World Baseball Classic Day 2: Pool B Begins with Cuba Staying Even
By Keaton Moore
After the second day of the World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands knocked Korea farther down in Pool A. Meanwhile, Cuba opened up Pool B with games against China and Japan.
With Korea still winless in Pool A following their 5-0 loss to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Cuba beat China 6-0 after their 11-6 loss to the two-time World Baseball Classic championship team, Japan.
Offense Fails Korea
Korea’s struggles continued as the Netherlands and their star-studded roster knocked the hometown team down to 0-2 in Pool A. Rick Van Den Hurk started for the Dutch and held Korea to three hits and two walks through four innings.
“Playing here in Korea was special for me, although I had to work on controlling my emotions out there, which is a big part of this game,” Van Den Hurk said (per mlb.com). “I was able to do that and the game took care of itself.”
Over the course of the game, the Netherlands put up five runs off of three RBI hits, including home runs from Jurickson Profar from the Texas Rangers and Randolph Oduber. Sandwiched between their homers, Andrelton Simmons doubled in a run in the second and finished 2-for-4.
With Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorious, Jonathan Schoop, Profar and Simmons, the Netherlands brag the most major leaguers in Pool A. Although it has a large number of minor leaguers on its roster, Israel follows right behind with four major league talents. Both Chinese Taipei and Korea rely heavily on homegrown talent and only have one major leaguer on their rosters.
Offensive Battle
What initially appeared to be a back-and-forth game at Tokyo Dome was broken open when Japan took a 7-1 lead over Cuba with a five-run fifth inning. Following an RBI double from Hayato Sakamoto, Nobuhiro Matsudo launched a three-run home run over the left field wall.
“In the exhibition games I did not hit that well, but coach put me in the lineup so I was very concentrated,” said Matsuda, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI and four runs (per mlb.com). “I was pleased with what I did for tonight.”
At every attempt Cuba made to cut away at their deficit in the seventh and eight innings, Japan answered with runs of their own. After Cuba’s three-run rally in the seventh, sparked by Alfredo Despaigne’s solo homer, Yoshito Tsutsugo smacked a two-run homer to keep Japan ahead 9-4.
Likewise, when Yurisbel Gracial’s RBI double scored two runs in the eighth, Japan did the same in the bottom of the inning.
Blad is Bad
As Cuba’s Bladimir Banos pitched to perfection through his first 4.1 innings, China held their opponent off the scoreboard as well. Even after Shunyi Yang broke up Banos’ perfect game bid in the fifth, Cuba’s bullpen limited China to just two walks for the remainder of the game.
After three scoreless innings, Yoelqui Cespedes sparked a four-run rally in the fourth inning with a deep RBI single. The following batter, Roel Santos, tripled in another two runs. Alexander Ayala capped the scoring with RBI double that flew over China’s left fielder and gave Cuba a 4-0 lead.
Next: WBC Day 3: Netherlands Clinch, Israel Remains Undefeated
What’s Next
With a chance to move up in Pool A, the Netherlands face off against Chinese Taipei and the red-hot Team Israel on Wednesday, March 8. Likewise, Pool B play continues with Japan taking on Australia. For the full schedule, check out worldbaseballclassic.com.