layered over professional ambition. “The World Baseball Classic is such a special tournament and one that really showcases the best of baseball,” he says. “It was an honor to be a part of it again.”
Then, almost as quickly as it began, the international chapter closed and the minor league calendar opened.
Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, Long reported back to work in the United States and launched his sixth minor league season on Thursday, April 2. The contrast is stark: one week, he’s facing lineups built from big-league stars and global veterans; the next, he’s back in the familiar rhythm of buses, bullpens and box scores.
The trajectory, though, is unmistakable. After brief spells at Triple-A Norfolk in 2024 and 2025, Long started the 2026 campaign with the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, the Chesapeake Baysox, in Bowie, Maryland. For an organization that has turned pitching depth into a competitive edge, Double-A is often where careers either stall or surge.
Long has chosen to force a surge by reinventing himself.
A starter for most of his career, the 6-foot-6 right-hander spent this spring training transitioning full-time to the bullpen. The move strips away the pacing and pitch-economy concerns of starting and replaces them with something more primal: come in, attack, empty the tank.
“It’s been a good change,” he says. He has already seen the tangible payoff. “I’ve seen my velocity go up, and I can concentrate on throwing my best pitches as often as possible rather than trying to mix them and get through a lineup multiple times.”
The role suits the version of Long that stepped onto the WBC mound — the one who believes, genuinely, that he can get any hitter out. Short bursts. Max intent. Fewer variables, more aggression.
“I feel confident and encouraged going into the year,” he adds, “and I’m hoping this change gives me a streamlined and efficient route to the major leagues.”
From a strikeout of Mike Trout to quiet dominance in Houston, from starter to reliever, from WBC lights back to Double-A grind, Ryan Long has made a habit of treating milestones as stepping stones. The next one he’s chasing doesn’t need an international stage or a global audience.
Just a phone call from Baltimore.
