World Baseball Classic: Cuba Eliminated by the Netherlands’ Offensive Onslaught
By Keaton Moore
With four homers, 14 runs and seven innings, the Netherlands eliminated Cuba from the World Baseball Classic.
The unrelenting offense of the Netherlands fueled them to a 14-1 victory over Cuba and eliminated them from the World Baseball Classic.
The Netherlands put up 12 unanswered runs through the first five innings. On his way to going 3-4 with 3 runs and 5 RBIs, Wladimir Balentien hit a three-run homer in the first inning. After Andrelton Simmons hit an RBI single in the second, Balentien hit his second home run of the game in the third, giving the Netherlands a 5-0 lead.
Later in the third, Yurendell De Caster followed suit and hit a two-run homer.
The Dutch nearly doubled their lead with five runs in the four inning. Jurickson Profar, Jonathan Schoop and De Caster, who scored on a wild pitch, each hit RBI singles.
After Balentien singled in a run in the top of the fifth, Victor Mesa drove in Cuba’s first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. By the time Kailian Sams’ home run in the seventh put the Dutch in front 14-1, the Cubans knew their chance of victory was out of reach. The early termination rule cut the game off at seven innings.
What’s Next?
Although they eliminated Cuba, the Dutch are unsure if they will be advancing to the semifinals. If Japan defeats Israel on March 15 at 3:00 a.m. PST, the Cubans will move on as the runner-up in Pool E.
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However, if Israel manages to beat Japan, the Netherlands will face either team in a tiebreaker on Thursday, March 16 at 3:00 a.m. PST. To view the full schedule, check out www.worldbaseballclassic.com.