Adam Wainwright is definitely not hiding his rooting interest on Fox’s WBC broadcast

Adam Wainwright has been a part of Fox’s baseball coverage since joining the network full-time ahead of the 2024 season. During Saturday’s broadcast of the World Baseball Classic, he made clear he hasn’t exactly buried his rooting interest.

Wainwright was on the call alongside Adam Amin and A.J. Pierzynski for Team USA’s 9-1 win over Great Britain at Daikin Park in Houston. In the fifth inning, he talked about his own experience pitching for the Americans in the 2023 Classic — he gave up a run in his first inning before settling in — and then opened his jacket to reveal American flags embedded in the lining.

Adam Wainwright is definitely not hiding his rooting interest on the Fox broadcast. ⚾️🎙️🇺🇸 #WBC pic.twitter.com/bQa4y98Inm

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 8, 2026

“If you’re looking for jingoism, you get it right at the start of the bottom of the fifth inning,” Amin quipped.

For what it’s worth, this is a significant upgrade from the last time this crew was accused of rooting for somebody. During the 2024 NLDS between the Mets and Phillies, Amin, Wainwright, and A.J. Pierzynski fielded accusations of bias from both fanbases throughout the series. Amin called it a “quadfecta of bias” after both Mets and Phillies fans concluded he was rooting against their team, while Pierzynski took it as a compliment.

“If both fan bases hate you, that means you’re doing your job,” Pierzynski said at the time.

At least this time, only Great Britain has a legitimate grievance.

Wainwright has more reason than most to care about how this tournament goes. He spent two decades on the outside looking in with injuries and circumstances keeping him out of every prior WBC edition, and he was cut from the Team USA roster for the 2003 Olympic qualifying tournament before his career even got started. He finally got his moment in 2023, in the final year of his playing career, when manager Mark DeRosa handed him the ball for the opening game of the tournament.

“I am very proud to be representing our country,” he said before that tournament. “Patriotic guy. I love wearing the red, white, and blue.”

That reputation precedes him off the field, too. Both political parties have tried to recruit him for a congressional run in Missouri. Democrats went first last year, pitching him on a challenge against Republican Rep. Ann Wagner in the state’s 2nd district, and Republicans followed with their own overtures. He has turned both down.

Apparently, the broadcast booth scratches the itch just fine, as he’ll be on the call when Team USA faces Mexico on Monday.