Team USA has brought a deep, versatile, talented roster of players to the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Now all they have to do is win. Finally. /
With plenty of upsets, comebacks and even a few injuries, the World Baseball Classic is in full gear.
With the highly-anticipated debut of Eric Gagne, Colombia rebounded to improve to 1-1 and beat Canada 4-1. Venezuela improved to 1-1 after their back-and-forth 11-10 victory over Italy came to an end in the tenth inning.
In a showdown between two of the toughest teams in the World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic upset the United States 7-5 to extend their tournament winning streak to ten games. Puerto Rico rode the two-homer game of Francisco Lindor to a 9-4 victory over Mexico.
Finally, Israel kicked off the second round with a 4-1 victory over Cuba. After sweeping Pool A, Israel remains undefeated and stand 4-0 overall in the tournament.
Mar 10, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Colombia infielder Giovanny Urshela (39) pops out in the third inning against the USA during the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /
Colombia Rebounds Against Canada
With their 4-1 win, the Colombians knocked Canada down to 0-2 in their first-ever WBC victory. As Freddie Freeman broke out of his slump by going 2-for-4, Eric Gagne soared in his WBC debut.
“Having him [Gagne] there with us is a huge boost,” Nick Pivetta said (per mlb.com). “I’ve watched his career. I’ve watched him pitch. You try to get as much information off of those guys as you can in such little time.”
After going 0-for-4 against the Dominican Republic on March 9, Freeman’s first hit of the tournament put Canada ahead 1-0 in the first. Although he was caught trying to stretch his single into a double, Donovan Solano tied the game in the third by driving in his brother, Jhonathan Solano. Later, Donovan singled in his second run of the game and gave Colombia a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
With nearly ten years separating him from his final season in the major leagues, Gagne came into the fifth inning with the bases loaded. Although he walked the first batter he faced, which brought home a run, he allowed just one hit and one run through 2.1 innings of work.
“I think he did a great job,” Ernie Whitt said. “He kept us in the ballgame and that’s all you can hope for out of your pitchers.”
Despite their now 0-2 standing, Canada is not eliminated from the tournament. In order to move on to the second round, the Canadians need to beat the United States today. If they can and Colombia loses to the Dominican Republic, Canada will edge their way into a three-way tie for the runner-up spot in Pool C.
Nelson Cruz and Starling Marte Homer after Outfield Blunder
In a game that broke the attendance record at Marlins Park, the Dominican Republic rallied for a loud 7-5 comeback over the United States. By doing so, the Dominican Republic has won their last ten World Baseball Classic games.
At first, Marcus Stroman looked to hand the Dominican Republic their first loss since the 2009 WBC. He threw 64 pitches through 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed only three hits.
Although it seemed as if their miscommunication would cost the Dominican Republic the game, Marte and Cruz made up for their mistake in the eighth inning.
Trailing 5-3, Cruz launched a three-run homer that gave the Dominican Republic the lead. Later in the inning, Marte also hit a home run that put the Dominican Republic ahead by the final score of 7-5.
For the United States, their final pool-game against Canada today is now increasingly important. If Colombia loses to the Dominican Republic, the United States must beat Canada in order to advance to the second round. On the flip side, if Colombia wins, the United States must beat their northern neighbor for a chance to force a tiebreaker with the Colombians.
Injuries Damper Venezuela’s Victory
What at first appeared to be Italy’s second walk-off victory was spoiled by Venezuela, who rallied to win 11-10 in ten innings.
With a two-run double in the third and home runs from Alex Liddi and Brandon Nimmo in the fourth, Italy bragged a 5-0 lead after four innings. Yet, after scoring two runs in the fifth, Alcides Escobar tied the game 5-5 with a two-run double in the seventh.
Venezuela watched Italy’s John Andreoli even the score 8-8 with an RBI single in the eighth. Even after the Salvador Perez put Venezuela ahead 10-8 in the top of the ninth, Gavin Cecchini singled in the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth.
Although Venezuela ended the threat by tagging out the game-winning run, a home-plate collision sent Perez limping off the field. According to USA Today, Perez suffered a left knee injury and is unable to continue the WBC with Venezuela.
Likewise, Francisco Rodriquez appeared to be hurt on the play while relaying the ball to Perez. As it turned out, Rodriquez pulled his groin and his potential return to the tournament is questionable.
Jose Altuve hustled home on an RBI single from Martin Prado to score the game-winning run. Once Jose Castillo retired Italy in the bottom of the tenth, Venezuela improved to 1-1.
Childhood Friends Homer in Puerto Rico’s Romp of Mexico
Thanks to home runs from Francisco Lindor, who hit two, and Javier Baez, Puerto Rico moved one win closer to the second round with a 9-4 victory over the hometown Team Mexico.
Lindor gave Puerto Rico a 2-0 lead with his first home run of the night in the first inning. Although Brandon Laird knocked in a run for Mexico in the bottom of the first, Puerto Rico gradually added to their lead until they burst out in the ninth.
With his second home run in the seventh, Lindor put Puerto Rico ahead by just enough runs to outlast Mexico’s rally in the seventh. After Chris Roberson singled in a run, Efren Navarro scored on a fielding error and Alex Verdugo scored on a wild pitch, making the score 5-4.
Hoping to solidify their lead heading into the ninth, Baez smacked a three-run homer over the left field wall. Baez’s home run gave his team a 9-4 lead and plenty of insurance for Edwin Diaz to shut the door on Puerto Rico’s victory.
Israel Continues Undefeated Streak into Second Round
Israel opened Pool E with come-from-behind 4-1 victory over the Cuba. By doing so, Israel holds the upper hand in the second round and maintains their undefeated 4-0 tournament record.
For the first three innings, the only run to cross the plate came from a home run hit by Cuba’s Aldredo Despaigne in the second inning. In fact, Israel was held hitless by Noelvis Entenza for 4.2 innings until Ryan Lavarnway tied the game with his team’s first hit of the game.
Israel went on to take the lead with two runs in the sixth. A single from Zach Borenstein and double from Blake Gailen set Israel ahead of Cuba 3-1. Gailen hit a sacrifice bunt to drive in another run in the eighth, but Israel’s pitching staff kept Cuba to five hits, three walks and one run.
While for many fans it is still bedtime, Japan and the Netherlands continue on with Pool E at 3:00 a.m. PST on Sunday, March 12. Once the sun rises, the Dominican Republic will face off against Colombia at 9:30 a.m. PST and Team USA hosts Canada at 4:00 p.m. PST.
In Pool D, Italy hopes to hand Puerto Rico their first loss of the tournament at 12:30 p.m. PST and Venezuela wraps up the day with a game against Mexico at 7:00 p.m. PST.
For the Americans, Sunday’s game isn’t exactly a must-win, but it would certainly keep them from behind the eight ball. They are currently tied with Colombia at 1-1 in Pool C, and if they have the same record at the end of the day today, there will be a one-game playoff to see which team advances. On the bright side for the U.S. squad, they get to face an 0-2 Canadian team while Colombia has to beat the juggernaut that has become the Dominican Republic.
While Canada has yet to win a game, they could force a three-way tie with a win over the U.S. If all three clubs finish at 1-2, the two teams that have allowed the fewest runs would face-off in a tiebreaker game while the team that has allowed the most (on a per inning basis) would be eliminated.
As of right now, Canada has allowed 13 total runs in 18 innings, while the United States has given up 9 in 19 innings. Colombia appears to have the best bet at at least getting a one-game playoff, giving up 4 total runs in 19 innings of play. Then again, they’re facing the Dominican Republic and their powerful offense. This is why a win for the U.S. would go a long way to helping them stay out of a potential tiebreaker scenario, or potentially even being eliminated altogether with a blowout Canadian win.
