Key events
Mojo
Yes, the USA’s team of robot logs fired are favored. US starting pitcher Paul Skenes was just speaking on FOX TV in the US and he mentioned servicemen and the military and fighting and winning. I have no idea what representing your country in a baseball game has to do with the military, but it seems to be a thing in the US dugout. Personally, I don’t need to hear about all that before a baseball game, but maybe that’s just me.
It’s a bit lighter on the DR side. They have incredible belief and a roster full of love for their culture, bat flips and fun. In a competition full of color and vibes, no team has been more enjoyable to watch, with a plethora of passionate players up and down their dugout. Their enthusiasm for what they do is contagious and so I wonder how any neutral can possibly root against them. No team is a better overall advertisement for the sport, and if you don’t believe me, just watch.
ICYMI
Baseball in Italian, one of the many reasons to love the WBC. Are the Azzurri heading to the WBC finals? They face Venezuela tomorrow night in Miami on the other side of the bracket.
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The Rules
We’re at the semifinals and that means these starters can pitch big boy innings, up to 95 pitches. Now, if Mark DeRosa sticks with Skenes that long I’ll eat my hat and give you my kids, but as we know with DeRosa, anything is possible. There’s no mercy rule in the semis, because these folks have paid a lot of cash to sit in these seats, and no matter what happens, they’re getting their nine innings of baseball. We have the pitch clock, two manager challenges per team, and god forbid we go to extra innings, yes, the ghost runner rule with a runner starting the frame on second base will apply. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, right?
Hello!
Welcome to our coverage of the World Baseball Classic! It’s heavyweight night in Miami with a semi-final match-up between the US and the Dominican Republic. It’s the game we all wanted to see from our first view of the bracket, with two of the most stacked baseball lineups you could put together from the global talent pool.
It’s also become something of a de-facto WBC final, with Japan shocked by Venezuela and Cinderella Italy continuing it’s run with a defeat of Puerto Rico in Saturdays quarter-finals. Yes, Italy beat the US once, but they would be big underdogs in the final, as would Venezuela, regardless of which team wins tonight.
There’s not much between these super-powered bats, but the mound is where the rubber meets the road. On the hill tonight for the Americans, a hurler who needs no introduction – Paul Skenes – who at age 23 already has a Cy Young award and two sub 2.00 earned run averages under his gold and black Bucco’s belt. Against Mexico in his only WBC appearance: four innings, seven strikeouts, one hit over 60 pitches. He is formidable and almost untouchable, regardless of who holds the stick, and Dominican players are 3-27 against him in MLB play.
For the Dominicans, it’s Luis Severino, who is a solid, serviceable but inconsistent pitcher who can be had. When he’s going well Severino is more than capable of going deep into games. He also has big game experience, throwing in 13 playoff contests. When he’s not on, well, it can get ugly, and against a relentless lineup that hasn’t really hit its stride, manager Albert Pujols will have his hook ready.
In the bullpen, the Yanks also have a weapon in closer Mason Miller, who has struck out eight in three hitless innings. The Dominicans don’t have anything approaching that caliber of reliever. No wonder, Team USA are favored to reach the final in their bid for a second WBC title.
Opening pitch is coming up at 8PM EST, 12 GMT, so now is the time to get your fat-free Greek yogurt with blueberries, oats and a little whipped cream ready. Meanwhile, why not email me your thoughts and feelings and get your name in the paper – your mom will love that!
More to come – stick with us!
David will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Japan’s tournament came to a sudden end:
Wilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on, and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic champion Japan was within reach.
Japan, their 11-game WBC winning streak on the line, held a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday’s thrilling quarter-final matchup in Miami when Abreu put his team ahead with the biggest swing of the game: a three-run shot off Hiromi Itoh that sent the loanDepot Park crowd into a passionate roar and helped clinch Venezuela’s 8-5 win and first WBC semi-final appearance in 17 years.
You can read the full report below:
