It was March 13, 2023.

Duque Hebbert, an then-unknown right-handed pitcher representing Team Nicaragua, struck out three MLB superstars from Team Dominican Republic — Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez and Rafael Devers — in the ninth inning of a game in the World Baseball Classic.

All three batters struck out swinging, with Soto and Devers whiffing at Hebbert's revered changeup. After the strikeouts, Hebbert signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers.

WHEN IT HAPPENED: Duque Hebbert agrees to contract with Tigers after striking out MLB stars in WBC

Luis Molina, a Tigers scout in Panama and Nicaragua who was on the coaching staff for Team Nicaragua, kept his promise from the day before.

But let's let Hebbert tell the story:

"Oh, Luis Molina is a great person," said Hebbert, now a 22-year-old in Low-A Lakeland with the Tigers. "He told me, 'Duque, if you strike out one hitter, I will sign you.' I smiled and said, 'OK then, we'll see tomorrow.' I struck out three batters. He called me into the clubhouse and asked me, 'Duque, do you want to sign with the Tigers?' I said, 'Yes, that's my dream, to sign.' So I signed with the Tigers."

A little more than a year later, Hebbert has a 6.40 ERA with 13 walks and 27 strikeouts across 32⅓ innings in 13 games in 2024, including 12 for Low-A Lakeland. (He pitched in 14 games after signing with the Tigers in 2023, posting a 4.58 ERA with six walks and 41 strikeouts across 32⅓ innings in the Dominican Summer League.)

Hebbert, whose three-strikeout performance at the World Baseball Classic earned him a job with the Tigers, talked to the Free Press about his WBC success, the backstory of his baseball career and his lessons learned as a professional. (This Q&A has been edited slightly for length and clarity.)

Take me back to that day: March 13, 2023. What does that day mean to you?

"I still watch the video, and I can't believe it. I always watch. That motivates me sometimes when I wake up in a bad mood. It motivates me to keep going."

What was your game plan when you took the mound against Soto (swinging strikeout, changeup), Rodríguez (swinging strikeout, slider), Machado (double, slider) and Devers (swinging strikeout, changeup) in the World Baseball Classic?

"My game plan, anytime I'm on the hill, my mentality always is that I'm the best. That's my mentality. When I pitch, I want to attack over the strike zone. Not being afraid. I have MLB players from my country, in Nicaragua, so my mentality is to attack the zone, trust myself and in anything I do, thank God. That's all."

MAX CLARK: Tigers prospect Max Clark sees big picture, learns from mental performance coach

How did you get to the World Baseball Classic?

"That's a pretty good story. From a young age, my favorite sport was baseball. Everything was playing baseball. I tried my best every day. I put my trust in God. When I started playing baseball, I was playing center field, and then three years ago, I turned into a pitcher. I played in Nicaragua with Tren del Norte (in the Liga Nicaragüense de Béisbol Profesional). I won Rookie of the Year. And then I came with Team Nicaragua to the World Baseball Classic."

Are you more confident as a pitcher after what happened in the World Baseball Classic?

"Almost every day I have confidence in myself. I'm going to keep going. I'm confident in myself. I'm confident in God. I'm confident in my family. I'm confident in the process. I'm just trying my best every day. My mentality every time I wake up is that it's a new opportunity in life. I'm just concentrated on everything I do in baseball, do it well and enjoy it. That's all."

[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

What have you learned since joining the Tigers?

"I really learned my routine, trust myself and attack the zone. When I was in Nicaragua, I didn't have my routine, and when I came to play professional baseball, I had my routine. I've worked on that. Right now, I have my own routine. I really learned my routine, trust myself and attack the zone in the Dominican Summer League (in the 2023 season)."

What are your goals for the 2024 season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers?

"My goal for this season is try to have good numbers, try to attack the zone, try to get ahead in the count more, and always be a good friend, be a good teammate and be a good person every day."

KEVIN MCGONIGLE: Why Detroit is gonna love Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle: First and foremost, he can hit

How do you evaluate your pitch mix?

"My best pitch is my changeup. I also throw a slider, sinker, curveball and four-seam. My sinker is my main fastball. I have command. That's what I have. I can throw my changeup in the strike zone. All my pitches, I can throw in the strike zone. I keep practicing, and when I'm in the bullpen, I try to throw all my pitches for strikes and trust my pitches in the zone. Sometimes, my changeup is not good, so I can throw my slider or my sinker. All my pitches, my fastball, my sinker, my curveball, my slider, my changeup, I have to have my good stuff always, so I'm trying to keep working. Baseball is work and work and work, and never give up."

What is your fastball velocity?

"My fastball velocity is 91 mph. In the WBC, it was more lower than that (averaging 89.5 mph). I'm working on adding velo right now."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: World Baseball Classic star Duque Hebbert developing well with Tigers