Wednesday’s three games wrapped up the pool play portion of the WBC, and hurtled us towards the knockout round. Here’s what happened, and how the first knockout round looks like.
If you’re only here to read about the Braves, well:
- Ronald Acuña Jr.: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K, SB.
- Nacho Alvarez Jr.: 1-for-2, 2 HBP
Canada 7, Cuba 2. It was a changing of the guard in this only-winner-advances game, as Canada made it out of pool play for the first time, while Cuba failed to move to the knockout round for the first time in WBC history. Cal Quantrill and Livan Moinelo each managed well,
with just a sac fly giving Canada a 1-0 lead through four. An Abraham Toro homer off Yariel Rodriguez made it 2-0, but Cuba got a run back thanks to a leadoff walk and throwing error from Quantrill to set up an RBI groundout. Canada pulled away for good in the sixth thanks in part to some super-sloppy play:
- Reach on error to start the inning
- Wild pitch
- RBI double
- Reach on strikeout, stolen base
- Strikeout
- Two-run single
Both teams scattered a few more runs late, but Cuba ran into a resurgent Big Maple (James Paxton), who somehow busted out 2 2/3 innings of six-strikeout, one-walk ball. Combined with Quantrill’s five frames with a 5/1 K/BB ratio, Cuba’s hopes were dashed.
Italy 9, Mexico 1. Is Team Italy the best WBC team of all time? Yes.
The first five batters in this game all struck out. Then, the murders/homers began. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his first of the game in the second to give Italy a 1-0 lead. Jon Berti added one in the fourth. Italy then dribbled a three-run frame in the fifth thanks to a bunch of walks/singles, and a run-scoring bunt of all things. Pasquantino hit his second homer in the sixth, and his third in the eighth. Meanwhile, Aaron Nola threw five innings of 5/1 K/BB ratio ball, so Italy pretty much cruised. Mexico had a chance to win and eliminate Team USA, but that didn’t happen, even though it would’ve been funnier. We’ll just have to settle for Team Stomp Your Face at the Olive Garden being the funniest thing in a while instead.
Dominican Republic 7, Venezuela 5. Both of these teams had advanced, but this game mattered for seeding and bragging rights and stuff. It was also absolutely crazy.
Venezuela pitching had a 10/4 K/BB ratio… but allowed four homers. D.R. pitching had a 7/8 K/BB ratio with zero homers.
Juan Soto got things started very early against Eduardo Rodriguez with a two-run homer in the top of the first. Single-walk-single against Sandy Alcantara got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. Ketel Marte homered off Rodriguez in the third, and then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. greeted Eduard Bazardo with another longball as soon as the latter entered the game. A walk and two doubles brought Venezuela within one after three, but a two-out rally capped with a Fernando Tatis Jr. three-run homer off Antonio Senzatela made it a 7-3 game. The Venezuelan relief corps locked it down the rest of the way, so it was up to their bats to get them into the game again….
…which they weren’t really able to do, until a wild ninth. Abner Uribe came on to close out the game, and issued three straight walks. It was strange, too — the first and third were four-pitch walks, but he battled Acuña for ten pitches before the free pass. So, Venezuela now had the tying run at the plate with none out, and young Athletics reliever now pitching in a jam in relief of Abreu. Luis Arraez hit a sac fly, 7-4. Willson Contreras hit a comebacker to Alvarado, which should’ve ended the game, but Alvarado’s throw to second was nowhere near, and now it was 7-5 with Venezuelan captain Salvador Perez at the dish looking to make some noise. Except, the noise he made was just sad, since he fell behind 0-2 and then tried to pull a slider, instead rolling it weakly to Manny Machado at third for a game-ending around-the-horn double play. Welp.
The quarterfinal field is as follows
Friday: Korea vs. Dominican Republic
Friday: USA vs. Canada
Saturday: Puerto Rico vs. Italy
Saturday: Venezuela vs. Japan
Fun stuff.
