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If you did not know how USA won, remember, it’s Bob Davidson, not Alex Rodriguez to let USA won.
Pool 1:
United States 4, Japan 3
JAPAN - 120 000 000 -- 3 USA - 010 002 001 -- 4 Two outs when winning run scored.
There is no crying in baseball, not even in the World Baseball Classic, but Team Japan could have a shed a tear or two Sunday afternoon and no one would question its sorrow. A run Japan apparently scored in the top of the eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead over Team USA was nullified, and the run Alex Rodriguez drove in with two outs in the bottom of the ninth counted, giving the home country a 4-3 victory before 32,896 flag-waving fans at Angel Stadium.
It was a game in March that had it all. Big leads. Blown leads. A disputed call. And an Alex Rodriguez base hit up the middle with the bases loaded in the bottom of ninth that saved Team USA from panic in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. The net result was a victory over the Japanese that left them shaking their collective heads as they walked off the field late Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
MEXICO - 001 000 000 -- 1 KOREA - 200 000 00x -- 2
Seung Yeop Lee’s bat is made of dynamite, so his swing doesn’t have to be. The explosive Korean teed off on Mexico’s Rodrigo Lopez in the bottom of the first inning, sending Korea to a 2-1 win over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in front of 42,979 at Angel Stadium on Sunday night.
One bad pitch during one long inning led to some long faces in Team Mexico’s dugout, but Rodrigo Lopez managed a smile or two nonetheless. Lopez, who gave up a two-run homer to Seung Yeop Lee in the first inning of Mexico’s loss to Korea, said “I’d say our pitching was excellent.” But Korea’s pitchers were even better, holding Team Mexico, which scored 19 runs while winning its previous two games, to five hits without a walk while striking out nine in a tense, tidy affair.
Pool 2:
Cuba 7, Venezuela 2
CUBA - 010 005 100 -- 7 VENEZUELA - 000 000 200 -- 2
In a development that could have made only Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and Cuba’s hitters happy, Venezuela manager Luis Sojo made the tough decision of taking out ace Johan Santana after five innings and 67 pitches of mastery in Sunday’s World Baseball Classic contest at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Sojo went to his bullpen, and the result was decidedly bad for Venezuela in what wound up as a 7-2 loss to Cuba.
Two days removed from the nation’s most embarrassing loss in 23 years, Cuba struck back with a bang. A pair of bangs, in fact. Frederich Cepeda and Ariel Pestano hit back-to-back home runs and Cuba rode a five-run sixth inning to a win over Venezuela. Cuba finished with twice as many hits as a Venezuelan lineup that consisted entirely of players from the American Major Leagues. Right-handers Yadel Marti and Pedro Lazo were the pitching heroes as Cuba asserted its place in the baseball world in front of 13,697 fans.
Puerto Rico 7, Dominican Republic 1
PUERTO RICO - 000 103 300 -- 7 DOMINICAN REP - 010 000 000 -- 1
The pitchers’ duel between the Dominican Republic’s Bartolo Colon and Puerto Rico’s Javier Vazquez lived up to expectations Sunday night. Both right-handers shined for five innings, shutting down opposing hitters and putting on a good show for the crowd. It’s what happened and what didn’t happen upon their departure that proved to be the difference. Puerto Rico rallied, the Dominican Republic fell apart, and in the end, it was the hometown team to remain unbeaten in four tournament games.
It was a very good day for underdogs on the Isle of Enchantment. Hours after Cuba scored a win over the favored Venezuelans, Jose Cruz Jr. drove in three runs and Carlos Beltran scored three more, as Puerto Rico eased past the Dominican Republic, 7-1, in front of 19,692 raucous fans at sold-out Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
Pool B, C, D of the 2006 World Baseball Classic started to fight today, there are five intense games to play, the biggest suprise is Italy; who gets the help from Major Leaguers and itself, shutout the 2004 Athens Olympic Silver Winner Australia. Other winners are United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Dominican Republic.
