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World Baseball Classic 2017 Championship Live Thread

By Tim Haberin

Mar 15, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of the third base bag before the game between the United States and Venezuela during the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of the third base bag before the game between the United States and Venezuela during the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The U.S. and Puerto Rico face off tonight in the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship game. Join the Call to the Pen crew to discuss the exciting matchup right here as it happens.

It’s been a long and winding road over the past two weeks, but the fourth edition of the World Baseball Classic ends tonight at Dodger Stadium. Baseball’s premier international competition will crown a first-time champion tonight. Puerto Rico finished as the runner-up in 2013, while the United States has never earned a medal in the event’s history.

The two finalists have taken very different paths to the tournament’s final stage. Puerto Rico hasn’t lost a game, stringing together seven straight victories to power their way through to the championship. They topped the Netherlands 4-3 in 11 innings on Monday to punch their ticket to tonight’s clash.

For Team USA, it’s been a bit more of a grind. They’ve staved off elimination in each of their last two contests, overcoming the previous two WBC champions in the process. They defeated the Dominican Republic 6-3 on Saturday to advance out of Pool F, and edged Japan 2-1 last night to reach the final.

The U.S. will send Marcus Stroman to the mound with its gold medal hopes on the line. The young Blue Jays right-hander has made two starts for Team USA in this year’s competition, tossing 9.1 innings and giving up four runs (3.86 ERA). Puerto Rico counters with Seth Lugo. The Mets righty has logged 11 frames over two outings in the tournament, allowing three runs (2.45 ERA).

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the preview and pre-game discussion put together by our own Phil Kimmel and Jim Turvey. They break down tonight’s matchup along with predictions about the outcome, each team’s x-factor, the tournament MVP and even the over/under on number of instant replays.

Next: WBC Championship Preview

Tonight’s action begins at 9:00 PM ET on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes. As the baseball world watches, we want to hear from you! Provide your thoughts and reactions to the 2017 WBC championship down in the comment section below, along with Call to the Pen writers and fellow readers. Just hit that “Load Comments” button and have at it. This should be a good one.

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