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[Baseball] The 2006 World Baseball Classic
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Topic Started: Jan 21 2006, 03:50 PM (3,459 Views)
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Tealey
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Mar 5 2006, 03:59 PM
Post #31
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Standings
Round 1
Pool A
Korea----3-0-0 GROUP WINNER Japan----2-1-0 GROUP RUNNER UP Chinese Taipei----1-2-0 China----0-3-0
Pool B
Mexico----2-1-0 GROUP WINNER USA----2-1-0 GROUP RUNNER UP Canada----2-1-0 South Africa----0-3-0
Pool C
Puerto Rico----3-0-0 GROUP WINNER Cuba----2-1-0 GROUP RUNNER UP Holland----1-2-0 Panama----0-3-0
Pool D
Dominican Republic----3-0-0 GROUP WINNER Venezuela----2-1-0 GROUP RUNNER UP Italy----1-2-0 Australia----0-3-0
Round 2
Pool 1
Korea----3-0-0 Japan----1-2-0 Mexico----1-2-0 USA----1-2-0
Pool 2
Dominican Republic----2-1-0 Cuba----2-1-0 Venezuela----1-2-0 Puerto Rico----1-2-0
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 6 2006, 04:19 PM
Post #32
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (5th March)
Yet more exhibition games were played yesterday, including arguably the USA playing San Francisco.
Exhibition Games
Holland versus Atlanta

- "WBC"
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- The jitters showed up early, but Team Netherlands settled down Sunday against the Atlanta Braves and wound up giving themselves a dose of confidence that they will be able to use in the World Baseball Classic. A couple of Netherlands errors on potential double-play balls in the first inning and a two-run homer by David Kelton in the third proved the difference as the Braves' split-squad unit came away with a 4-0 exhibition victory at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. After the shaky first, the Netherlands matched Atlanta pitch-for-pitch in a brisk-moving game that took only two hours, four minutes.
If the Netherlands gets the same kind of pitching against Puerto Rico on Wednesday that it showcased against the Braves, manager Robert Eenhoorn will be happy.
"Our pitchers did a good job today," Eenhoorn said. "If we make those double plays, we're looking at a 2-0 game. And we had one chance ourselves to do something with the bases loaded. We made some plays in the field as the game went on that helped our pitchers hold them down. Overall, even though we didn't score, there were a lot of things that were encouraging."
Veteran starter Calvin Maduro got high marks from Eenhoorn for not letting the game get out of hand in the first. After Michael Ryan's leadoff single, Edgar Renteria smacked a double-play ball to the right of shortstop Railey Legito, who misplayed it. Instead of two outs and nobody on, it was two on with nobody out.
Brian Jordan singled to load the bases before Brian McCann hit another double-play ball that handcuffed second baseman Michael Duursma. Two runs scored on the play and a subsequent walk to James Jurries loaded the bases again. But just when it looked as though the Netherlands was going to be buried early, Maduro retired Kelton, Eddie Perez and Cesar Crespo to minimize the damage.
The only other scoring came when Netherlands lefty Diegomar Markwell and Kelton -- a couple of former Minor League competitors -- crossed paths in the third.
Markwell said he left a pitch up that Kelton deposited beyond the 385-foot sign in left field with a man on.
"I played against him in 2002 in the Minors and I know he has good power," Markwell said. "I tried to go in on him, but the ball caught a little too much of the plate."
The Netherlands didn't manage a hit off Braves starter John Smoltz, although third baseman Ivanon Coffie narrowly missed a homer off Smoltz down the right-field line. Coffie's drive went foul by a few feet.
It looked as though the Netherlands might break through in the fifth when Coffie and Dirk van Klooster delivered one-out singles and Chairon Isenia walked to load the bases against non-roster invite Kevin Barry. But Legito and pinch-hitter Hainley Statia fanned to end the Netherlands' only threat.
"We swung at a couple of high pitches after getting the bases loaded with one out," Eenhoorn said.
Although the Netherlands managed only two hits, team members believe it will be a different story offensively in Puerto Rico. Andruw Jones and Randall Simon, expected to be offensive headliners, were a combined 0-for-4.
"This was our first game with everybody being together," Coffie said. "It was good to get a game like this under our belts. We've got hitters who could get hot in a hurry. Hopefully, that will happen for us as we get into the Classic."
Box Score
Holland----0 Atlanta----4
Dominican Republic versus Houston

- "WBC"
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KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Those in attendance at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday witnessed first-hand the power of the Dominican Republic. On the field, the star-studded squad flexed its muscles, topping the Astros, 12-8, in front of a crowd of 3,960. Off the field, the boisterous fans, the majority garbed in the Dominican Republic's colors, made its new favorite team feel at home with non-stop cheers.
"Latin people are a little bit too crazy; they overdo it sometimes," said a smiling Albert Pujols. "It's exciting having our people yelling and it's great. It takes me back to when I was playing down in the Dominican Little League, having my parents and my friends yelling."
The Dominican Republic gave its faithful plenty of reasons to rejoice.
Tied at 5 in the sixth inning, designated hitter David Ortiz hit an opposite-field home run on a 2-1 pitch from Astros hurler Chris Sampson. Later in the frame, pinch-runner Wily Taveras scored on a double by Willy Mo Pena to give the Dominican club a two-run cushion. Pena came home on a single by Juan Brito for an 8-5 lead.
It was more than enough.
"We were making jokes, but when it was time to play ball, we played ball the right way," Pujols said. "We know how to play the game and we know what it takes to get ready for this tournament and what it takes to get ready for the season."
In the first inning, the crowd erupted when each Dominican player strolled to the batter's box. Tied at 2 after four innings, the offenses soon followed with an explosion of their own.
In the fifth inning, the Dominican Republic scored three runs off Astros pitcher Steve Sparks. The first two runs came on a double by Juan Encarnacion, and the final run came on a RBI single by Alfonso Soriano.
"To me, it looked like a typical Spring Training game," Dominican Republic manager Manny Acta said. "Some guys look a little behind with their swings because they have not faced enough pitching, and some guys looked fine. It's still Spring Training."
The Astros answered with three runs off Salomon Torres in the bottom half of the fifth, tying the game at 5. Lance Berkman, Kevin Orie and Josh Anderson each scored before Torres yielded Duaner Sanchez.
Dominican Republic starter Francisco Liriano did not allow a hit and struck out four batters in his two innings of work. He walked two batters, including Chris Burke in the second inning. Burke stole second, advanced to third on an error and came home on a ground ball by Orlando Palmeiro, cutting the Dominican Republic's lead to 2-1.
The Astros tied the game at 2 in the third when Jeff Bagwell raced home from third base on a wild pitch from Julian Tavarez.
Astros starter Ezequiel Astacio, who is from the Dominican Republic, was charged with three hits, four walks and two runs in two innings. Pujols walked in the first inning and trotted home on a base on balls issued to Ortiz. Miguel Tejada came home on a sacrifice fly by Pujols in the second for the country's second run of the game.
Through it all, the fan support for the Dominican Republic never wavered.
"I think you are getting a good taste of how crazy they are down in the Dominican and how they appreciate this," Pujols said.
Box Score
Dominican Republic----12 Houston----8
Puerto Rico versus NY Mets

- "WBC"
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Amid enthusiasm he had never felt, Carlos Beltran did something he had never done. Thanks to him and a nine-man mound shuttle that hit its mark, Team Puerto Rico winged home on Sunday night for a World Baseball Classic date on a high. In a Tradition Field full of fans and ironies, Puerto Rico warmed up for the Classic with a 6-1 exhibition victory over the New York Mets.
Beltran snapped a 1-all tie in the fifth inning with a two-out, two-run single against his regular team in front of a crowd of boisterous, celebratory crowd of 6,127 -- many of them displaying the Puerto Rico colors.
"I didn't know St. Lucie had so many Puerto Ricans," Beltran beamed afterwards. "It was fun, and great to see all that support from the fans. They bring a great excitement to the park."
Furthermore, Beltran's game-winner came against left-hander Billy Wagner, the new Mets closer who excused himself only a few days ago from Team USA.
"I'm a player of the Mets," Beltran said. "Facing Billy ... he's such a hard thrower. I was looking for a slider, but he kept giving me a lot of fastballs. Good thing I was able to get one over third base on a pitch I got jammed."
Alex Rios singled for one run in the second and in the sixth scored on Alex Cintron's single for all the offense Puerto Rico would need behind nine pitchers who silenced a split-squad Mets squad.
The only dour note was that one of those nine -- the Mets' Juan Padilla -- afterwards asked out of the Classic, claiming his arm doesn't feel 100 percent. Puerto Rico received permission to replace him on the roster with Ivan Maldonado, a right-hander in the Mets' system.
Following the lead of starter Dicky Gonzalez, who blanked New York on one hit for two innings, eight Puerto Rico relievers combined to hold the Mets to five hits.
Most impressively, they issued zero walks, a remarkable early-spring achievement that heeded the urging of manager Jose Oquendo.
"They know how to throw strikes," Oquendo said. "And I want them to throw strikes. That's what I've been emphasizing. And they did a great job getting ahead of the hitters."
With another New York contingent playing a Grapefruit League game in Vero Beach against the Dodgers, the lineup hosting Puerto Rico included four regulars: David Wright, Cliff Floyd, Xavier Nady and Kaz Matsui.
The Mets forged a brief 1-all tie on Wright's fourth-inning single off J.C. Romero, minutes before Wagner entered the game.
If this is as close as Wagner will get to the Classic, he saw all he wants of it. He was welcomed by a sharp leadoff single by Cintron, then overran Alex Cora's sacrifice bunt for an error that set up the go-ahead rally.
Puerto Rico kept pulling away in the ninth, when Cora ripped an RBI triple and scored on Ricky Ledee's sacrifice fly to make it 6-1.
Overall, the Puerto Ricans looked extremely alert and sharp for a team that had assembled only two days earlier.
Still in jeopardy after allowing Wright's tying single, Romero made a shrewd play to get out of further trouble.
Floyd hit a high chopper back to the mound -- a ball with too much elevation to normally turn a double play. But Romero noticed that Floyd had broken from the box in a trot, and tossed to Cintron at short to begin a double play.
In the eighth, with Julio Franco on second after a double off Orlando Roman, Eduardo Perez made a sliding shoestring catch of Brett Harper's sinking liner to left. Franco, who took off on contact, was doubled up to end the inning.
Perez returned to the dugout under a gauntlet of high-fives and backslaps from his pumped teammates -- and countrymen.
"They were pretty solid," Oquendo said. "The pitchers got their work in, and the guys did a good job behind them."
The fans did an equally good job way behind them. Small pockets of Puerto Rico fans eclipsed the Mets majority. A handful of fans beating drums -- a Latin American ballpark staple -- easily drowned out the music blaring through the sound system.
"That's the way it always is in Latin America," said Beltran, shaking his head for emphasis. "They have great fun with it, and they make it fun for us."
Team Puerto Rico will hold one workout on Monday in Hiram Bithorn Stadium before opening Pool C play on Tuesday night against Panama.
Box Score
Puerto Rico----6 NY Mets----1
USA versus San Francisco

- "CNN"
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Rocket is ready.
Roger Clemens struck out three in two scoreless innings and Chase Utley went 5-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in Team USA's debut Sunday -- a 12-7 exhibition victory over a San Francisco Giants split squad.
Utley's two-run shot off Jack Taschner broke a 7-7 tie in the eighth inning of a game that went 10 to allow extra work for Team USA players, some of whom had not had an at-bat this spring.
Chipper Jones also hit a two-run homer for the U.S. squad, which opens its World Baseball Classic play Tuesday against Mexico at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Clemens, who has yet to say whether he will pitch another season in the majors, got the start. The 43-year-old right-hander allowed just one hit, Steve Finley's two-out double in the first. Clemens threw 29 pitches. He struck out the last two batters he faced and three of his last four.
"It was everything I expected it to be, a lot of pride," he said. "Finally, everything's come together."
Clemens will start Friday against South Africa.
Commissioner Bud Selig, who pushed strongly for the 16-nation tournament, spoke to the U.S. team in the clubhouse before the game, played in hazy sunshine before a near-capacity crowd of about 10,000 at Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants' spring training home.
"I wanted to thank them, but what I really wanted to say was how much this meant to me and to a lot of other people," Selig said. "And I wish you could have heard their responses. It was just tremendous. ... The individual response I got from almost every player was just absolutely remarkable. I don't mind telling you I won't forget this day for a long time."
Jones started at third base ahead of Alex Rodriguez and homered off Billy Sadler in Team USA's six-run second. Sadler relieved Giants starter Matt Morris.
"It was kind of cool, a career highlight," the Atlanta Braves' slugger said. "I don't care if it is an exhibition game, to be able to run around the bases with USA across my chest and have Junior [Ken Griffey Jr.] and Brian Schneider waiting at home to give you high fives."
Two U.S. runs in the second scored on an error by San Francisco second baseman Ray Durham.
The Giants scored four runs on five hits off Al Leiter in the second inning. Fred Lewis' RBI single in the seventh tied it at 7.
Clemens repeated earlier comments that his play in the Classic would have no impact on his decision of whether to play another season. He clearly is savoring his spring experience.
"When we get under way on Tuesday it's going to be special," Clemens said. "I definitely want at this stage of my career to really absorb these moments."
The United States, Mexico, Canada and South Africa make up Pool B in the first round. Each team plays the other three, with the top two finishers advancing to the second round March 12-16 in Anaheim, Calif. The semifinals and finals are March 18 and 20 in San Diego.
Box Score
USA----12 San Francisco----7
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So tomorrow the tournament gets going properly. We've seen Pool A play out and seen Korea and Japan progress through to the next round. Here are tomorrow's fixtures:
Fixtures (7th March)
Pool B
Mexico versus USA Canada versus South Africa
Pool C
Panama versus Puerto Rico
Pool D
Dominican Republic versus Venezuela Australia versus Italy
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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TC Admin
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Mar 7 2006, 05:07 PM
Post #33
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- Tealey
- Mar 5 2006, 03:59 PM
Standings
Pool A
Korea----3-0-0 GROUP WINNER Japan----2-1-0 GROUP RUNNER UP Chinese Taipei----1-2-0 China----0-3-0
Pool B
Canada----0-0-0 Mexico----0-0-0 South Africa----0-0-0 USA----0-0-0
Oh I get it! The Teams don't all play at once, they complete the Group before first! Next up, Group B!
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 Credit to Bandit! @TheComplexII
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Tealey
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Mar 7 2006, 06:07 PM
Post #34
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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well no actually. grooup a was played before anyone else because its on the other side of the world, bets it out of the way. the other groups are played simultaneously, starting from tonight onwards....
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 8 2006, 05:14 PM
Post #35
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (7th March)
So the other Pools were started up yesterday.
Pool B
USA versus Mexico

- "WBC"
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PHOENIX -- Derrek Lee has won the World Series. He was on the field less than three years ago when his Florida Marlins shocked the vaunted New York Yankees and locked up Game 6 on the hallowed Yankee Stadium turf.
That was the tops for Lee, the All-Star first baseman who flirted with the Triple Crown last season as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Until Tuesday.
"I never would have said this yesterday," Lee said after Team USA's 2-0 victory over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic opener for both teams, "but today, being on the field, I think this means more. It's like Jake Peavy said, 'You're not playing for your city, you're playing for your country.' When you have your country behind you, there's a lot of responsibility. There's no monetary motivation for this. Guys came to this team to play for their country. It's as simple as that."
After Peavy and Mike Timlin were the first of seven pitchers to shut down the Mexicans on four hits, all of them singles, Lee stirred up the six-hit U.S. offense with a long fourth-inning home run off Mexico starter Rodrigo Lopez.
Chipper Jones added another solo shot in the seventh, and that was all the Americans needed in front of 32,727, including a huge contingent from the local Mexican community, who wore the country colors of red and green, danced in the aisles, and wildly jeered Alex Rodriguez each time he came to bat.
Asked about the booing, Rodriguez, who chose Team USA over the Dominicans for this Classic, said he was chided by his new teammates.
"The Rocket was making fun of me. He said, 'Did you decline to play for the Mexican team, too?'" A-Rod said with a laugh.
Timlin pitched a scoreless fourth and earned the win. And Brad Lidge finished up with a 1-2-3 ninth to record the save.
A U.S. victory over Canada on Wednesday in a 4 p.m. ET start at Chase would virtually lock up a trip for the U.S. to the second round in Anaheim against Japan and Korea. Team USA's third Pool B game is Friday against South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium. If the U.S. should win this pool, its first game at Angel Stadium would be against Asian pool-winning Korea at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
Lee, who started at first base on Tuesday and played the duration, said the feeling of running around the bases after taking Lopez deep to right-center with two out in the fourth was unparalleled.
"I was floating, I really was," Lee said. "It was just a great feeling. Really hard to explain. When you hit a home run during the season, you feel like you did your job. When you hit a home run in something like this, it's kind of different."
Jones had just replaced Rodriguez as a defensive replacement at third base in the seventh. He was the second batter in the bottom of the inning, and batting left-handed against new Braves teammate, righty reliever Oscar Villarreal, the switch-hitting Jones went the opposite way to left.
Jones also hit a two-run poke against the San Francisco Giants in a 12-7 tune-up win at Scottsdale Stadium on Sunday.
"I'm just trying to play my way into the lineup. That's what I'm trying to do," Jones said about his early stellar play for Team USA.
But seriously, folks.
"I said the other day after the exhibition game that if I don't get another hit the whole tournament, just going around the bases with that USA across my chest is a career highlight," Jones said. "To come back and do it again today and give our bullpen a little breathing room was another huge thrill."
And this comes from a man who has played in 92 postseason games, all for the Braves, including a victory in the 1995 World Series.
Peavy started for the U.S., and threw only 23 pitches as he breezed through his three innings, allowing just an infield single while striking out three. Because of double plays in the first and second innings, Peavy faced only the minimum nine batters.
Peavy went down to the bullpen to put in a little extra work, but he never gave a second thought to leaving the game as planned.
"I wanted to win with everything I had within me," the 24-year-old San Diego Padres right-hander said. "I can't tell you the amount of pride you have when you put that uniform on. With all of America watching, the coolest thing about this -- and Tommy Lasorda said it this morning -- when the Dodgers win a game, Dodgers fans are happy. America is our fans. We have a pretty big fan base. We don't want to walk out there and let those guys down."
Box Score
USA----2 Mexico----0
Canada versus South Africa

- "WBC"
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It almost was a case of "Oh, Oh Canada" Tuesday night at Scottsdale Stadium.
Three outs away from a shocking loss to a spunky South Africa team in the World Baseball Classic, Team Canada rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to pull out an 11-8 victory and breathe a lot easier going into its game against Team USA on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field.
Stunned with a three-run South Africa rally in the bottom of the eighth inning off right-handed reliever Chris Reitsma to fall behind by a run, the Canadians used a leadoff triple from Aaron Guiel and an ensuing double by Adam Stern to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt that worked much better than expected produced the go-ahead run and this time -- the third time in the game -- the lead held.
Right-hander Jesse Crain, the sixth pitcher used by Team Canada manager Ernie Whitt, recorded the final three outs to get the save.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't feel [worried] going into the ninth inning," Canada third baseman Corey Koskie said. "But one of the great things about baseball is I knew we had a good chance."
And when Guiel drilled a leadoff triple into the right-field corner off Jared Elario, a 17-year-old high school junior, the mood in the visiting dugout lifted, and the fuse was lit for a furious and just-in-time comeback.
"Guys were jumping up and down in the dugout," Koskie said. "It was exciting."
The World Baseball Classic was like playing two completely different games.
The starting pitching was superb -- no runs scored in the first four innings.
The relief work by both teams was spotty, as Team Canada blew two three-run leads, and South Africa, which had eight wild pitches, walked 11 batters and squandered two leads.
But what stood out the most in the game was that neither team backed down. Adversity never had a chance against these two.
"The good point is we kept battling back and that shows the character of this ballclub," Whitt said.
"We just never stopped," South Africa manager Rick Magnate added. "We just kept playing all the way. We got down, we came back. It was a tremendous effort. I couldn't be more proud of the effort, that's for sure."
Team Canada also kept getting down and coming back, until there were only three outs remaining and they needed to score one run to get even, two for a little breathing room and three or more for a little relaxation.
"Usually, it's early in Spring Training and you don't play with this intensity," said Koskie, who went 1-for-3 with a home run. "There was no 75 to 80 percent out there. It was 100 to 110 percent all the way through. Nobody was leaving anything behind. You saw that with our guys, and their guys.
"Everyone was putting out to the end. We were going after it."
And almost four hours after it started, Team Canada had a win it probably needed to advance to the second round of the inaugural Classic. Imagine losing to South Africa and having to come back 13 hours later and face Marlins ace left-hander Dontrelle Willis.
The good news for Whitt's team is the middle of Team Canada's lineup features four Major League hitters capable of doing some damage in a quick and timely fashion.
That's exactly what happened as the three-through-six batters combined for three doubles, one home run, four runs and five RBIs to lead the Team Canada offense.
Jason Bay (Pirates) and Justin Morneau (Twins) ignited a four-run seventh inning with back-to-back doubles, and Koskie (Brewers) put Team Canada ahead with a towering home run to right field. One of the Pool B favorites, Canada overcame a sluggish start to get a win it needed to harbor hopes of advancing in the 16-team tournament.
Left-hander Erik Bedard (Orioles) worked four scoreless innings for Team Canada and was in position to be the winning pitcher, thanks to a three-run fifth inning, before South Africa's rally.
Only one of the runs was earned, but Canada was in no position to feel bad about the two gift runs handed them. On what would have been an inning-ending strikeout, caught-stealing double play, South Africa third baseman John Phillips had the ball knocked out of his glove as he tagged the sliding Stubby Clapp.
Given a chance to do some damage, designated hitter Matt Stairs -- who has the most Major League at-bats on the team with 3,895 -- drilled a two-run double to center field. The drive scored Clapp from third and Bay from first.
Canada already had scored the game's first run on a leadoff walk to Stern, bunt single, stolen base and infield out. After Bay walked and with a 2-and-2 count on Morneau, Clapp and Stern attempted a double steal. Morneau struck out and catcher Bless Kemp's throw to third base arrived in time to get Clapp, for what should have been a double play.
The underdog South Africa team struck back immediately, scoring four runs off Team Canada right-hander Paul Quantrill, one of six pitchers with big-league experience. Right-handed reliever Reitsma (Braves) picked up the win, though he surrendered the three eighth-inning runs.
Box Score
Canada----11 South Africa----8
Pool C
Puerto Rico versus Panama

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The capacity crowd at Hiram Bithorn Stadium erupted when he was introduced during the pregame ceremony, chanted his name during each at-bat, and those near the home dugout went into an all-out frenzy each time his head popped out for a look.
It was a reception fit for a king, and Bernie Williams did not disappoint.
The veteran outfielder played like royalty Tuesday, picking up two hits to pace Puerto Rico to a 2-1 victory over Panama in front of 19,043 as the World Baseball Classic kicked off on the enchanted island.
"This was the game that broke the ice," Williams said. "Even though we are enjoying the moment, we realize there is a lot of series left."
Alexis Rios did his part with a solo home run.
The crowd roared not only for Williams, but also for every single one of his teammates. The enthusiasm was reflected on the field.
In the third inning, center fielder Carlos Beltran slid headfirst into first base on a ground ball that ricocheted off Panama first baseman Audes De Leon. De Leon still made the play and Beltran was called out, but the move was typical of a Puerto Rican team doing everything it could for the victory, as was Williams dropping a sacrifice bunt in the third inning.
Panama would not be as lucky in the fifth. Amid chants of "Bernie, Bernie, Bernie," the Yankees outfielder brought home Alex Cintron with a single up the middle for Puerto Rico's second run of the frame. Cintron, who had singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Cora, raced around third base and slid home ahead of Ruben Rivera's throw from center field, putting the home team ahead, 2-1.
Ecstatic, Cintron tossed his helmet into the air after crossing the plate and was mobbed as he came back to the dugout.
Among those who greeted Cintron was an elated Rios. Minutes before, Rios had been on the receiving end of a celebration after driving a hanging curveball from Panama starter Lenin Picota over the left-field wall to tie the game at 1.
Through it all, Williams stood proudly at second base, absorbing the moment and hearing his name echo throughout the park.
"I felt like I was playing the World Series in March," Williams said. "It was a great feeling. There is something very special about playing in my country, in my hometown. People chanting my name was a very special feeling for me. I will treasure that."
At 37, Williams is the elder statesman on the club. He is arguably the most popular player on the team, and might as well be the team's official captain. He grew nearby in Vega Alta.
"Bernie is a clutch hitter," Puerto Rico manager Jose Oquendo said. "He knows how to play the game and it's been proven through the years. In tough situations, he always comes through."
Williams might have fewer chances come the regular season. New York signed Johnny Damon to patrol center field, making Williams' playing time limited at best. He knows that. He also believes he can still play the game on a high level.
"I feel that I am ready to go and put in a good season for the Yankees this year and hopefully open some eyes," Williams said. "I know it's a long season ahead of me and hopefully I will play good enough that they can see that I can still help the club in many ways."
As glorious as it was for Williams and company, Panama almost spoiled the evening with an upset.
Carlos Lee scored Panama's first run of the game in the fourth inning, reaching base on a single and advancing around the diamond on three consecutive walks -- one by Vazquez and two by Federico Baez, who relieved him. Vazquez was charged with the run, his only blemish in three efficient innings. The White Sox hurler allowed three hits and struck out two batters in the 57-pitch outing.
"My body feels great, but I was getting a little tired in the fourth," Vazquez said. "It is still Spring Training for us."
After the game, Oquendo praised Vazquez, but even the manager knew this night belonged to Bernie. So did the crowd. They chanted his name after the game, sending him off to the winning clubhouse with a smile.
"He is a professional," Oquendo said. "He did what he always does."
Box Score
Puerto Rico----2 Panama----1
Pool D
Dominican Republic versus Venezuela

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It's likely Disney's Wide World of Sports, spring home of the Atlanta Braves, was never as loud as it was on this sunny, breezy, picture-perfect Tuesday afternoon.
The rivalry between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, usually saved exclusively for the Carribean World Series, was alive and well in Lake Buena Vista on Tuesday, as the Dominicans topped Venezuela, 11-5, to take the first of six games that will be played within Pool D of the World Baseball Classic.
The fans were seemingly split 50-50 between their allegiances to their native countries. Equally enthusiastic, Dominican and Venezuelan fans proudly waved their respective flags and cheered loudly throughout the contest, whether it was for home runs, groundouts or fly balls.
For natives of Latin countries, this method of baseball fandom is built on tradition.
"The atmosphere out there is something that pretty much every Latin person has it going on in their blood," erstwhile Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said. "Everybody has a lot of passion for the baseball game. That's something that we live day-by-day. And everybody -- every single player, the coaches, everybody that is involved in the game -- put a lot into it."
Venezuela starting pitcher Johan Santana agreed.
"In our countries, fans go beyond the game," he said. "It's not just about being a fan. It's about passion. It's about loving the game. I think when it comes down to that in the Latin countries, I think we do a pretty good job.
"It's nothing against anybody. I think American fans are great, too. It's just that it's a different feeling when you play, especially when you play and represent your country."
Ortiz carries with him a hulking presence, even before he steps to the plate. Known as "Big Papi" to the Red Sox Nation, his wide smile and enthusiasm for the game are well-known throughout the myriad of regions that house Major League fans. He made the Dominican fans proud on Tuesday, when he went deep twice in what turned out to be a lopsided win.
Ortiz led off the second frame with a solo homer off Santana, and added a second homer in the ninth, a two-run shot off Venezuelan left-hander Carlos Hernandez to ice the game.
Adrian Beltre also recorded a multihomer game. He knocked a three-run blast off Carlos Zambrano to contribute to a four-run fifth frame, and he also went deep off Jorge Julio in the ninth, giving the Dominicans a five-run advantage.
Reigning American League Cy Young Award-winner Bartolo Colon allowed four hits over three scoreless frames, walking one and striking out two. Once Colon departed, the Venezuelans chipped away at the Dominican lead, plating five runs from the fourth through the seventh, including a two-run shot by Miguel Cabera off Miguel Batista in the fifth and a solo homer by Edgardo Alfonzo, also off Batista.
Anyone who views these games as meaningless exhibitions has yet to see the expression of determination on the players' faces. Regardless of how little these matchups count in the standings, there is something even more important on the line: pride.
The Dominican Republic and Venezuela have a history. The two teams meet in the Caribbean World Series, and this winter, Venezuela seemed to have the Dominicans' number.
Venezuela beat the Dominican twice in the Caribbean World Series, winning both times in a round-robin format. Venezuela went 6-0 in the tournament, while the Dominican Republic went 4-2.
The players involved in the World Baseball Classic do not view this as a rematch from what happened over the winter, or for a way for the Dominicans to exact revenge on Venezuela. But they do understand why the fans might see it that way.
"Most of the players here were not involved in the Caribbean Series," Dominican manager Manny Acta said. "That was something that basically the fans were the ones that were really involved in that, took it personal. We were going to try to beat whoever we faced, whether they speak English, Spanish or Italian."
Added Ortiz: "We've got a group of guys that are very professional in what they're doing. Nobody's thinking about what happened in the Caribbean Series."
But they are thinking about what happened on Tuesday, and so far, it's advantage: Dominican.
Box Score
Dominican Republic----11 Venezuela----5
Italy versus Australia

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- So much for that thought that Italy would be the only team Australia would beat in the World Baseball Classic.
Unable to solve Jason Grilli or any of the other Italian pitchers they faced at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Tuesday night, Australia found its easiest task in Pool D to be rather rough.
With John Stephens unable to match Grilli's mastery or even provide what could be termed a respectable start, Australia fell behind early and never recovered on its way to a mercy-rule loss. With Italy leading 10-0 after seven innings and Classic rules in place, the game was called.
"It's extremely disappointing," Australian team captain Dave Nilsson said. "We never really had a chance to compete tonight. They jumped out of the gates early and never really looked back. That's probably the most disappointing thing for the whole team is that we were never in it."
Australia's next game in the round-robin format will come Thursday night against Venezuela. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the second round.
Putting an end to the frustrating evening was Tom Gregorio, who delivered a two-out seventh-inning RBI double. During the Classic, games will be called if a team is leading by 10 runs after both teams have had at least seven at-bats.
Utilizing a sharp breaking ball, Grilli, who has made 18 appearances in four big league seasons, was simply sensational. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one hit -- Trent Durrington's one-out, fourth inning double -- and recorded seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. He threw 37 of his 57 pitches for strikes.
"He was aggressive with his fastball and was locating his breaking ball," Durrington said. "He got ahead of everybody. He had the momentum and had us where he wanted to."
Italian manager Matt Galante was hopeful that Grilli, who grew up in the Orlando area, would be able to give him at least four innings. His performance combined with the mercy-rule victory allowed the Italians to use just two pitchers, which gives them a bonus as they prepare for games against the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. "He set the tone for the game," Galante said. "We couldn't ask for anything better than that."
While Grilli allowed just one of the 15 batters he faced to get on base, Stephens, who made 11 starts for Baltimore in 2002, simply couldn't find a groove. The 26-year-old right-hander allowed three earned runs and issued three walks in 1 2/3 innings. He threw just 21 of his 47 pitches for strikes.
"It's early in the season for (Stephens)," said Phil Brassington, a right-hander who will start Thursday night's game against Venezuela. "It takes a little while to get into a groove and into a rhythm. He didn't seem to get settled tonight and he didn't get ahead of hitters. That's how it goes."
All of the damage against Stephens came in Italy's three-run second inning. Helped with two walks, the Italians gained the early advantage with the help of Frank Menechino's two-out, two-run double.
Mike Piazza, Italy's most recognizable player, continued his team's offensive charge by beginning the third inning with a double off Paul Mildren. Two batters later, he trotted home on a Valentino Pascuccci triple that appeared to be going over the centerfield wall before Trent Oeltjen got a glove on it and brought it back into the field of play.
Unfortunately for the Australians, Oeltjen wasn't able to provide the same acrobatics on the balls that Mark Saccomanno and Vincent Sinisi drilled for two-run homers in the fifth and sixth innings.
Saccomanno, Catalanotto and Dustin Delucchi paced Italy's 11-hit attack with two hits apiece. The first four Australians to take the mound, Stephens, Mildren, Adam Bright and Rich Thomson, all allowed at least two earned runs.
"They swung the bats well and had the momentum the whole game and they pitched well," Nilsson said. "I think we could have made better adjustments, but it's just the way the game went."
Box Score
Italy----10 Australia----0
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So various teams won and various teams lost. See the post titled 'Standings' to see how the pools are shaping up at this early stage.
Fixtures
March 8th
Canada versus USA South Africa versus Mexico Cuba versus Panama Puerto Rico versus Holland Italy versus Venezuela Australia versus Boston Japan versus Seattle Korea versus Kansas City
Laters.
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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TC Admin
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Mar 9 2006, 06:29 PM
Post #36
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Canada beat the USA!
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 Credit to Bandit! @TheComplexII
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Tealey
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Mar 9 2006, 08:11 PM
Post #37
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (8th March)
Yet more matches were played yesterday in front of packed out stadiums.
Exhibition Games
Australia versus Boston
- "Red Sox MLB Site"
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Kevin Youkilis' two-run homer in the third inning was all the scoring the Red Sox needed, as they defeated Team Australia, 3-0, on Sunday night at City of Palms Park, before 5,370. With one out in the third, Mark Loretta walked and scored on Youkilis' first-pitch home run over the left-field fence. The Sox added another run in the sixth as Ron Calloway, who had singled and stole second, scored on David Murphy's single.
The Aussies threatened in the second inning, when Brendan Kingman and Tom Brice each singled and advanced to third and second, respectively, on a passed ball, but Jon Lester struck out Matthew Kent swinging and got Brad Harman to ground out.
Phil Seibel got the win and Kason Gabbard got the save for the Sox, while Craig Anderson took the loss for the Aussies.
Australia sent seven pitchers to the mound for an inning of work each. In a Spring Training-only special, the teams played a full seven innings, despite Boston's lead, to ensure the Australian pitchers could get their work in.
The Australians leave Fort Myers, where they had been working out prior to their Pool D competition in the World Baseball Classic, on Monday morning. Their next game is Tuesday against Team Italy.
The Red Sox's next game is Monday against the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg.
Box Score
Boston----3 Australia----0
Japan versus Seattle

- "Mariners MLB Site"
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PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Japanese team for the World Baseball Classic might have been disappointed when it lost a game to Korea last week, but the club's first try against Major League competition had to provide some warmth on a chilly Wednesday night in the desert. Starter Koji Uehara dominated the Seattle Mariners for five innings, Ichiro Suzuki burned his regular-season team with an RBI single, and a mixture of timely hitting and heady baserunning got Team Japan back in the win column with a 6-5 tally before 2,086 in Peoria Stadium.
"I'm really pleased with the way the team played," Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said through an interpreter. "I feel the skill is improving with the team. ... I was really impressed with the energy level my boys put out tonight."
Team Japan, already qualified for next week's second round of the Classic in Anaheim, will play Cactus League exhibitions on Thursday (against Texas) and Friday (against Milwaukee) before heading to Southern California.
"The Japanese have a good ballclub," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "It's obvious that they've been working at this a little bit longer than we have this spring."
That statement could have been reserved for Uehara alone.
The right-hander baffled a Mariners lineup with four projected Opening Day starters, giving up one hit in five innings and facing the minimum 15 hitters. He struck out six, including Seattle shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and designated hitter Carl Everett twice each.
Uehara retired seven straight hitters until Greg Dobbs lined a single to right field with one out in the third inning. But Uehara erased that threat by getting Oswaldo Navarro to hit into a routine 6-4-3 double play. Uehara then put down the next six hitters in order -- three via strikeout.
"I have no complaints about Uehara's pitching," Oh said. "I would say it's up there as one of his best performances that I've seen."
The Japanese hitters didn't need to do much, but they did enough in the second inning.
Mariners starter Travis Blackley, who had only pitched one inning -- in a "B" game last week -- of competitive baseball since late 2004 because of shoulder injuries, walked the first batter, then gave up two straight singles, including an RBI knock by Michihiro Ogasawara that gave Team Japan a 1-0 lead.
The Japanese team added a run two batters later when Munenori Kawasaki hit an RBI fielder's choice, and Ichiro struck next, lining an RBI single to left field to give Japan a 3-0 advantage.
Japan added a run in the fifth off Mariners righty Dave Burba when Kawasaki bunted for a single, stole second and scored on a Tsuyoshi Nishioka single.
The Mariners scored their first runs in the seventh inning. Betancourt stroked a leadoff triple off Naoyuki Shimizu and scored on Richie Sexson's fielder's choice. Everett followed with a double and scored on a Rob Johnson single, bringing the contest to 4-2.
Japan scored twice in the eighth, with Nishioka driving in a run with a fielder's choice and Nobuhiko Matsunaka doubling in another.
Seattle made a late charge in the ninth when Roberto Petagine hit a three-run blast, but the Mariners were unable to complete the comeback.
Ichiro went 2-for-4, notching his first two-hit game since joining Team Japan. He went 3-for-13 (.231) in Pool A play, hitting a single in each of the team's first three games.
He and Hargrove agreed that having Ichiro on the opposing team was a strange experience.
"It was a little weird," Ichiro said through an interpreter, "but I was happy to see everybody. I haven't seen them for many months, and there's new members [of the team]. I'm looking forward to the season."
And Hargrove is looking forward to a season with Ichiro back in right field and in the leadoff spot.
"It was odd seeing him on the other team," Hargrove said.
"I'd rather see him with us."
Box Score
Japan----6 Seattle----5
Korea versus Kansas City

- "Royals MLB Site"
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Korea did not have good pitching or timely hitting in their 7-4 loss to the split-squad Royals team on Wednesday night, but give them a break: Their last game was three days ago, with a 16-hour time difference. Korea's manager, In Sik Kim, said that he is not too worried with the result, despite throwing three of his Major League pitchers -- Chan Ho Park, Jae Weong Seo and Byung-Hyun Kim -- against a Royals team that featured Mike Sweeney as the only regular from the lineup. To make things worse, Sweeney's big bat was not even a factor, as he went 0-3 on the night.
Korea team captain Jong Beom Lee, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts, echoed his coach's sentiments.
"It was because of the time difference and jet lag," said the center fielder through a translator. "We have a week left [to adjust], and I'm confident most players will be healthy at that time."
Offensively, Lee added, the movement of the balls from the Kansas City pitchers was more than he was used to seeing. Team Korea notched nine hits against nine Kansas City pitchers, with right-hander Bobby Keppel starting. Leadoff hitter Byung Kyu Lee and No. 2 hitter Jong Beom Lee were the only Korean players with multiple hits in the game, with two each. In Sik Kim said that he was most disappointed in his team's inability to get base runners home, with Korea leaving a man on base in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
The Korean pitchers did not do much to help their team either. San Diego's Park got the start for the Koreans, despite being used as the closer in two of the team's first-round World Baseball Classic games. His first pitch to each of the four batters he faced was called a ball, but he got out of the inning unscathed thanks to some tough defensive plays made behind him. Park gave up two runs in the second, a Paul Phillips double to center field to score Alex Gordon, and a single by second baseman Angel Sanchez to bring home Phillips. Park was done after two innings, giving up four hits and two runs (both earned), and striking out one.
"I was trying to refresh myself," said Park through a translator. "Today against Kansas City I was concentrating on my pace, not to get the win. I want to make my body ready for the next [World Baseball Classic] game."
Park added that he was happy to be in Arizona playing a couple of games in the middle of the pressures that come from playing for one's country in the World Baseball Classic.
"Being here, it feels like a spring game," he said. "Usually I am here for Spring Training [in March], so it feels like Spring Training now."
The Koreans got on the board in the top of the third, when Byung Kyu Lee scored on a passed ball by Phillips. Earlier in the inning, Lee had hit a double off the wall between center and right field, and took third on a wild pitch by Adam Bernero.
After both teams went scoreless in the fourth, each added a run in the fifth. Jong Kook Kim scored off a Jong Beom Lee single up the middle, and Angel Sanchez came around from second to score on an Andres Blanco triple to the right-field corner.
Kansas City pitching shut out Korea for the next three innings before giving up two runs in the ninth. The Koreans brought seven batters to the plate in that inning, their most of the game. The runs scored as a result of three consecutive singles, starting with Min Jae Kim's to left field to move Seong Hoon Jeong -- who'd walked earlier in the frame -- to third. Sung Heon Hong singled in Jeong, and Byung Kyu Lee's single brought in Kim to make the score 7-4.
Box Score
Korea----4 Kansas City----7
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Pool B
Canada versus USA
- "WBC"
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PHOENIX -- Less than 24 hours after nearly falling to an unheralded South Africa team, Canada made some serious waves in the World Baseball Classic's Pool B by beating Team USA, 8-6, on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field.
Canada now controls its own destiny to advance to the tournament's next round entering its Thursday meeting with Mexico.
"I know for a fact that we don't have the depth that other countries have," Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. "But we do have a lot of heart and that's why I enjoy managing this team."
Eyebrows were raised when Whitt elected to flip-flop starting pitchers Erik Bedard and Adam Loewen, which meant that Loewen, who pitched in Class A last year, would face a USA lineup jammed with experienced Major League hitters.
But Loewen made Whitt look like a genius, as the lefty used his cut fastball to come in on right-handers during his 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
"A lot of people questioned why we made the switch, why we would throw a young gun into a situation like that," Whitt said. "But to me, it's a coming-out party for Loewen, and he handled it very well and kept us in the game."
POOL B SCENARIOS Canada advances: • If it wins Thursday in its game against Mexico, finishing Pool play with a perfect 3-0 record. • If it loses Thursday against Mexico, but allows two runs or less.
Team USA advances: • If Canada defeats Mexico on Thursday, and USA defeats South Africa on Friday. • If Mexico defeats Canada and scores three or more runs, and USA defeats South Africa on Friday.
Mexico advances: • If it defeats Canada on Thursday. • If it loses to Canada, and USA loses to South Africa by seven or more runs. Actually, his outing did more than that, because while he was throwing up zeroes, his teammates were battering United States starter Dontrelle Willis and reliever Al Leiter.
Canada scored in each of the first five innings to build an 8-0 advantage. Four of the runs were a direct result of No. 9 hitter Adam Stern, who tripled in a run, singled in two, and drove in another with an inside-the-park homer in the fifth.
"There's no question Adam is swinging the bat well," Whitt said. "I think the biggest thing is with that, he came into this tournament pumped, excited, wanted to play. But not just with Adam, but every other guy on this team, they wanted to be here."
Stern also wants to be in the Major Leagues, and if Wednesday was a coming-out party for Loewen, it was equally so for Stern. The 26-year-old was a Rule 5 Draft pick by the Red Sox last year, and suffered through an injury-plagued 2005. He saw very little playing time and wound up with a .133 batting average.
"Obviously, last year was tough -- battling injuries, and I didn't play a lot," he said. "I want to go out there and play, that's what I want to do. I love the game a lot."
Stern deflected the attention after the game from himself to his teammates and his country.
"They have the most talent, I won't lie," Stern said of the United States. "But that's why we play the games. One game, you don't know what's going to happen. Over 162, I don't know if we'd fare so hot. But one game, you've just got to go out there and bust it, and that's what we did."
After Canada scored a run in the top of the first off Willis, it looked like Team USA would respond with a big inning in the bottom half, as it loaded the bases with one out for Chipper Jones.
But Loewen got Jones, who hit a solo homer in USA's 2-0 win over Mexico on Tuesday, to ground into an inning-ending double play, and the tone for the game was set.
"We had a chance with the bases loaded early in the ballgame and didn't take advantage of it, and that kind of gave [Loewen] some confidence," USA manager Buck Martinez said. "He showed a lot of poise for a guy who hasn't pitched above A ball."
That double play helped Loewen settle down, because he was admittedly more nervous for this start than any previous one.
"At that point, we were only up 1-0, so we really needed to bear down and get those two outs," he said. "I had to make the best pitch that I possibly could and hope for the best. It kind of set the tone for the next couple of innings. I felt more comfortable out there."
The United States made things interesting in the bottom of the fifth, as it put together a six-run rally that was capped when Jason Varitek cracked a two-out grand slam to center. The blast, which came off Eric Cyr, brought USA to within 8-6.
"He's obviously an All-Star hitter, and I made a mistake and he took advantage of it," Cyr said. "After that, I just calmed down a little bit, and just got back in the game and got focused."
Box Score
Canada----8 USA----6
Mexico versus South Africa

- "WBC"
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One thing has become clear about South Africa's entry in the World Baseball Classic.
It may be a bit short on talent, but it has an excess of heart.
South Africa battled hard Wednesday night, but couldn't hold off a relentless Team Mexico offense and fell, 9-4, in a World Baseball Classic game in front of a boisterous crowd of 7,937 at Scottsdale Stadium.
With the loss, South Africa (0-2) is assured of not being one of the two teams from Pool B in this round-robin tournament to advance to the second round on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif. South Africa does have one more game left, as it will square off against Roger Clemens and Team USA on Friday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium.
"We're the only team with two losses, and I don't think two losses is going to get it done," South Africa manager Rick Magnante said. "So we're just playing for a little bit of pride, and an opportunity to play against the USA."
With the win, Mexico (1-1) kept its hopes of advancing alive, and it will face Canada on Thursday evening at Chase Field with a chance to advance to the second round.
South Africa captured the attention of Classic watchers during Tuesday night's opening game, when it pushed Canada to the limit before dropping an 11-8 decision.
But Wednesday's game belonged to Mexico from the start, as it scored two runs in the first, one in the second, and two in the third to grab the early 5-0 lead.
As they did on Tuesday, South Africa battled back, scoring three runs in the fourth thanks to a two-run triple by Jason Cook and a run-scoring single by Kyle Botha, cutting the lead to 5-3.
But that was as close as South Africa could come, as Mexico scored three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to pad its lead.
Darryn Smith (0-1) started for South Africa and suffered the loss, as he allowed five runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Most of South Africa's top pitchers saw action in Tuesday's contest, and will pitch again on Friday against USA.
"We wanted to set it up so our best pitchers would pitch in two of the three games, and that's what we aimed for, and that's what we've accomplished," Magnante said.
South Africa managed 11 hits off six Mexico pitchers.
"I think what with we had out there today, they did as good a job as they could have done," Magnante said. "So when you look at the scoreboard, [Mexico] had 12 hits and we had 11, so we swung the bats well. We didn't play stellar defense, and we put the first hitter on seven out of eight innings, and that's not going to give you a chance to keep the opposition at bay."
Mexico seemingly had the game wrapped up, heading into the ninth leading, 10-4, but South Africa wound up loading the bases with two outs and cleanup hitter Nicholas Dempsey at the plate. Big-league veteran Dennys Reyes, however, was able to close the door for Mexico by fanning Dempsey.
"We had the tying run in the hole, we had the hitter we wanted at the plate, and it just didn't happen tonight," Magnante said. "I'm sure the boys are pleased with the way they battled, and in view of the fact that our frontline pitching went [Tuesday], I think our guys acquitted ourselves very well this evening."
No surprise there.
Box Score
Mexico----10 South Africa----4
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Pool C
Cuba versus Panama

- "WBC"
-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Leading up to its matchup against Panama, no other team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic had received as much attention for its state of affairs off the field as Cuba.
The constant talk of security measures, its communist government and defection were issues that all seemingly moved to the forefront, making the sport and the country's rich history of athletics secondary.
On Wednesday, Cuba second baseman Yulieski Gourriel and his teammates reminded the 6,129 in attendance at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and anyone who was paying attention the reason for the season -- and the tournament.
It's about baseball and pride, not to mention a healthy competition between countries.
Gourriel proved the point by hitting a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie, and Yoandy Garbolo reiterated it by driving home Michel Enrique in the 11th inning with what proved to be the game-winner in an 8-6 victory that featured half as many combined hit batsman as runs.
Gourriel walked and scored Cuba's eighth run of the game in the eventful 11th. Enrique reached base after being hit for the third time in the game. Overall, there were seven hit batsmen.
"I was very impressed with the way they played, because they play as a team," Panama starter Bruce Chen said. "They do the little things, and they tried to win. They tried everything for the team to win."
Cuba (1-0) next plays the Netherlands here on Thursday night. The Dutch team began round-robin play in Pool C on Wednesday night against Puerto Rico, which won its opener on Tuesday.
Panama fell to 0-2 in Pool C, making it unlikely that the country will advance to the next round of the tournament, even with a win on Friday against the Netherlands.
Gourriel, who finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, did it all.
"First, I am very happy," Gourriel said. "We played a good game, and what is most important is that my team won and also that so many foreign television stations were here today. It was a very good opportunity for everybody in the world to see that Cuban baseball players play well anywhere in the world at any level."
With Cuba ahead, 6-4, Panama loaded the bases in the ninth inning and plated a run on a base hit by Olmedo Saenz to cut the Cuban lead to one. Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya recovered to strike out Carlos Lee, but then hit the next batter, Earl Agnoly, with the bases loaded, to tie the game at 6.
The high number of hit batters surprised only a few. Panama and Cuba have met several times in international competition, so calling the game a rivalry is an understatement.
"The game was so close, I don't think anybody was trying to hit anybody or put anybody on base," Chen said. "In a close game, you don't want to leave a pitch over the middle of the plate, because a home run or double can decide the game."
Early on, it was almost called a blowout.
Panama loaded the bases for the first time with one out in the bottom of the first inning, but Cuban starter Pedro Luis Lazo escaped the inning unscathed when designated hitter Sherman Obando hit into an inning-ending double play that featured a nice toss by shortstop Eduardo Paret, and a fancy bare-handed grab and pivot by the slick-fielding Gourriel.
In the second, Panama catcher Carlos Ruiz walked with one out, and advanced to third when Audes DeLeon followed with a single. Yoni Lasso's ground-rule double drove home Ruiz and pushed Lazo out of the game with Panama ahead, 1-0.
A walk to Freddy Herrera by Cuba's Vicyohandry Odelin loaded the bases again for Panama, this time with two outs, but Saenz hit into a forceout to end the inning and keep Cuba within striking distance.
Cuba managed only one hit off Chen, a starter for the Orioles, in the first two innings, but the club's resilience paid off in the third. Joan Carlos Pedrosa reached base on a shallow single to center field that dropped in a few feet ahead of Ruben Rivera to start the frame, and scooted to third on a pair of sacrifice bunts by Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Tabares.
Paret knocked Pedrosa home from third with a double to left field to tie the game. He scored from second base when Gourriel smoked a line drive to the left-field corner to give Cuba a 2-1 lead.
Chen recovered to strike out Osami Urrutia, but the damage had been done. Cuba, unlike its Panamanian counterparts, did not waste the opportunity to score.
Odelin was stellar, all but eliminating any scoring chances for Panama -- initially. Following the walk to Herrera, Odelin sat down 11 out of the next 12 batters he faced, including 10 in a row through the fifth inning.
But the tiring Cuban pitcher ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up a single to Lee and walking Obando. The next batter, Rivera, followed with a three-run home run.
Panama was up, 4-2, and Odelin was out on a sour note, but Cuba's mood was far from spoiled.
Following a walk to pinch-hitter Ariel Borrero, Ramirez scored on a RBI single by Paret to cut Panama's lead to one run, 4-3. Enrique was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Gourriel.
He did not disappoint.
Gourriel launched a deep drive that was caught by Rivera in deep center field, but which allowed pinch-runner Leslie Anderson to tag up from third base and tie the game at 4.
"If they give [Gourriel] the opportunity to be in the big leagues, he is going to be a fine Major Leaguer," Chen said. "He's young, he's going to get better, and hopefully he is going to have the opportunity. Actually, I felt that if they did not have him, we would have won that game, because I don't know how many RBIs he had, but it seemed like every time he came up to the plate, he was there and part of the rally."
Box Score
Cuba----8 Panama----6
Puerto Rico versus Holland

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The city's favorite team is one victory away from staying around for a while.
Behind three home runs from three of the country's biggest stars, Puerto Rico powered past the Netherlands, 8-3, in front of 15,570 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Wednesday, and continues to inch toward securing a spot in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, also to be held in the stadium.
The win was the second in as many nights for Puerto Rico, leaving the club only one victory away from earning the top seed in Pool C for the next round. Puerto Rico squares off against Cuba (1-0) on Friday.
A victory by Cuba against the Netherlands (0-1) on Thursday would also secure one of the two advancing spots in the tournament for the undefeated Puerto Rico squad.
It's been a challenging tournament for Puerto Rico. The club edged Panama (0-2) by one run, 2-1, on Tuesday. Wednesday's victory against the Netherlands was not any easier although the final score and the number of hits -- 14 -- might indicate otherwise.
Tied at 3 after five innings, Puerto Rico rallied with two runs in the top of the sixth to pull ahead, 5-3. Jose Valentin scored Puerto Rico's fourth run and Luis Matos raced home on a squeeze bunt by Alex Cora for the two-run cushion.
All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez extended the lead to three runs with an opposite-field home run in the seventh inning off Netherlands reliever Jair Jurrjens to end the pitcher's night and put Puerto Rico up, 6-3.
His replacement, Dave Daijer, did not fare much better. He threw one pitch to center fielder Carlos Beltran for a ball and then watched his next delivery sail more than 400 feet and over the wall in center field. Daijer's third pitch nailed Javy Lopez in the hip, prompting a warning to both benches by home plate umpire Kevin Causey.
As for Puerto Rico starter Joel Pineiro, he was in control from the get-go, pitching like the Pineiro of old. The right-hander stymied the Netherlands' offense by changing speeds and keeping virtually every hitter off balance.
The Mariners starter retired the first seven hitters he faced before Netherlands' catcher Sidney de Jong singled to left field for the Netherlands' first hit of the contest. Shortstop Raylinoe Legito followed with another single, but Pineiro would recover and finish the third inning unscathed.
"It starts from here, taking it back to Spring Training and go toward April." Pineiro said. "I like to have a strong start and go out there continue it. Hopefully we can get these two games out of the way and go on to the next round for us and for the people of Puerto Rico."
Pineiro was on a roll. He struck out Braves center fielder Andruw Jones in what appeared to be the start of another easy inning for Puerto Rico in the fourth.
It wasn't.
Randall Simon followed with a bloop single to shallow left field and advanced to second base when Matos misplayed it. Simon moved to third on a ground out and scooted home on a throwing error by Puerto Rico shortstop Alex Cintron to cut Puerto Rico's lead to 3-1.
Pineiro finished the frame was done after four innings of work, but finished the night with a respectable line: three hits, two strikeouts and one unearned run in the 56-pitch outing. His replacement, Willie Collazo, struggled, lasting only two-thirds of an inning and giving up two runs -- the last of which came via a throwing error by Puerto Rico second baseman Alex Cora to turn a potential blowout into a tie at 3.
Puerto Rico wasted little time attacking Netherlands starter Rob Cordemans, scoring one in the first inning, albeit on an error, and again in the third on a home run by Javy Lopez.
Puerto Rico extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Bernie Williams that brought home Matos.
Box Score
Puerto Rico----8 Holland----3
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Pool D
Venezuela versus Italy

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- One night after exacting the mercy rule on Australia, Team Italy managed just two hits against a strong Venezuela pitching staff to drop a 6-0 decision Wednesday as World Baseball Classic competition continued for Pool D.
Italy (1-1) next plays the Dominican Republic (1-0) here on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET. The Italian team began round-robin play in Pool D on Tuesday night against Australia, winning by 10 runs.
Italy will likely have to beat the Dominican in order to advance to the next round.
A capacity crowd of 10,101 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex was firmly in the corner of the Venezuelans, whose pitching staff had few problems with an Italian lineup that had handily beaten the Australians the night before, 10-0.
Of course, there is a big difference between the baseball talent levels of Australia and Venezuela. Featuring a lineup of superstar names from Venezuela such as Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, this game was as lopsided on the field as it was on paper.
"It's tough," manager Matt Galante said. "It's three quality Major League pitchers, and we got two hits. It's tough to win games like that. We tried to stay close where we could get a couple on base and one big hit, but we just couldn't do it."
They came close, once. In the third, Thomas Gregorio drew a one-out walk and advanced to second when Dustin Delucchi reached on an error by first baseman Ramon Hernandez. Tony Giarratano loaded the bases with a base hit to center, but starter Freddy Garcia struck out Frank Menechino and Frank Catalanotto to end the inning.
"Certainly, I think the opportunity was there for us, and you've got to give Freddy credit," Galante said. "He faced two very good hitters and made a great pitch on the inside part of the plate to Menechino and one of those tough sliders on the shoe tops on Frank Catalanotto.
"You have to give him credit for that. If we did take advantage of it, sure, it could have been different. But we didn't."
Catcher Mike Piazza, Italy's lone marquee name, was responsible for three of the club's 12 strikeouts. The most dramatic occurred in the sixth frame, when Piazza worked Carlos Silva to a full count before looking at a called third strike, ending the inning and stranding Catalanotto at first.
Garcia threw 3 1/3 innings, allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Silva followed with a nearly identical line, throwing 3 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit.
Italy didn't help itself with sloppy play in the field, including an error by first baseman Valentino Pascucci in the fourth that led to a Venezuela run. Alessandro Maestri's wild pitch led to another run in the seventh.
"It's obvious that they threw their best at us tonight," Piazza said. "They were on top of their game. Defensively, we gave them runs, which for a team like Venezuela, you're not going to get away with. On one hand, we're disappointed. We didn't get anything going tonight.
"[Tuesday] we scored a lot of runs and we came out a little flat offensively. But when you're facing guys like they threw out there tonight, it's understandable."
Italy's pitching, while not quite as sharp as it was against Australia, was still solid. Red Sox lefty Lenny DiNardo kept his Italy squad in the game with 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out none.
Houston farmhand Phillip Barzilla provided one inning of relief, during which he yielded an unearned run with a strikeout.
"I didn't feel like I had the command that I needed to have against this lineup, but it's part of the game," DiNardo said. "You're not going to go out with your best stuff every time. It was a great lineup. I tried to throw my best game at them for this time of year."
Added Galante: "One thing about starting pitching in this series -- it's the first outing of the spring. When you talk about command, you're probably not going to have your best command in the first outing. I thought [DiNardo] kept us in the game. That's all we want from our starters, is to keep us in the game."
Box Score
Venezuela----6 Italy----0
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So there were some surprise wins in there, for Canada especially. I'm happy, because my team, the Boston Red Sox beat Australia in the exhibition between the two. Here are tonight's fixtures:
Fixtures (9th March)
Mexico versus Canada Cuba versus Holland Italy versus Dominican Rebuplic Venezuela versus Australia Japan versus Texas
See the post 'Standings' for how the pools are shaping up at the moment.
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 10 2006, 04:47 PM
Post #38
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (9th March)
So the latest matches were played from the pools and there was even an exhibition game thrown in as well.
Exhibition Game
Japan versus Texas
- "Rangers MLB Site"
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Check your status at the door.
Using a lineup loaded with frontline World Baseball Classic stars, Team Japan couldn't manage more than a run through seven innings and couldn't keep a lid on a Texas Rangers lineup that had no more than one likely Opening Day starter, falling, 8-4, Thursday night at Surprise Stadium.
Rangers manager Buck Showalter balked when a reporter asked how it felt to beat Team Japan with a Triple-A squad.
"These are some of our best players, the best young prospects in our system," Showalter said. "These are guys who will play at the Major League level and contribute."
Nonetheless, Ian Kinsler, in the mix to replace the departed Alfonso Soriano at second base, was the only player in Texas' starting lineup Thursday within a whiff of Showalter's Opening Day lineup.
Kinsler was 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
Japan crumbled under shaky bullpen performances from Tsuyoshi Wada and Hiroyuki Kobayashi, as the Rangers posted seven runs -- six earned -- against the duo, ruining a solid start by Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Matsuzaka struck out four and gave up an unearned run in four innings. Texas scored in the third inning, when Ruddy Yan drove in Joaquin Arias, who advanced to third after singling because of a Tsuyoshi Nishioka error to set up Yan's groundout.
Wada gave up the go-ahead run two innings later, as Yan, who reached on a Munenori Kawasaki error, came around to score on a single by Adrian Brown.
Two of his three runs were earned, and Texas notched three hits against Wada, who took the loss.
"Wada didn't really have a lot of control tonight," Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said. "But that doesn't change my overall trust in him."
Kobayashi's trust may be waning after a second rocky World Baseball Classic outing. Against Chinese Taipei, Kobayashi made two wild pitches, giving up two runs in an inning.
His numbers were far worse Thursday as he allowed four runs and four hits while issuing two walks in one-third inning.
"I don't think it was us exploiting them," Showalter said. "I think there was a lot of unfamiliarity for them because they saw some hitters who they didn't know the strengths and weaknesses of."
Japan scored in the first inning against R.A. Dickey, but the knuckleballer kept Team Japan off-balance for two more innings, setting the stage for John Danks to pick up the win in relief.
Danks threw three innings of one-hit, scoreless ball.
Japan has one more warmup in Arizona before heading to Anaheim to prepare for Round 2 of the Classic, and Oh is happy his team has the chance to purge the loss Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers before heading west.
"Tonight was a learning experience," he said, "and I am glad we have the other game."
Box Score
Japan----4 Texas----8
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Pool B
Mexico versus Canada

- "WBC"
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PHOENIX -- When he travels in his native Mexico, Jorge Cantu hears one sport talked about more than any other.
"Back in our country, all they talk about is soccer," the second baseman said, "in Mexico City, and south. So we want to let our people know how important baseball is, and all the talent we have."
Team Mexico delivered that message on Thursday night, when it beat Canada, 9-1, to advance to the World Baseball Classic's second round as Pool B's No. 1 seed. Mexico will face Korea, which advanced from Pool A, in its opening game on Sunday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
Canada entered the game with a 2-0 record and some momentum after beating the United States on Wednesday afternoon, but this contest belonged to Mexico from the start, as it jumped on left-hander Jeff Francis for four runs in the first inning.
Francis retired the first two Mexico hitters before plunking Vinny Castilla with a pitch. That's when the wheels came off, as four straight Mexico hitters doubled, resulting in a 4-0 advantage.
"It really did happen very quick," Francis said. "They came out swinging the bats, not just against me, but every pitcher out there. They didn't get deep into a lot of counts. I left pitches up, and good hitters are going to hit pitches like that."
Mexico chased Francis one inning later, when Cantu smacked a two-run homer to push the lead to 6-0.
That was more than enough for Esteban Loaiza, who was effective with his cut fastball, and changed speeds throughout his five-plus innings of work. The right-hander allowed just three hits, and while he did allow a run, it scored after he left the game.
"I think I went out there today trying to hit my spots and change speeds, and throw my sinkers and cutters on both sides of the plate," Loaiza said. "I think the first two hitters that I faced, I noticed they were looking inside, so I kept away and away."
In its first two games of the Classic, Canada scored 19 runs, but it could do little with Loaiza.
"He just kept us off stride tonight," Canada manager Ernie Whitt said.
A 21-game winner for the White Sox in 2003, Loaiza is no stranger to success on the mound, but he knew what was riding on his right arm Thursday night, and it wasn't just a matter of his team advancing to the second round.
"It was a very important game for all of us Mexicans," Loaiza said. "We played in the United States, representing our country, Mexico. We just need to go out there and put ourselves in a situation where we need to win, and get Mexican baseball really high.
"You've got the Dominican, you've got Cuba, you've got Venezuela, but [they] never mention Mexico. We see on TV previews, commercials representing every country, but not Mexico, so I think we have to prove ourselves on the field to get all the way that high."
Cantu drove in three runs on Thursday night, and hit .385 with six RBIs in the Classic's first three games.
"We play with pride," Cantu said. "And the other thing is, wearing Mexico right on your chest means something. All the Latin people are watching. All the American people are watching. Everybody's watching."
Trailing 9-1, Canada's one last shot at getting back in the game came in the sixth. Loaiza started the inning by walking Stubby Clapp, and was removed in favor of Oliver Perez.
The left-hander struggled with his command and had a rather unique six-batter stretch: walk, strikeout, walk, strikeout, walk (to force in a run), and finally, another strikeout.
"We were prepared for Mexico, [but] they came out and swung the bats, and we didn't. You tip your hat to Mexico," Whitt said. "They did a nice job, and we just lost the game."
Box Score
Mexico----9 Canada----1
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Pool C
Cuba versus Holland

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If there was ever any doubt that Cuba could compete in a tournament that featured the best teams it had ever faced, the club removed it with an extra-inning victory against Panama in its first game in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday.
Any remaining questions were obliterated Thursday with Cuba's 11-2 win against the Netherlands.
Next up is a showdown with Puerto Rico and a shot at the top spot from Pool C heading into the second round on Friday. The Netherlands, like Panama, was eliminated from contention after its second consecutive loss.
Cuba and Puerto Rico have already qualified for the next round.
More questions? Doubts, perhaps? The Cubans sure hope so.
"I don't like to make predictions, but the only thing I can assure everyone is that we will give our best to bring the people a great show," Cuba manager Higinio Velez said. "Everything else will be left up to what happens on the field."
What has happened on the field so far is a baseball display worth noting. Cuba second baseman Yulieski Gourriel, arguably the highest regarded prospect in the country, has been the most recognizable face of a mostly anonymous Cuban squad, and he's done it with style.
Gourriel went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a home run against Panama. Against the Netherlands, he hit a home run in his first at-bat to give Cuba a 2-0 lead, and finished 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and one RBI.
His style on defense has turned more than a few heads, and his humble yet slightly mischievous demeanor has won over fans from the three other countries participating in the event. Panama pitcher Bruce Chen, a starter with Baltimore, went as far as to say his team would have won had it not been for Gourriel's presence.
The secret is out. Puerto Rico knows of Gourriel, as do the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the teams predicted to take the top two spots in Pool D in Orlando and advance to Puerto Rico for the next round. But opponents have more than Gourriel to worry about.
Against the Netherlands, third baseman Michel Enriquez continued his trend of getting on base by any means necessary -- he was hit by a pitch three times against Panama -- by hitting a single just ahead of Gourriel in the first inning to set up the phenom's two-run home run.
Hitting second in the order, Enriquez finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored against the Netherlands, and has scored four runs in two games for Cuba. His feisty attitude and leadership has been a key component to Cuba's success so far, and will likely play a big role against Puerto Rico along with opponents to come.
Not surprisingly, he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning against the Netherlands.
If only the Dutch were as lucky. The pitching for Cuba has been impressive from the start, and Thursday's contest was not any different. Much to the delight of the 7,657 mostly Cuban fans in attendance, starter Ormari Romero shut down the Netherlands offense, not allowing a hit until Sidney de Jong hit a single to left field one out into the fifth inning.
Cuba's right-hander gave up another single to the next batter, Harvey Monte, and immediately exited the game to a standing ovation and a crowd of elated Cuban teammates waiting for him in front of the visiting dugout.
The Cuban faithful were proud of their pitcher's exploits. The 6-0 lead upon Romero's departure didn't hurt, either.
It got better -- just not for the Netherlands.
In the seventh inning, Cuba padded its lead to 10-2 with a four-run frame that featured a three-run home run by Osmani Urrutia off Netherlands pitcher Calvin Maduro.
The Netherlands offense sputtered, but did not go down without a fight. In the bottom of the sixth, the underdogs scored two runs off Adiel Palma to turn a six-run deficit into a competitive game. The home team had some hope for victory, but the very next inning, Cuba squashed it and removed any doubt about which team was going to win the game.
Cuba had all the answers Thursday. It hopes to have even more Friday.
Box Score
Cuba----11 Holland----2
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Pool D
Dominican Republic versus Italy

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Team Italy has no reason to be ashamed. But it appears its run in the inaugural World Baseball Classic has come to an end.
Burdened with two errors by third baseman Mark Saccomanno at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Thursday afternoon, Italy closed its schedule in Pool D with a 8-3 loss to the Dominican Republic.
Having won just one of its three games in Pool D, Italy put itself in position of needing a near-miracle to advance to the second round. But even if there aren't any miraculous developments, Italian manager Matt Galante believes his team should feel nothing but pride.
"There is nobody prouder of our team than me," Galante said. "I think we proved to the people of Italy, to the Italian Federation, that we can play this caliber of baseball. We certainly didn't win. But we showed we can play with the big boys."
After opening Pool play with an impressive 10-0 win over Australia, Italy was unable to pull what would have been a major upset victory over Venezuela or the Dominicans. But with one victory and a couple of strong efforts against the powerful Latin countries, the Italians at least proved there may be a time when they're able to emerge victorious against the world's best baseball powers.
"It's not like we didn't belong," said Italian starter Tony Fiore, who allowed the Dominicans four runs -- two earned -- and five hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Even if the Venezuelans were to be upset by the Australians on Thursday night, their Wednesday night victory over Italy would give them the tie-breaker advantage and allow them to advance to the second round with the Dominicans.
Italy's only hope would be if Australia were to beat either the Venezuelans or the Dominicans on Friday night. That would leave three of the Pool's four teams with a 1-2 record. At that point a number of different tie-breaker scenarios would be used to determine which team would join the Dominicans in Puerto Rico for the second round.
"I don't think we exceeded expectations, maybe other people's expectations," Fiore said. "We were hoping to get to the next round. Baseball comes down to pitching. Overall, I think we pitched pretty well against a pretty good lineup."
Albert Pujols and Adrian Beltre, two of the studs in the Dominicans All-Star filled lineup, provided most of the damage against the Italian pitchers. Pujols drilled a two-run homer off Fiore in the third inning and Beltre, who homered twice against Venezuela on Tuesday, provided the crushing blow with a fifth-inning, three-run shot off Riccardo De Santis.
With the homers, the Dominicans deflated the hope the Italians had created while taking advantage of a shaky Odalis Perez and claiming a short-lived 3-2 third-inning lead. In the bottom half of the third, Pujols sent Fiore's delivery deep over the left-field wall to give his team a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"I was trying to get ahead of him with a cutter," Fiore said. "It didn't move the way it was supposed to and he tattooed it."
Given a 4-3 lead courtesy of Pujols' long blast to left field, Jorge Sosa took the mound to begin the fourth and allowed just one Italian to reach base over the next four innings. While allowing just one hit -- Vincent Sinisi's sixth-inning, two-out single -- in four scoreless innings, Sosa threw 30 of his 40 pitches for strikes and recorded four strikeouts.
Things began auspiciously for the Italians when leadoff hitter Tony Giarratano opened the game with a double off Perez, who allowed three earned runs and four hits in three innings. Giarratano scored two batters later on a Frank Catalanotto single to center.
Unfortunately for the Italians, their short-lived one-run lead was erased in the bottom of the first inning, when Saccomanno was charged with two consecutive errors, both committed while attempting to record a force out at second base. His wild throw on Pujols' sharp grounder went into right field, allowing Jose Reyes and Placido Polanco to score.
Saccomanno's troubles continued when he was unable to record an out after fielding another Pujols grounder to begin the fifth. Three batters later, Beltre drilled his three-run homer off De Santis.
"We gave it as good of an effort as we possibly could, and again, I couldn't be prouder," Galante said. "This team has made me more proud than any team I've ever been with."
Italian catcher Mike Piazza, who went 0-for-8 and didn't hit a ball out of the infield against the Venezuelans and Dominicans, said he was thrilled with the experience he had while representing his heritage.
Catalanotto and Frank Menechino, who had consecutive doubles against Perez in Italy's two-run third inning, joined Piazza, as United States-born Major Leaguers who took advantage of representing the nation that produced their ancestors.
"We made friendships here," Piazza said. "We have connected with these beautiful Italian players and coaches. They came in and they're very proud and we're very proud to have played with them."
Box Score
Italy----3 Dominican Republic----8
Venezuela versus Australia

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The last leg of the initial journey had a few more bumps than expected. But Venezuela emerged victorious against a pesky Australian team and punched its ticket into the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
Backed by Ramon Hernandez's solo homer and a stingy one-hit performance from its stellar pitching staff, Venezuela ended play in Pool D with a 2-0 win over Australia at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Thursday night.
"My guys knew it was going to be tough, no matter who we played," Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo said. "Now we go to the second round and it's going to be tougher and tougher."
Having finished the round-robin format with a 2-1 record, Venezuela assured itself a runner-up finish in Pool D. Even if the Dominican Republic were upset by Italy on Friday, its win Tuesday over the Venezuelans would give the Dominicans the tie-breaker edge. Thus, they would enter the second round as the Pool D winner.
The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the second round. As the Pool D runner-up, Venezuela will face the Pool C runner-up in its opening second-round game on March 12 in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Ricans will face Cuba on Friday to determine the final standings in Pool C.
"It's great, reaching the goal that we wanted to when we got here," said Venezuelan starter Kelvim Escobar, who allowed one hit and registered five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. "Advancing to the second round makes us feel pretty good and we're ready for the challenge."
The stinginess displayed by Escobar and the four relievers who followed him allowed the Venezuelans to emerge victorious on a night they stranded 14 runners and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
"We didn't come through when we needed to," Sojo said. "But the most important thing is we came out with a win."
Escobar was in control from the start, striking out four of the first five batters he faced. The right-hander retired the first seven batters he faced before seeing Bradley Harman deliver Australia's only hit of the evening, a one-out single in the third-inning.
Australian starter Phil Brassington, who allowed one earned runs and two hits in four innings, was nearly as effective with a large supply of knuckleballs. His only mistake came when Hernandez began the second inning by drilling an 0-1 delivery over the left field wall.
Considering Brassington, who will celebrate his 37th birthday on April 19, was selling real estate within the past month, his performance was certainly better than most would have expected. After Escobar exited, Tony Armas, Gustavo Chacin, Jorge Julio and Francisco Rodriguez continued the mastery of an Australian offense that has registered just two hits in its first two games of this tournament.
Australia's best scoring opportunity came in the fourth inning, when Escobar issued two of his three walks. But with runners at the corners and one out, the Venezuelan right-hander got Dave Nilsson to ground into an inning-ending double play.
"I think I threw the ball very well tonight," Escobar said. "I just had a little problem with my mechanics in the last couple of innings, but I was still going strong. "
When Brassington was forced to take his knuckleballs to the bench after coming within two pitches of the 65-pitch limit, the Australians brought hard-throwing Peter Moylan in and the Venezuelans had trouble adjusting.
With an effectively wild approach, Moylan, whose fastball was clocked as high as 95 mph, threw just 21 of his 55 pitches for strikes. During 1 2/3 innings, he allowed a hit, recorded four strikeouts and issued five walks.
But it wasn't until Juan Rivera contributed a sixth-inning two-out single that the Venezualans were able to take advantage of Moylan's control problems. He followed the Rivera single by issuing three straight walks, including one to Omar Vizquel with the bases loaded.
"Our offense it's been good," Escobar said. "I think that they're swinging the bat very well, but at the same time you have to give credit to the pitching staffs of the Italian and Australian teams. They did pretty good."
The Italians limited the Venezuelans to six runs and the Australians were obviously even stingier against the likes of Bobby Abreu and Miguel Cabrera, who went a combined 1-for-7 against the Aussies.
But since allowing 11 runs against the Dominicans in Tuesday's opening game, the Venezuelan pitching staff has rebounded and been as nasty as advertised. Against the Italians and Australians, they allowed just three hits and completed 18 scoreless innings.
"Kelvim was unbelievable today," Sojo said. "I mean the pitching staff, it was great in the first round and I'm very glad."
Box Score
Venezuela----2 Australia----0
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So the pools are nearly wrapped up. Here are tonight's fixtures:
Fixtures (10th March)
USA versus South Africa Holland versus Panama Puerto Rico versus Cuba Australia versus Dominican Republic Korea versus San Diego Japan versus Milwaukee
Laters.
|

- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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TC Admin
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Mar 10 2006, 07:53 PM
Post #39
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I think the United States will make it into the next round...
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 Credit to Bandit! @TheComplexII
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Tealey
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Mar 12 2006, 09:26 AM
Post #40
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (10th March)
So on Friday night the pools were wrapped up.
Pool B
USA versus South Africa

- "WBC"
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It took a wakeup call from Team Canada and an offensive explosion by Mexico. But on Friday, Team USA finally helped itself.
Ripping off four runs against South Africa before fans settled in their seats at Scottsdale Stadium, the U.S. secured the final second-round berth of the eight available in the inaugural World Baseball Classic with a 17-0, five-inning victory that was stopped because of the tournament's mercy rule.
The U.S. had 18 hits, including a pair of three-run homers by Ken Griffey Jr. and a two-run shot by Derrek Lee. Griffey finished the first round with six consecutive hits in the last two games and seven RBIs on Friday. Roger Clemens started, pitched into the fifth inning and earned the win. He threw 58 pitches, allowing one hit, while striking out six. He left after Johnathan Phillips popped out to a rousing standing ovation from the 11,975 in attendance.
"It was my job after the guys came out and put the numbers on the board to throw strikes and not walk anybody," said Clemens, who was able to put off his pending possible retirement for at least another week. "I was as on edge as anyone, because we were backed into the corner a little bit. I don't care who you're facing in this tournament. I was pitching 100 percent, at this time of the year, regardless."
The U.S. will join Mexico, Japan and Korea in Pool 1, beginning Sunday at Anaheim's Angel Stadium. Pool 2 in Puerto Rico, which includes the host commonwealth, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, had already been set.
The U.S. is scheduled to open against Japan on Sunday. The Americans play Korea on Monday, and won't face Mexico until Thursday.
The semifinals are in San Diego's PETCO Park on March 18, with the finals set for the same site two days later.
Clemens is next slated to pitch against Mexico, Team USA manager Buck Martinez, said, and then be ready for a possible final outing on March 20.
"Obviously we've learned in this round to watch how your situation develops," Martinez said. "Of course, the first two games determine what you do in Game 3. And Roger is a probable for Game 3."
At the outset of the tournament, Martinez figured that Clemens' start against South Africa would just be a tune-up for the later rounds. But the finale turned into a must-win situation.
After the U.S. opened with a nifty 2-0 win over Mexico, it fell flat in an 8-6 loss to Canada. The saving grace was that the U.S. amassed a six-run fifth inning spearheaded by Jason Varitek's grand slam.
"Those six runs were huge," Martinez said. "I didn't think anything about it at the time."
When Mexico came back to clobber Canada, 9-1, on Thursday night, the picture became crystal clear.
The Canadians needed to defeat Mexico to win a spot outright or at least lose by two runs or fewer to escape a three-way tiebreaker with the U.S. and Mexico and win one of the top two positions in the pool.
All three teams finished 2-1, but Canada lost out because of the initial three-way tiebreaker: runs allowed divided by innings played in the games involving only the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Mexico allowed three runs against the U.S. and Canada; the U.S. allowed eight runs against Canada and Mexico; and Canada was pelted for a whopping 15 runs by Mexico and the U.S.
Mexico heads into the second round as the top seed and Team USA as the second seed from Pool B, with Korea the top seed and Japan the second seed from Pool A.
Canada's only hope was an unlikely loss by the U.S. to South Africa (0-3).
From the get-go on Friday, it was obvious that wasn't going to happen. The U.S. jumped all over right-handed South African starter Carl Michaels, who allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits before he was removed with a runner on second and two out in the second.
The four quick first-inning runs came courtesy of a double by Alex Rodriguez that led to the first two runs and Lee's two-run homer that just dropped over the right-field fence, his second blast of the tournament. Griffey added his big blows in the second and third innings as the U.S. batted around both times and blew away the South Africans.
"Our biggest thing was we didn't know if it was going to be [Clemens'] last game or not," Griffey said. "Today, we were like, OK, let's get out to an early lead, put pressure on them, relax, have some fun and let him do his thing."
Clemens did just that. He was in vintage form pitching against the likes of Patrick Naude, Nicholas Dempsey, Phillips and Jason Cook, who had only seen the Rocket's image on television, and may never see Clemens pitch live again.
"He's my hero," said Jared Elario, the 17-year old who pitched the fifth inning and was the only South African hurler not to allow a run. "It was a great experience."
Clemens could have gone the maximum 65 pitches. Going into his last batter, Clemens had allowed the single to Dempsey to lead off the second inning and that was it. The South Africans, with two hits and two baserunners in all, never moved one as far as second base.
But Clemens left with seven pitches to spare.
"I knew I had three innings and [pitching coach Marcel Lachemann] kept me informed of the pitch count," said Clemens, who threw 37 strikes. "After that ended he asked me to get one more out for him. Obviously you have to throw a lot of fastballs. You pound the zone in a game like this. I was down in the zone and up when I wanted to be. All the infielders were on me the whole game to get them out of innings, get back to the dugout. That was the game plan."
Team USA helped itself and that plan worked like a charm.
Box Score
USA----17 South Africa----0
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Pool C
Holland versus Panama

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The Netherlands saved the best for last, closing out its World Baseball Classic experience on the highest of high notes.
Shairon Martis threw a seven-inning no-hitter, while the Dutch offense exploded for 10 runs on 17 hits, as the Netherlands rolled to a 10-0 mercy-rule victory.
The no-hitter was the first of the World Baseball Classic, as the 18-year-old right-hander stamped his name in both the record books and assured himself of being a trivia answer.
"I feel very proud," Martis said. "Words cannot express what I feel."
"I would personally like to congratulate Martis for his wonderful performance," said Panama manager Anibal Reluz. "After the fourth, our team was falling behind and Martis was in a very good position. We kept fighting, but today was a very difficult day."
The no-hitter wasn't without its taste of controversy, as a ball hit by pinch-hitter Adolfo Rivera with one out in the seventh was ruled an error, though it could have easily been scored a base hit.
"I think on any given day, you'll get a base hit on that," said Netherlands manager Robert Eenhoorn. "The way he was pitching, I thought the decision was to show him respect and give him a chance to do something special."
The Netherlands finished its Pool C schedule with a 1-2 record, finishing third behind Puerto Rico and Cuba. Panama went winless in the bracket, finishing in last place at 0-3.
"Today, we finally hit, the pitching was great and the defense was working good," said catcher Sidney de Jong. "It was good to show the world that we can play baseball."
"The difference between winning and losing today, is that we can now leave with our heads up instead of down," Eenhoorn said.
Although the Netherlands struggled to put anything together in its first two games, hitting a collective .156 against Puerto Rico and Cuba, the offense found its groove early and often on Friday.
Four of the first five batters singled, driving Panama starter Miguel Gomez from the game after just one-third of an inning. Down 1-0, left-hander Roger Deago entered the game with the bases loaded, but Dirk van't Klooster doubled to center, plating a pair of runs to give the Netherlands a 3-0 lead.
Two consecutive errors by shortstop Orlando Miller and an RBI single by Hainley Statia increased the lead to 5-0, as the Netherlands sent 10 men to the plate in the opening frame.
"I was very pleased with the way we came out swinging the bats, for the first time being able to taste being ahead," Eenhoorn said. "At the beginning of the game, we had no idea what it would lead to, because it was obviously Shairon's game."
The Dutch offense struck again in the third, when Hainley Statia singled in a run to boost the lead to six runs.
While the attention was on the offense, Martis, a prospect in the Giants' organization, cruised through Panama's lineup with ease. The right-hander, who will turn 19 later this month, retired nine of the first 10 batters, issuing only a two-out walk to Olmedo Saenz in the first inning.
"I wanted to throw my fastball down so I could get as many ground balls as possible," said Martis, who relied heavily on his fastball, sinker and slider.
The Netherlands added a run in the fourth on an RBI single by van't Klooster, making it 7-0. Martis went right back to work, sitting Panama down in order in the bottom of the inning to carry his no-hitter through four innings.
Eenhoorn first thought that Martis had a chance to make history when he saw the pitcher go through the heart of Panama's lineup for a second time, as Saenz, Carlos Lee and Ruben Rivera were unable to do anything against him.
"They're very experienced hitters that usually make adjustments in their second at-bat," Eenhoorn said. "The way he got them out, that's when I thought it would be very tough for them to get a base hit today."
Martis got some more support from his offense in the fifth, as the Dutch tacked on three more runs to take a 10-0 lead.
Martis had little trouble in the fifth and sixth, retiring all six batters he faced -- on just 10 total pitches -- to extend his streak to 15 in a row.
"He hit his spots the whole game, and the defense helped him out," de Jong said. "They have a lot of experienced guys on their team. We tried to work to our strengths instead of their weaknesses."
From the fourth through the sixth, Martis threw just 18 pitches, keeping his pitch count to an impressive 57 through six frames.
"I didn't even realize he was throwing a no-hitter until the fifth," said left fielder Danny Rombley. "It was fun to play behind a guy like that."
Despite having just seven pitches remaining before his pitch-count limit, Martis came back out for the seventh. Rivera, pinch-hitting for Freddy Herrera, hit a hot shot to third which hit Coffie's glove, glancing into left field. The official scorer ruled it an error, keeping the no-no alive.
"At first," Martis said, "I thought they were going to call a hit."
Martis retired Saenz for the first out, throwing pitch No. 64.
"We were going to give him one more batter to try to get the double play," Eenhoorn said.
Remarkably enough, it happened. On his 65th pitch, Martis got pinch-hitter Cesar Quintero to ground into a 5-4-3 twin-killing, completing the no-hitter as Coffie made a nice play on the ball.
"I just wanted to throw my fastball down so I could get a ground ball and get a double play," Martis said. "For me it was very big to throw a no-hitter in the World Baseball Classic. I'm very happy with my job."
"He's going to have a very long career; he's going to be very good, and today, you saw how good he is," Eenhoorn said. "For him, it's a day he'll never forget."
Box Score
Holland----10 Panama----0
Puerto Rico versus Cuba

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If Cuba's finest baseball club was intimidated by the prospect of facing the city's newest favorite team in front of a sellout crowd of rambunctious baseball lovers at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, it didn't show.
Aside from a few sneak peeks at the opposition during Puerto Rico's pregame practice, Cuba's approach was eerily similar to the one it took against Panama and the Netherlands earlier this week in Pool C play.
No Cuban player asked for Carlos Beltran's autograph and nobody really gawked at Bernie Williams. Alex Cintron? Who is that? Stretch, warm up, and play ball was the routine, just like it has been for years; so when the Cubans took the field sporting their famous white jerseys, long red pants and solid blue stockings, it had all the makings of another ho-hum Cuba victory.
It was anything but.
A jittery Yuliesky Gonzalez made it to the mound for Cuba, but the starter did not make it out of the first inning, setting the tone for what turned out to be an abnormal night for Cuba's best baseball team.
It lost. Historically and mercifully.
Puerto Rico topped Cuba, 12-2, in a game that was called after seven innings because of the tournament's 10-run mercy rule.
Puerto Rico (3-0) is the winner of Pool C and squares off Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET against the Dominican Republic here in the second game of the second round. Cuba (2-1) faces Venezuela at 1 p.m. ET in the matinee.
The loss was the worst for Cuba since an 11-2 loss to Japan in the finals of the International Cup in 1997, and the first against a team from Puerto Rico since 1984.
"This happens in the game of baseball, but you must all remember that we have lost the battle, but not the war," Cuba manager Higinio Velez said. "We will go on to the second round, and that is important."
Cuba gets another shot at Puerto Rico in the final game of the second round on March 15, and if Gonzalez gets a chance at redemption, he might want to take another approach.
Might being the operative word, partly because the left-hander struck out Bernie Williams to start the game and then retired Ivan Rodriguez to get two outs after only eight pitches.
Whether the quick outs were made because of good pitches or good fortune, it didn't matter. He ran out of both soon, and consecutive walks to next three hitters proved to be his downfall.
Gonzalez was immediately replaced by Luis Borroto with the bases loaded and watched the rest of the game from what had to be a surprised and disappointed bench. Puerto Rico failed to score in the inning, but a two-run home run by Williams in the second ignited the offense and sent the 19,736 in attendance into a frenzy.
Neither the inspired Puerto Rican offense nor the Puerto Rican crowd would cease for the next five innings, although when Osmani Urrutia drove in Ariel Borrero with a single in the second inning -- one of five hits in the game for Cuba -- to cut Puerto Rico's lead to 2-1, it did bring a silence to the party temporarily.
Unfortunately, it would be one of the few highlights for the team that most knew the least about. Puerto Rico continued its barrage with five runs in the fourth inning, including a two-run home run by Cintron, to pull ahead, 7-1, and knock Borroto out of the game.
"We will go on," Velez said. "I have to admit our pitchers did not play well, and you have to think that we [were]playing a very good team in Puerto Rico. We did not expect to have such a result."
Cintron stung the Cubans again in the fifth with an RBI single for Puerto Rico's eighth run as part of a five-run inning. Beltran's three-run home run off Yosvanny Perez in the inning extended Puerto Rico's lead to 12-1, prompting deafening cheers from the stands and thoughts of what only hours earlier would have been unthinkable -- the mercy rule.
Two innings later, despite a RBI triple by Cuba third baseman Michel Enriquez in the seventh, those thoughts became reality.
Mercy was granted.
"The Cuban team is a very good team," Velez said. "Throughout our history, there has only been two times when the mercy rule was used. If this happened all the time, we would be worried, but that is not the case."
Box Score
Puerto Rico----12 Cuba----2
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Pool D
Dominican Republic versus Australia

- "WBC"
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After they were embarrassed in a mercy-rule-shortened game to open the World Baseball Classic, Australia's manager Jon Deeble indicated that it wasn't a performance that was indicative of his team's capabilities.
Rebounding from the opening-game shutout loss delivered by Italy, the Australians proved this with respectable performances against much stronger competition provided by Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
There were no wins to show for the effort provided by the Australians in the inaugural WBC, but they can certainly go home proud of the way their pitchers performed against the powerful Latin nations.
"I think we got respect and credibility," Deeble said, after his team ended Pool D play on Friday night at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex with a 6-4 loss to the powerful Dominicans.
With the victory, the Dominicans finished Pool play with a perfect 3-0 record, and along with Venezuela (2-1), earned themselves a spot in the second round. As for the Australians (0-3), they go back home hoping to find that they sparked even more baseball interest in their country.
Although Australia won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics, first baseman Justin Huber says that baseball is considered a third-tier sport in his native land. Despite the fact that he was the Most Valuable Player in last summer's Futures Game, Huber says "most of [his] mates have never seen [him] play."
"I think with the last two games that we've played, I think you can see there is some legitimate talent in our country," Huber said. "I'm very proud of what we've done, and I think we've achieved our goal of getting some credit."
Australia's 2-0 loss to Venezuela on Thursday night proved that its 10-0 setback to Italy was somewhat of a fluke. Ending with a two-run setback to the Dominicans only solidified that belief.
"I think that the last two games against Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, that's Australian baseball to a T," Australian starter Damian Moss said. "We're going to go. We're going to fight, and we're not going to give up until the last out."
The Australians kept things interesting until the end against the Dominicans, loading the bases with nobody out in the ninth. After Luke Hughes grounded into a double play, Trent Durrington delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to two. But Dominican reliever Damaso Marte entered, and ended things by getting Glenn Williams to hit a lazy infield pop fly into foul territory.
"We've got a chance to compete in [the WBC] down the track," Deeble said. "I think we showed that tonight."
Moss, who was looking to impress a number of Major League scouts in attendance, jokingly told one of the ground crew earlier this week that he wouldn't mind them keeping the protective batting practice screen in front of the mound for his outing against the Dominicans.
But it wasn't exactly the power of Albert Pujols or David Ortiz that quelled Moss. Instead, it was the southpaw's own inability to consistently find the strike zone. He threw just 35 of his 65 pitches for strikes and lasted just 2 2/3 innings. In the process, he was charged with four earned runs, issued four walks and registered just one strikeout.
"I was satisfied with what I did when I went out there today," Moss said. "That's the second time I've faced hitters in about six months. So to go out there, and face a lineup like that ... you know you want to face the best, so I was happy."
Moss' struggles prevented the Australians from taking advantage of the seven hits their offense produced against the Dominicans. While getting shut out in their first two games of the tournament, the Aussie bats registered a total of just two hits.
Durrington, who had contributed one of those two hits, got things started auspiciously against the Dominicans by drawing a walk to begin the game. He stole second base, and two batters later, scored on a Brett Roneberg sacrifice fly.
But the Aussies' only lead of the tournament was short-lived.
Moss escaped the first inning unscathed by striking out David Ortiz. But during a 36-pitch second inning, he issued three walks and allowed the Dominicans to score three runs. The only extra-base hit he surrendered during the frame came when Alberto Castillo directed a two-run double past third base and into the left-field corner.
Ortiz, who grounded out to end the second inning with the bases loaded, exited in the fourth inning. He was replaced by Luis Polonia, who had singles that led to a run in both the fourth and sixth innings.
"I think this was great for Australian baseball," Deeble said. "Hopefully, we get invited back to the next [WBC, in 2009], and hopefully we can, instead of losing by two, maybe we can win by two."
Box Score
Australia----4 Dominican Republic----6
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So the pools are now wrapped up, with the following teams qualifying:
Japan Korea Mexico USA Pueto Rico Cuba Dominican Republic Venezuela
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Exhibition Games
There were also two more exhibition games played.
Korea versus San Diego

- "WBC"
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Korean pitchers only struggled in one inning against the Padres Friday night, but it was more than enough for the Padres to win by a 7-1 score. Right-hander Jae Hun Chung got himself into trouble early in the fifth inning, which eventually led to a seven-run inning for the Padres. After giving up a single to right fielder Ben Johnson to lead off the inning, Johnson took second on a balk. Jae Hun then hit catcher David Ross, and third baseman Bobby Hill hit an infield single to load the bases. Freddy Guzman walked on five pitches to bring home Johnson for the 1-0 lead.
The Koreans replaced Jae Hun with Tae Hyon Chong, hoping he could get them out of the jam. However, he gave up three singles and a double, which all brought home runs for the Friars. Jae Hun was charged with the loss after giving up four runs on two hits.
Min Jae Kim's single in the top of the seventh inning off Brian Sikorski brought home Seong Hoon Jeong for Korea's first and only run of the game. A single by Jong Kook Kim gave Korea runners at the corners with one out, but Sikorski struck out outfielders Yong Taik Park and Jin Young Lee consecutively to end the inning.
"Our batters need more concentration in the batter's box," said Korean head coach In Sik Kim.
Korean players were not available after the game on Friday due to the team boarding a flight shortly after the game for Anaheim, the site of the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
The Padres tried to test the arms of Korea early on, and the Koreans passed with few problems. Left fielder Byung Kyu Lee threw out the speedy Freddy Guzman at home in the first inning after Guzman tried to score from second on shortstop Khalil Greene's single. During the next at-bat, catcher Kab Yong Jin threw out Greene trying to steal second.
Offensively, the Koreans were set down in order until a hit by Kab Yong to lead off the third. San Diego starter Tim Stauffer then gave up a double to Jong Kook Kim off the center-field wall, but Byung Kyu Lee grounded out to Greene to end the inning.
Korea threatened again in the fourth frame after Hee Seop Choi took third base on a throwing error by catcher David Ross. Seong Hoon Jeong's grounder took a bad hop at third, but Bobby Hill barehanded the ball and threw Jeong out to end the inning.
While the Major League pitchers on the Korean team had troubles in their Wednesday exhibition against the Royals, the pitchers on the mound Friday that didn't pitch in the seventh inning gave up six hits but no runs. Min Han Son, a pitcher who led the Korean League with 18 wins last season, pitched two scoreless innings to start the game, while Dae-Sung Koo struck out two in the fourth inning.
Box Score
Japan----1 San Diego----7
Japan versus Milwaukee
- "WBC"
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PHOENIX -- Team Japan had nearly as many home runs as it did fans Friday night. Too bad Japan didn't have as many baserunners.
The Japanese homered three times, all solo shots, in a 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers before 912 fans in a World Baseball Classic exhibition at Maryvale Baseball Park.
Japan missed opportunities, and when third baseman Akinori Iwamura double-pumped a Ryan Braun grounder, it allowed Braun to beat the throw to first and Brent Abernathy to come home for the go-ahead run.
"That was the only mistake they made all night, and it cost them," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "They are so fundamentally sound, it makes you wonder how they do it."
Although Japan's offense came in relatively grand fashion, it just wasn't enough.
Hitoshi Tamura and Kosuke Fukudome both homered in the sixth against Brewers right-hander Chris Demaria. Tamura's shot and Fukudome's crazy inside-the-park homer put Team Japan back on top, but the Brewers took over in the bottom of the inning, hanging three runs on Toshiya Sugiuhi, who was rumored to be a candidate to start in Japan's rematch with Korea on March 15.
Sugiuchi would have taken the spot of Shunsuke Watanabe in the rotation, but manager Sadaharu Oh reaffirmed his three starters after the game.
"I don't have any problems with Shunsuke," Oh said. "Sugiuchi wasn't sharp after having a few days off, but with [Koji] Uehara, [Daisuk] Matsuzaka and Watanabe, I think we have a strength."
Watanabe gave up two hits and no runs in three innings against the Brewers, in an improvement upon the three hit batsmen and earned run in the nip-tuck game with the Koreans.
Watanabe left with a 1-0 lead over the Brewers, which Sugiuchi promptly blew, giving up singles to the first three batters he faced.
Brent Abernathy led off the fourth with a single, and Prince Fielder's RBI single two batters later brought Abernathy around.
Sugiuchi had a 1-2-3 fifth inning, but the wheels came off in the sixth.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks pitcher gave up four straight hits and a walk, including a two-run homer to Fielder. This time Fielder's knock plated shortstop J.J. Hardy, who doubled to begin the frame.
Fielder, one of three Brewers regulars in the lineup on Friday, got a hit in all three at-bats, and he finished with three RBIs.
"Prince got a couple balls he can drive," Yost said. "The people in Japan know his daddy, and he's going to be just like him," Yost added, referring to former Detroit Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder, who played in Japan.
Three batters later, Sugiuchi came out without having retired a batter in the inning, leaving a set table for Yasuhiko Yabuta to deal with. Yabuta's brilliance under fire kept Sugiuchi from getting saddled with the loss and kept the game knotted up.
Yabuta struck out two of the three batters he faced, but Fujita was not as efficient.
Fujita gave up two hits and a run, but he came away with the loss, while Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo pitched gave up nothing in two innings to earn the victory.
Michihiro Ogasawara gave Japan a lead in the top of the second, taking Brewers starter Doug Davis deep to right field. Ichiro Suzuki was 0-for-5, as was second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Japan's hottest bat at Tokyo Dome.
Tamura got hits in his first three at-bats, going 3-for-4. Tamura had almost half of Team Japan's seven hits.
"Oh told us before the game that it would be our last warmup and that we needed to bring the intensity," Tamura said. "We wanted to be motivated out there, and it worked for me tonight."
Milwaukee combined for 11 hits despite striking out a combined 11 times.
Box Score
Japan----4 Milwaukee----5
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So that's the pools and exhibition game schedule both wrapped up. See the fixtures post on page 2 for Round 2 fixtures and see the standings post on page 3 for the final standings. The first games in the second round are being played tonight.
Fixtures (12th March)
Japan versus USA Mexico versus Korea Cuba versus Venezuela Puerto Rico versus Dominican Republic
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TC Admin
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Mar 12 2006, 11:14 AM
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Tealey
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Mar 13 2006, 07:34 PM
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (12th March)
So last night the second round kicked off.
Pool 1
Japan versus USA

- "WBC"
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ANAHEIM -- 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 4-3 victory over the Japanese that left them shaking their collective heads as they walked off the field late Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
Chipper Jones and Derrek Lee hit the homers that erased an early 3-0 deficit. Home plate umpire Bob Davidson reversed the second base umpire's call on an eighth-inning fly ball tag-up play from third base that would've again given Japan the lead. And after Ken Griffey Jr. whiffed on a full-count pitch, Rodriguez hit one of those twisters off the end of his bat that bounced off the glove of the second baseman, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the guy who was called out on the tag-up.
"It was a big win for us," Rodriguez said. "We learned in the first round losing to Canada that every game is extremely important. You have to take it like an NCAA bracket where every game is a must-win or go home."
The U.S. has little time to relax. The Americans continue the second round with a 10 p.m. ET start against Korea on Monday night. They then take two days off before playing Mexico at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The prize is a trip to the semifinals along with another team in the pool at San Diego's PETCO Park next Saturday.
And just think, some of these players could've been riding the bus on Sunday from Jupiter to Kissimmee or Peoria to Tucson.
"That was a great, great ballgame," said Team USA manager Buck Martinez, who came out of the dugout immediately after left fielder Randy Winn's throw was too late to nab Nishioka at the plate and was able to get Davidson to review the call. "It was such a close game you have to check everything out."
The game turned on that contested call in the Japanese half of the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded, one out and Joe Nathan pitching, Akinori Iwamura skied a fly to Winn in medium left. The throw was to the third-base side way off the plate as Nishioka scored. Catcher Brian Schneider tossed the ball down to Derek Jeter covering third, and second base umpire Brian Knight, who had rotated over on the play, pointed to his chest that it was his call and signaled safe.
Martinez immediately hopped out of the dugout to appeal the play.
"I asked Bob, 'Why did he make that call? You were going to call him out. Let's get this right,'" Martinez explained. "'He said, 'Well, just give us a chance.' It was obvious to me. And everybody in our dugout yelled, 'Hey, he left early.'"
Davidson, who was one of 14 umpires who resigned in a union dispute nearly five years ago and is back on a list to call Major League games again full-time, conferred with Knight and then reversed the call, ending the inning with the double play.
"It's a tag-up situation," Davidson said in statement. "In a bases-loaded situation our mechanics is that the plate man lines up the tag. Brian Knight hustled over to third where he's supposed to be, but he doesn't have the tag-up call. It's the plate umpire's call. I had it lined up. The wrong umpire made the initial call. It's the plate umpire, which is me, and I had him leaving early and called him out."
It wasn't all the impetus the U.S. needed, but it was enough.
"Buck is the player of the game today," Rodriguez said. "I was very surprised the call got overruled because you don't see that often. So when Davidson called him out I said, 'OK, this is our game to win right here.'"
And that's just what happened.
Japan jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Jones and Lee came to the rescue. Jones opened the second inning with his second homer of the tournament, a high drive into the right-field seats off Japanese starter Koji Uehara.
Lee hit his third homer of the tournament with one out in the sixth inning after a walk to Jones. It came off reliever Naoyuki Shimizu, who replaced Uehara at the top of the inning.
"The attitude on the bench was just to keep battling," Martinez said, after Ichiro Suzuki opened the game with a leadoff homer against Jake Peavy. "Then Chipper got it going and Derrek was up there swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch. He cut right through that one and then hit one at 3-and-1."
U.S. relievers held off the Japanese from there as the Americans survived that bases-loaded situation in the eighth and another in the ninth when Brad Lidge walked them loaded and then struck out Hitoshi Tamura for the final out.
With the bases again jammed in the bottom of the inning, reliever Kyuji Fujikawa whiffed Griffey to turn the pressure up another notch. And Rodriguez grounded the ball up the middle. Nishioka tried to knock it down, but the ball skidded away from him into short center field, allowing the winning run to score.
It was redemption for A-Rod, who has had his troubles contributing during the postseason in his first two years with the New York Yankees.
"Last time I was here, things went really badly, not only for me, but for my team," said Rodriguez, whose Yankees lost to the Angels in five games last October in an American League Division Series while he hit .133 with no homers and no runs batted in. "And I look at it as an opportunity to start a new year, a new chapter. Ironically enough, I come up with a game-winning hit in this situation. Last year, I was the biggest goat, and today I get to be a hero. There's also a lesson to be learned, I guess."
Box Score
Japan----3 USA----4
Korea versus Mexico

- "WBC"
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ANAHEIM -- 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 2-1 loss to Korea on Sunday night at Angel Stadium, even managed to joke about his role in his team's first game of Round 2 at the World Baseball Classic.
"If you take me out [of the equation]," he cracked, "I'd say our pitching was excellent."
Lopez was right. The four relievers who followed him combined to throw five shutout innings, allowing two hits. 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.
"We have to give credit to their pitchers," offered Paquin Estrada, Mexico's manager. "We have a good offense, but when you have good pitching, you don't have as much offense. That's the way baseball is."
Chan Ho Park was the last of four Korean relievers who combined to throw 3 2/3 shutout innings in support of superb starter Jae Weong Seo, essentially turning Mexico's game against Japan on Tuesday into a must-win contest.
Lopez, who cited the uncharacteristically cold weather here as a factor in his early struggles, burned through 38 of his allotted maximum of 80 pitches in the first inning. Leadoff man Byung Kyu Lee set the tone for the lengthy half-frame with a 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a groundout, and No. 2 hitter Jong Beom Lee singled on the ninth pitch he saw from Lopez.
"Foul ball after foul ball after foul ball," Lopez said.
And then a long ball. Lee lined Lopez's 25th pitch into the seats down the right-field line for his tournament-high-tying fourth homer and a 2-0 lead.
"It was a changeup, low and outside," Lopez said. "He reacted well. He hit it well, and it traveled well."
Seo, meanwhile, was perfect through the first two innings, but Mexico broke through when Luis A. Garcia opened the third inning with an opposite-field homer into the bleachers beyond right-center field to cut the lead in half.
It was Garcia's biggest home run since a 2003 blast for the Mexican national team that eliminated the United States from the qualifying tournament for the 2004 Olympics, and it gave the boisterous, flag-waving, beach ball-bouncing, pro-Mexico portion of the sellout crowd one of its rare reasons to go crazy.
Lopez settled down after Lee's blast, retiring the next seven batters in a row and eight of the next nine before calling it a night after three innings and 72 pitches. He allowed three hits without a walk while striking out three, and conceded that having little information on Korea's hitters was a factor Sunday, too.
"We got a video this morning, but it's very difficult to prepare [for hitters you haven't faced]," Lopez said.
Added Estrada: "We didn't have a lot of time, but we did the best we could."
Seo looked very prepared. He threw only 61 pitches before being lifted with one out and nobody on in the top of the sixth inning. A fourth-inning single by Castilla was the only other blemish on Seo's line; he struck out four without a walk.
Lefty Dae Sung Koo took over for Seo and allowed two hits over 1 1/3 innings, giving way to righty Tae Hyon Chong with the tying run on first base and two outs in the top of the seventh. Pinch-runner Alfredo Amezaga stole second base on Chong's first pitch, but three pitches later, Garcia went down on strikes.
Chong struck out the other two batters he faced, too, and righty Jung Keun Bong ended the top of the eighth by getting Luis C. Garcia on a grounder to third.
Elmer Dessens followed Lopez with two innings of one-hit, shutout work for Mexico, and Jorge De La Rosa worked a shutout sixth before giving up a leadoff single to Jin Young Lee in the bottom of the seventh. Righty David Cortes came on and started a huge 1-6-4 double play on a sacrifice bunt attempt, then struck out Kab Yong Jin to end the inning.
After surrendering the only walk of the night with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Cortes was relieved by lefty Ricardo Rincon, who got the final two outs without incident, and hasn't allowed a baserunner in three tournament appearances.
Mexico's fans came to life one last time after Castilla's ninth-inning single, as pinch-runner Luis Cruz took second on a groundout and moved to third on a wild pitch with two outs, but Park struck out Geronimo Gil on a full-count breaking ball to give Korea its fourth win in three Classic games.
"Maybe," Estrada said, "We'll be better [Tuesday]."
Box Score
Mexico----1 Korea----2
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Pool 2
Cuba versus Venezuela

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN -- 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 7-2 win over Venezuela as the second round of the World Baseball Classic kicked off at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
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.
"This is what we wanted to see -- this is Cuban baseball," manager Higinio Velez said through an interpreter. "Our boys recovered from the knockout that we suffered. Today was great, wonderful baseball."
The "knockout" came in Cuba's final Round 1 game against Puerto Rico, a 12-2 loss called after seven innings because of the early termination rule. It snapped Cuba's 19-game winning streak in international play, and marked the country's first "mercy rule" loss since 1983.
"What's happened so far in the Classic is history," Velez said before the game. "For us, the tournament begins today. In the first round, we gained some valuable experience."
If that was the case, it showed.
Cuba grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second, when designated hitter Yoandri Garlobo doubled and scored against Venezuela starter and 2004 American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. After Ariel Borrero drove in the game's first run with an RBI single, Santana retired the final 10 batters he faced.
After a rocky start, Marti (1-0) matched Santana (0-1). He held Venezuela hitless until Magglio Ordonez and Ramon Hernandez led off the bottom of the fifth inning with consecutive singles, and Cuba turned to veteran hard-throwing reliever Lazo, who promptly bobbled Edgardo Alfonzo's sacrifice bunt to set up the game's turning point.
Bases loaded, no outs, and Cuba clinging to a one-run advantage.
"We are used to playing all these games under a lot of stress," Velez said. "Lazo did what he always does."
Clapping demonstratively before each big pitch, Lazo induced a pair of fly outs to the left fielder Cepeda, who quickly fired back to the infield before Ordonez could consider tagging up from third base.
Lazo then struck out Carlos Guillen with a 97 mph fastball to strand three Venezuelan baserunners, and Cuba's offense responded in the next half-inning with its biggest single outburst of the tournament.
"I think he's been around for a long time," Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo said of Lazo. "I think he's the best pitcher they have. That really surprised me because he was supposed to start today, at least that's what we thought. ... He's got a lot of confidence. We didn't come through when we needed to, and that was the game right there."
Cuba's game-breaking rally was aided by Venezuelan shortstop and team captain Omar Vizquel, who made a series of uncharacteristic bobbles.
With Santana out of the game and Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Giovanni Carrara in his place, Cuba had a runner on first base, one out and a run already across for a 2-0 lead. Vizquel fielded a Osmani Urrutia ground ball, but Vizquel lost it in his jersey and was unable to record an out. The next batter, Yoandri Garlobo, hit a potential double-play ball to second baseman Alfonzo, but Vizquel bobbled the relay and could not fire to first base to end the inning.
Cepeda followed with a three-run homer to right field for a 5-0 lead. Pestano followed three pitches later with a solo homer to the same spot.
"They're dead fastball hitters," Sojo said. "Every time they saw one, they jumped on it. They took advantage of that today."
Cuba outhit Venezuela, 10-5, despite an 0-for-5 performance by Cuba's top player, second baseman Yulieski Gourriel. Veteran Eduardo Paret, who sparked the five-run rally by drawing a leadoff walk, scored a pair of runs and three Cuban players finished with two hits.
Endy Chavez hit a two-run homer to put Venezuela on the board in the seventh, but that was the only damage against Lazo in his five innings or work.
"Two days ago when Puerto Rico beat Cuba, everybody said that was a knockout and Cuba was already out and gone for the whole championship, whole tournament," Lazo said. "Cuba is not gone. Cuba is still here to play, and whoever wants to beat Cuba will really have to sweat it out."
Cuba meets the powerful Dominican Republic team on Monday afternoon.
Box Score
Cuba----7 Venezuela----2
Puerto Rico versus Dominican Republic

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- 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.
"It's as exciting as anything I've ever been a part of," said Cruz, who also finished 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs. "To do it on this stage is very satisfying. I was talking to my brother before the game, and I said, 'I don't care if I get a hit or not, I just want to win the game.'"
That's all Puerto Rico has done in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The team is 4-0 overall after opening the second round with a win on Sunday, and will return Monday night to face a Venezuelan team reeling from a 7-2 loss to Cuba.
Cuba and Puerto Rico followed a similar formula: Keep it close against a former American League Cy Young Award winner, and then pull away from the relief corps for a stunningly easy win.
"I looked at the scoreboard at the end of the game, and I watched the whole ballgame and they just flat out outplayed us tonight," said Dominican manager Manny Acta, whose club is favored by many to win the tournament. "They outhit us, played better defense, and they outpitched us, too."
Puerto Rico fell behind, 1-0, against reigning AL Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon and the Dominicans, but scored a run in the fourth off Colon to tie the game, and then erupted for six runs -- only two of them earned -- in the sixth and seventh.
Cruz figured big in both rallies, hitting a two-run double off Damaso Marte in the sixth and an RBI single off Julian Tavarez in the seventh.
"We had great pitching, great hitting and great defense," said Javier Vazquez, who pitched five brilliant innings for Puerto Rico. "I think it was a teamwork win, and it was a great win for us."
Javy Lopez had three hits, including a double that plated Puerto Rico's first run, and he doubled and scored in the sixth on a two-run single by Cruz. An error by center fielder Willy Taveras allowed Cruz to advance to second on the play, and he later scored an unearned run on Alex Cintron's bunt single for a 4-1 lead.
All three of Puerto Rico's runs in the seventh were set up by a one-out error by Dominican Republic second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Jose Valentin followed Cruz's RBI single with a two-run hit that opened a 7-1 lead.
"I had the good fortune that the ground ball just missed Soriano's glove a couple times and we ended up winning," said Cruz, a Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder.
Vazquez limited the Dominican Republic's All-Star lineup to three hits, including a second-inning solo home run by third baseman Adrian Beltre, his fourth of the tournament. Vazquez, Jose Santiago, Kiko Calero and J.C. Romero combined to allow just six hits to a Dominican lineup that featured five Major League All-Stars.
In five innings of inspired work, Vazquez allowed a lone run on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out five, to the delight of local fans who started filing into the stadium two hours before the 9 p.m. local time start and endured a pregame rainstorm.
"I think the crowds help you to maintain the high level of intensity, at least I hope," said Jose Oquendo, Puerto Rico's manager. "But I think we played an aggressive game, and that will keep the intensity up."
Box Score
Puerto Rico----7 Dominican Republic----1
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So opening wins for USA, Korea, Cuba and Puerto Rico. See the standings thread for how the pools are shaping up at this early stage.
Fixtures (13th March)
USA versus Korea Dominican Republic versus Cuba Venezuela versus Puerto Rico
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 14 2006, 04:17 PM
Post #43
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (13th March)
So the latest round of matches were played last night. Let's see what happened.
Pool 1:
Korea versus USA

- "WBC"
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ANAHEIM -- Good night and good luck.
For the second consecutive time in this inaugural World Baseball Classic, Team USA lost the middle of the three games in round-robin pool play to put itself in serious danger of being eliminated from the tournament.
This time it was the streaking 5-0 Koreans, who thumped the U.S., 7-3, on Monday night at Angel Stadium, but this time the Americans must defeat Mexico on Thursday to stay alive, not South Africa.
"It's another one of these sit around and figure out the scenarios,'" said Derek Jeter, who had three of the Americans' eight hits in the game and was on base four times.
The loss occurred only a day after the U.S. came from behind to nip Japan, 4-3, after the Americans were aided when plate umpire Bob Davidson reversed a tag-up call on a sacrifice fly and negated what would've been Japan's fourth run.
The U.S. now needs to defeat Mexico with Roger Clemens on the mound and hope that the Japanese lose to either Mexico or Korea on Tuesday or Wednesday nights.
"You don't want to depend on other teams having to help you, but here we are again," said Alex Rodriguez, who took an 0-for-5 collar on the night, but drove in the game's last run with a ground ball. "Hopefully we can get some help. And we need some help, that's for sure."
On Monday night, Dontrelle Willis again didn't have it. And he put the U.S. into a hole they couldn't climb out of. As in his first-round loss to Canada, Willis was shaky from the outset as he walked four and allowed three runs on four hits, including a towering first-inning homer to Seung Yeop Lee, his fifth of the tournament.
"He just didn't get the pitch where he wanted to," said Team USA manager Buck Martinez about the Florida Marlins left-hander. "Lee is very hot right now and Dontrelle just didn't have good command."
Willis was one of the very first players who said last summer that he would be honored and excited to play in the first Classic.
"I'm still excited to be here," said the 24-year-old Willis. "This is still the greatest honor I could ever have dreamed up. But again, bottom line, I'm just not playing good baseball. I'm a man. I admit when I'm not playing well."
Against Canada, Willis lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits. Before anyone knew it in that game, the Canadians were leading, 8-0. On Monday night, Willis left after three innings, trailing, 3-1. In the fourth, pinch-hitter Hee Sop Choi of the Los Angeles Dodgers put the game out of reach with a three-run homer off reliever Dan Wheeler.
Meanwhile, the U.S. scored only twice in 11 chances with runners in scoring position.
"We had our chances," Jeter said. "We had our chances right from the first inning. We just left too many guys on base. When you're playing in a tournament like this where every game is important, you've got to find some way to get these runs in. Maybe not all of them. One here, one there. But we just didn't do it."
The Americans' only early run came on Ken Griffey Jr.'s third-inning homer, his third of the tournament. Discounting their 17-0 blow out of South Africa to qualify for the second round, the U.S. has scored 15 runs in the other four games, 10 of them on homers.
"That's why we're struggling," Jeter said. "You can't really count on home runs. There's not going to be enough home runs hit in games like this. You learn that in the postseason."
On Monday night, Martinez played a lineup that left two of Sunday's hottest hitters, second baseman Michael Young (3-for-5) and first baseman Derrek Lee (three homers in the tournament, including a two-run shot against Japan) in lieu of Mark Teixeira (now 0-for-12) and Chase Utley (now 5-for-13). He also left lefty-swinging Johnny Damon on the bench for the second consecutive game. This time he was replaced by Matt Holliday (now 0-for-7).
Damon (1-for-7 with no runs batted in) didn't emerge from the clubhouse before the game for either stretching or batting practice, missing his assigned hitting group.
Martinez said at first that there was nothing physically wrong with Damon, the New York Yankees free agent center fielder. But just before the game began, a USA Baseball spokesman said Damon had worked out in the indoor cages and was nursing a sore left shoulder.
Martinez indicated that he had spoken to Damon about the situation and added that Damon also might not play on Thursday against Mexican left-hander Oliver Perez.
"Johnny is scuffling a little bit at the plate right now, but he understands what's going on," Martinez said. "With the possibility of a left-hander on Thursday and Oliver Perez for Mexico, I thought it was important to give Matt [Holliday] a few at-bats under his belt before he had an opportunity to face a left-hander.
"Johnny Damon is cool with everything. He understands what's going on here and the challenges of winning this tournament. We'll use his bat, and I'm sure he will be very important to us before all is said and done."
Box Score
Korea----7 USA----3
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Pool 2
Dominican Republic versus Cuba

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The California dreaming continues for the Dominican Republic.
Odalis Perez was stellar on the mound, the Dominican Republic offense was explosive at the plate and if there were any remaining doubts, the scoreboard at Hiram Bithorn Stadium said it all.
The Dominican Republic 7, Cuba 3.
Less than 24 hours after losing to Puerto Rico in its first game of the second round, the team from the Dominican Republic (1-1) rebounded quickly, taking advantage of two Cuba (1-1) errors and showing its determination to make it to the next round of the World Baseball Classic in San Diego.
The goal is to win it all at PETCO Park, but first things first. The Dominican Republic squares off against Venezuela on Tuesday in the club's biggest game of Round 2 and a rematch of Pool D's marquee matchup in the first round.
"Obviously, these guys are professional. They've been playing in the big leagues for years, and they're used to ups and downs," Dominican Republic manager Manny Acta said. "As the saying goes, it's not how you fall, but how you get back up, and these guys understood that today because if we didn't get up today, we would have been packing to go to Spring Training tomorrow."
It was Perez who made Tuesday's game against Venezuela matter. He also made Cuba's offense a non-factor.
The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander shut down the upset-minded Cubans for 4 2/3 strong innings. He allowed three hits and struck out three batters during the 48-pitch effort, never allowing Cuba's offensive stars to shine or build any momentum.
"It's very important because we won," Perez said. "If we can come back and score eight or nine runs [against Venezuela], we will go to the finals."
Perez gave up a single to Cuba shortstop and captain Eduardo Paret to start the game, but Paret was quickly wiped off the basepaths when third baseman Michel Enriquez hit into a double play. Yulieski Gourriel, Cuba's top young player, followed with a single and Osmani Urrutia walked, but neither would advance to third base.
In fact, no Cuba player would advance past second base against Perez.
Carlos Tabares' single on a bunt to Dominican Republic third baseman Adrian Beltre in the third inning would be the last hit Perez allowed, but Tabares was also cleared off the bases when Enriguez hit into his second double play.
Everything seemed to be going Perez's way.
He retired all three hitters he faced in the fourth and struck out Frederich Cepeda and Ariel Pestano to start the fifth before yielding to Jorge Sosa with a 5-0 lead.
His big secret was really no secret at all.
"I was mixing all my pitches, my changeup, then my fastball," Perez said. "I was able to go farther in the game and come out with a victory."
Indeed.
Perez was good, throwing 32 strikes, but he could have been better. The Dodgers star finished 32 pitches short of reaching the 80-pitch limit for pitchers in the second round of the World Baseball Classic as part of an agreement made between Dominican manager Manny Acta and Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. Perez was pitching on three days' rest.
It didn't matter. Perez was pitching on adrenaline and pride alone.
"I'm proud to be here," Perez said. "In the next four years, if they do the tournament again, if I'm able, if I'm around to play ball ... believe me, I'd be very proud to come back again and represent my country."
That said, Perez will be the first to admit he is still preparing for the regular season. At times, the Dominican hitters looked like they were in regular-season form.
In the third inning, Miguel Tejada hit a two-run double and later scored along with Albert Pujols on a throwing error by Enriquez for a 4-0 lead.
In the fourth, Ronny Paulino hit a double and came home on a fielding error by Ariel Borrero at first base. David Ortiz hit a deep home run over the stands in right field in the fifth inning to extend the Dominican Republic's lead to 6-0. Ortiz would come through again, this time in the sixth, when he drew a bases-loaded walk that brought home Wily Taveras for the Dominican Republic's seventh run.
Cuba scored its first run in the eighth inning and two more runs in the ninth until Fernando Rodney struck out Joan Carlos Pedroso to end the game with the bases loaded.
"I think we could have played a lot better than what we played," Acta said. "We probably should have scored 12 runs. We didn't execute and do the things we were supposed to do. It's sad that I had to use [closer] Fernando Rodney and am unable to use him tomorrow."
Box Score
Dominican Republic----7 Cuba----3
Venezuela versus Puerto Rico

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If Puerto Rico starter Joel Pineiro is going to get a win in the World Baseball Classic, it's going to have to come in the next round.
If being the operative word, and it's a big if.
Pineiro was effective, but his effort was not enough Monday night as Puerto Rico was defeated, 6-0, by Venezuela in the second game of the second round for both clubs.
"It was a well-pitched game for Venezuela," Puerto Rico manager Jose Oquendo said. "They pitched real well. Our pitchers did a good job to keep us in the game. We had a couple chances to come back, but Venezuela did a good job, too."
With the loss, Puerto Rico falls to 1-1 in the second round and now has to wait until Wednesday for its crucial finale against Cuba in the final game of Round 2.
Moreover, all four teams in the round, including Puerto Rico, have identical 1-1 records. Venezuela and the Dominican Republic face each other Tuesday.
"I felt good all day," Pineiro said. "We've just got to come out on Wednesday and have a good game, and obviously Venezuela's pitching dominated today."
As far as records are concerned, Pineiro is 0-1 after two World Baseball Classic starts. But don't expect any self pity. He's allowed only two earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, and is readying his arm for what he hopes to be an outstanding season for Seattle.
Pineiro was on target and he was on target early. The Mariners right-hander gave up only two hits through the first four innings, striking out the dangerous Miguel Cabrera twice along the way and keeping the Venezuelan offense off the scoreboard.
That is, until the fifth inning.
With one out in the frame, Edgardo Alfonzo singled up the middle to start the beginning of the end for Pineiro. Carlos Guillen lined out for the second out.
Five pitches later, Endy Chavez drilled a Pineiro pitch over the wall in right-center field for a two-run home run that broke the deadlock and pushed Venezuela ahead, 2-0.
Pineiro walked Omar Vizquel on four pitches, and just like that, a solid performance turned into a sour one. He was immediately replaced by Pedro Feliciano.
"(Chavez) put good wood on it," Pineiro said. "I was hoping to get a ground ball. He looked for it, hit it hard, and like I said, it was the big hit of the ballgame."
Puerto Rico would have no such luck against Venezuela starter Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs right-hander stymied Puerto Rico's offense with four shutout innings. He allowed only two hits and struck out five batters.
Zambrano was on a roll. He was also on a pitch count. With Zambrano out of the game to start the fifth with 72 pitches thrown, Puerto Rico wasted little time attacking the Carlos that followed him. Tony Valentin hit a single to right field off Carlos Silva and Alex Cintron followed with a single to center field that moved Valentin to third.
The stage was set for a Puerto Rico rally with Alex Cora strolling to the plate.
It never came.
Cora's bunt set off a series of events that sent the home crowd into an angry frenzy. The ball was fielded by Ramon Hernandez near home plate and the Padres catcher fired the ball to Vizquel at second base to force out Cintron. Vizquel then threw to Venezuela third baseman Miguel Cabrera to double up a diving Valentin, who had drifted too far off the bag.
The boo birds soared and discontent echoed throughout the stadium.
Bernie Williams flied out to turn a promising inning into another one that ended with a zero on the scoreboard for Puerto Rico.
"(Cora) wanted to take everybody by surprise and these things happen," Oquendo said. "If it would have worked out it would have been okay, but it didn't work out."
Puerto Rico put runners on first and third base with two outs in the seventh, but Victor Zambrano retired Ivan Rodriguez to end the frame and keep the scoreless streak alive.
Victor Martinez's grand slam off Ivan Maldonado in the eighth put Venezuela up for good, 6-0.
"These things happen," Oquendo said. "We cannot exclusively use three or four pitchers. We have 14, and all the pitchers must pitch and all must be used."
Box Score
Venezuela----6 Puerto Rico----0
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Loads of teams are doing well. Apart from the USA. Filled with Major Leaguers, the team is struggling, even though it sits in second in Pool 1.
Fixtures (14th March)
Japan versus Mexico Venezuela versus Dominican Republic
Only two matches tonight. See the standings thread for how the pools are shaping up because I can't be bothered to repost them throughout. Laters.
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 15 2006, 05:53 PM
Post #44
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (14th March)
So there were more matches from round 2.
Pool 1
Japan versus Mexico

- "WBC"
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ANAHEIM -- It probably was more important than ever for Japan to get off to a good start Tuesday in its World Baseball Classic game against Mexico.
An early toe-stubbing could have further demoralized a team that already spent too many hours down in the dumps following a disputed loss to Team USA on Sunday.
Well, a splendid effort by right-handed starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, and a four-run fourth inning, provided just the tonic Japan needed to climb back into Classic semifinals picture as it notched a 6-1 victory before 16,591 at Angel Stadium.
Japan (1-1) now needs to beat Korea (2-0) on Wednesday night, and allow six runs or less, to assure itself a spot in the semifinals in San Diego on Saturday.
"I thought we had to score first to win this ballgame," Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said. "The first run was very, very important. We were longing for it, almost. We were yearning for it."
Oh said before the game that having Monday off was good for his demoralized team. It enabled the players to work out at nearby Cal-State Fullerton and refocus on the task at hand -- winning two games and hoping that would be enough to advance in the inaugural Classic.
After scoring threats in the second and third innings ended without any runs, Japan finally broke through in the fourth when the third time putting the first two batters on base became the charm.
Nobuhiko Matsunaka singled to left field and Akinori Iwamura worked Mexico right-hander Esteban Loaiza for a walk. The second sacrifice bunt in three innings advanced the runners into scoring position and first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara hit a looping line drive that cleared the outstretched glove of his Mexico counterpart, giving Japan a two-run lead.
"The pitch was probably a changeup," Ogasawara said. "We really wanted to score in (that) inning because we failed to score in the first two (chances). I gave all my heart out there at that at-bat. It felt good."
Catcher Tomoya Satozaki capped the four-run outburst with a towering, two-run home run to right-center.
"The pitch was either a slider or a cutter," he said. "I only tried to advance the runner as (Munemori) Kawasaki is swinging good. I tried to hit it to the opposite field and was able to do it well."
Matsuzaka was in control throughout his five-inning, 73-pitch outing, allowing just three Mexico batters to reach base. Only one of them advanced beyond first.
"My pitches were starting to come along as the innings went by," he said. "I was trying to be too accurate on corners at the beginning, but I started not to worry about it too much as my pitches were going really well.
"I am relieved that I gave up no runs because I really wanted to give up as few runs as possible for us to advance to the next round. Both offense and defense gave me a huge lift. I thank the position players."
The general feeling among the Japan players was to use Sunday's disheartening loss as a way of boosting overall team strength and unity.
"After the defeat to the United States the other day, we knew all we had to do was win, and that was all we thought about," Matsuzaka said. "I was ready to pitch, and therefore, pretty much relaxed and able to concentrate on the game. I was not convinced of the outcome (Sunday's loss), and therefore one day off helped very much.
"I was able to rejuvenate after one day and that helped very much. I knew that from now on we could not lose anymore."
Though the four-run outburst in the fourth inning gave Japan a comfortable cushion, Oh said he wasn't totally convinced of the outcome until his team added a fifth run in the fifth inning. And just for insurance purposes, Ichiro Suzuki drove in a run in the ninth inning.
Loaiza had an easy first inning, but staggered a little in the second and third innings when the first two batters in each inning reached base. A double play doused the second-inning threat and two infield outs following a sacrifice bunt in the third took care of Team Japan, adding to its frustrations.
But then came the fourth inning and Ogasawa's clutch hit to right field.
You could almost hear a huge sigh of relief come out of the first-base dugout.
There was a different sound coming out of the Mexico dugout, one of disappointment.
"I tried my best to win," said Loaiza, "but my pitching wasn't always in the strike zone. I never thought that would happen. And then the home run. It was one of those instances when the batter surprises the pitcher, and that's how they went ahead, 4-0."
Box Score
Japan----6 Mexico----1
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Pool 2
Dominican Republic versus Venezuela

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN -- Kelvim Escobar peered in at Albert Pujols in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday night at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and knew that Venezuela's fate in this World Baseball Classic was likely riding on this one exchange with perhaps the finest right-handed hitter in the world. The bases were loaded, and there were two outs in a 1-1 game.
As he unleashed a fastball on the outer half of the plate, Escobar was prepared for just about anything that came his way. Except, that is, for the ball slipping off the glove of catcher Ramon Hernandez for a costly passed ball that snapped the tie, and ultimately led to the most crushing of 2-1 defeats to the Dominican Republic.
Venezuela is now eliminated after going 1-2 in Pool 2. Instead, it will be the Dominican Republic (2-1 in Pool 2, 5-1 overall) that advances to San Diego for the semifinals, beginning Saturday with a contest against the winner of Thursday's Cuba-Puerto Rico game, which will be played in San Juan.
How did the normally sure-handed Hernandez miss the critical pitch from Escobar?
"I don't know what happened," Venezuela manager Luis Sojo said to a pool reporter. "It was a good pitch, right down the middle. He didn't catch it. Defensively, he's good. He just missed it."
Hernandez was not made available for comment, nor were any players from Team Venezuela.
While Hernandez's miscue stood out, you wonder how things might have turned out if Venezuela had been able to get the bats in gear. But as was the case for most of this tournament, they couldn't put anything together. Never was this more evident than in the finale, when Venezuela mustered just one hit -- an Omar Vizquel double -- in the entire game.
"Well, there's not much to say. It was the same thing we've been doing for the last week or so offensively," said Sojo. "My guys didn't come through. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it because pitching was a big factor in this game, too. [Duaner] Sanchez got in trouble in the end, but we didn't come through."
Indeed, Venezuela had one last golden chance against Sanchez in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and nobody on, Victor Martinez kept hope alive with a walk. Hernandez, with an opportunity to redeem himself, reached on an error by Dominican shortstop Miguel Tejada. Carlos Guillen worked a walk, the bases were loaded and the drama engulfed the stadium. But Edgardo Alfonzo flew to right on a 2-1 pitch, setting off a Dominican celebration on the pitcher's mound.
Venezuela finished with a 3-3 record in the Classic, largely because of offensive struggles. Star hitters Miguel Cabrera and Bobby Abreu were a combined 0-for-18 during the three games in San Juan. Magglio Ordonez also struggled (2-for-20 in five games) and didn't play in Tuesday's finale.
"These guys proved that they are good hitters," said Sojo. "Unfortunately, they [didn't] hit, and trust me, they wanted to do their jobs. [Miguel] Cabrera, he was the best hitter in the first round. He didn't hit the ball good in the second. There's nothing he can do about it. You've just got to give credit to the pitchers."
It was hard-throwing Daniel Cabrera setting an early tone for the Dominican Republic, blinding Venezuela with four dominant innings, allowing no hits or runs, while striking out seven.
Freddy Garcia, though he did get touched up for a run in the first on an infield hit, also did his job over four strong innings.
The rally Venezuela had been seeking finally came to fruition in the top of the sixth. Left-hander Francisco Liriano walked No. 9 hitter Juan Rivera to open the inning, and Omar Vizquel moved things along with a one-out double to left. Abreu did his job, getting the tying run home with a grounder to second.
In the bottom of the seventh, it was Alberto Castillo starting the game-turning rally for the Dominicans with a one-out single up the middle. With two outs, Castillo surprised everyone by stealing second. Placido Polanco's infield hit put Castillo 90 feet away from scoring the go-ahead run. After a four-pitch walk to Tejada, up stepped the menacing Pujols with the bases loaded.
And there went the ball, in Hernandez's glove in one instant, and then well past him just thereafter.
"They had good hitters. We had good hitters. Nobody hit the ball today," said Sojo. "To lose the way we did is very disappointing."
A Venezuelan team with high hopes now splits in different directions, heading back to various Major League teams while the Dominican Republic and three other teams continue the fun in San Diego.
"You know, whatever comes out of it, [by not advancing], Venezuela just made it easier for whoever goes over there in the semifinals because of the ballclub they have," said Dominican Republic manager Manny Acta. "They've got a terrific ballclub. Their pitching staff is just scary, and they have a great lineup, too, and they can play defense."
Sojo consoled his players in the aftermath of the hollow end.
"We did a meeting right away, and we saw long faces over there, guys crying, disappointed, because we shouldn't be out," said Sojo. "But that's part of the game. You never know what's going to happen, and we've got to move on. I told them to go to Spring Training, keep your head up and concentrate for your Major League season."
Box Score
Dominican Republic----2 Venezuela----1
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There are two games tonight. The game played in pool 2 wraps it up completely.
Fixtures (15th March)
Korea versus Japan Cuba versus Puerto Rico
See the standings post for more info about the standings in the pools.
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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Tealey
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Mar 16 2006, 06:23 PM
Post #45
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Mali 'Till I Die (Or Become Inactive)
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Matches (15th March)
So there were two matches yesterday.
Pool 1

- "WBC"
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ANAHEIM -- Before Wednesday night's high-stakes matchup between Korea and Japan in Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic, a techno version of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" blared through the speakers.
After getting a clutch two-run double in the eighth inning from Jong Beom Lee and an equally clutch relief performance from righty Seung Hwan Oh on the way to a 2-1 victory in a beautifully pitched game Wednesday night at Angel Stadium, Korea's unbeaten (6-0) squad celebrated as if it had indeed moved on to a glorious baseball afterlife.
"Unbelievable," Lee said softly as he walked into a packed postgame press conference.
Believe it. Korea is the best team in the world right now.
And as an added bonus, none of its players will be going into their country's military after the tournament ends. Prior to the start of the second round, the Korean government announced that it would waive for its players the mandatory three-year stint in the armed forces -- imposed on every Korean male -- if the team reached the semifinals in San Diego.
"We gave everything we had," said Japanese manager Sadaharu Oh. "We learned that our opponents' desire was higher than ours."
That desire paid off in front of a noisy, mostly pro-Korea crowd of 39,679, many of them incessantly banging blue versions of the omnipresent ThunderStixx that provided the cacophonous accompaniment to the 2002 Angels' World Series run here.
"I was aware of the fact that a lot of Korean-Americans lived in this area, but I didn't know there were that many," Lee said. "I was very touched by their cheering."
Despite being spurred on by its legions of flag-waving fans, the surprise team of the tournament was as quiet offensively as its supporters were loud until a daring bit of baserunning paid off in the top of the eighth inning.
After drawing a one-out walk from lefty reliever Toshiya Suguichi, Min Jae Kim challenged center fielder Tatsuhiko Kinjoh's arm on a single up the middle by Byung Kyu Lee and barely won, evading the tag at third base despite being beaten there by the throw. With runners at second and third, Japan brought in righty Kyuji Fujikawa to face Jong Beom Lee, who scored both runners with a rocket to the wall in left-center field.
"I thought that this was my last chance," Jong Beom Lee said. "Perhaps God gave me this last chance to test me."
Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka added to the drama by lining a leadoff homer to left off lefty reliever Dae Sung Koo in the bottom of the ninth, but Seung Hwan Oh took over with one out and the tying run on first base and nailed down the biggest save of his life with a pair of swinging strikeouts.
Even Team USA manager Buck Martinez, whose team needed a win by Korea to remain in semifinal contention, got caught up in the excitement.
"I've never been so nervous watching a baseball game that I wasn't [involved] in," he said. "Both teams showed tremendous heart."
Heart sure helps, but that wasn't what gave Korea its second pool championship of the tournament.
"We struggled to score runs against some very good pitching," Sadaharu Oh said.
Korean starter Chan Ho Park was backed by four innings of two-hit work from four relievers, and in a tribute to the mastery of the team's moundsmen, someone planted a Korean flag squarely atop the pitchers' rubber as the players mobbed each other in the infield following the final out.
"Our pitchers worked very hard and gave 110 percent," said Team Korea manager In Sik Kim, whose staff has a Classic-best 1.33 ERA overall. "They did their very best, and that's why we got where we are."
Park, making his first start of the tournament for Korea after having saved three of his team's first five victories, got some help early from right fielder Jin Young Lee. With two out in the second inning, Japan's Akinori Iwamura tried to score from second base on a single by Tomoya Satozaki but was gunned down by a strong one-hop throw complemented by a textbook sweep tag from catcher In Sung Cho.
Visibly fired up, Park cruised through the next three innings, erasing Japan's only baserunner in that span with a double-play grounder to end the fourth. He was perfect in the fifth and left the game with a line of four hits without a walk and three strikeouts on 66 pitches.
Japanese starter Shunsuke Watanabe was every bit as efficient as Park, allowing one hit and a two walks while rolling through his six innings of work on 73 pitches. Both pitchers induced a steady stream of ground balls, with only three of the first 30 outs of the game coming on fly balls to the outfield -- two by Japan.
"It felt like the playoffs," Watanabe said of the atmosphere.
Lefty Byung Doo Jun took over for Park and issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth. After a sacrifice bunt by Ichiro Suzuki, righty Byung-Hyun Kim was summoned from Korea's bullpen to get out of the inning. He did, and went on to work a perfect bottom of the seventh.
Korea got a runner into scoring position of its own in the top of the seventh on a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, but Suguichi, who had taken over for Watanabe to open the inning, quickly quelled the mini-jam with a grounder and a foul pop.
That's about when things took a turn toward the dramatic.
After Jong Beom Lee's heroics, Byung-Hyun Kim got the first out of the bottom of the eighth and was relieved by lefty Koo, who got out of the inning but was replaced after Nishioka's blast and a one-out single by Nobuhiko Matsanuka.
As Seung Hwan Oh ran in from the bullpen, the crowd was on its feet. Minutes later, it was jumping for joy.
First went down pinch-hitter Takahiro Arai. Then went down Hitoshi Tamura, and with him went down the pre-Classic notion that Japan had the best team in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Japan, which also lost to Korea in the first round, fell to 1-2 in pool play here and 3-3 overall. Korea is the only undefeated team in the tournament, but In Sik Kim and Jong Beom Lee both waved off the opportunity to gloat, noting that a couple of big wins doesn't suddenly vault Korean baseball to the top of the Eastern food chain.
Jong Beom Lee did, however, admit to getting a certain amount of satisfaction in beating his country's rivals on the grandest global stage the game has ever presented.
"It made me proud to be Korean, but more important, we beat Japan," he offered. "It was sweet revenge."
Box Score
Korea----2 Japan----1
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Pool 2
Cuba versus Puerto Rico

- "WBC"
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Garbed in its traditional uniform -- red pants and predominately red jersey -- for the first time in World Baseball Classic play, Cuba went out of its way to save its best for last.
Cuba manager Higinio Velez was not around to see it all, but he probably would have liked what his red machine did Wednesday night.
In fact, he would have loved it.
Cuba topped Puerto Rico, 4-3, to join the Dominican Republic and Korea in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic in an emotional game filled with passion and close calls. Velez was ejected in the seventh after arguing a call at second base, but even the no-nonsense manager would have to smile after the victory.
The players sure were, and now they are headed to PETCO Park in San Diego to take on the Dominican Republic (5-1) on Saturday in the first game of the semifinals. The Dominican Republic defeated Cuba, 7-3, earlier in Pool 2 play and will go to San Diego as the top seed from this pool, ahead of Cuba.
Cuba finishes the first two rounds of play with a 4-2 record. Puerto Rico (4-2) is eliminated.
"I said it two or three days ago," Velez said. "I said this was only the very beginning of the Classic, and it was not over. People started saying that Cuba would be out and I said to be patient, and just wait. Now we've shown what Cuba can do."
It was business as usual for Team Cuba as it jumped out to an early lead, and succeeded in keeping Puerto Rico's offense quiet as well as the sellout crowd of 19,773 fanaticos.
Until the seventh inning.
Puerto Rico third baseman Jose Valentin led off the frame with a double in the first of several events that sent the crowd into a frenzy and eventually led to a Cuban uproar.
Alex Cintron followed Valentin with a single and pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee hit what appeared to be routine groundball that had all the makings of double play.
It was anything but.
Cuba second baseman Yulieski Gourriel fielded Ledee's ball and threw to shortstop Eduardo Paret, who was moving toward second base and preparing to turn two.
Paret didn't get one.
Second base umpire James Hoye ruled that Paret was pulled off the bag when he caught Gourriel's relay and ruled Cintron safe. Valentin scored on the play to cut Cuba's lead to 4-2, prompting Velez to race out of the visitors' dugout, his female translator in tow, to argue the call.
Velez yelled at Hoye in Spanish, the translator in English. Even starting pitcher Ormari Romero charged out of the dugout, his tired pitching arm tucked on the inside of his jersey, barking and waving his only free arm in protest.
Velez was ejected a few minutes later and continued to vehemently plead his case all the way to the dugout before disappearing into a sea of red uniforms. The ejected, but not dejected, manager had to like what happened next though as Bernie Williams hit into a double play -- Gourriel to Paret to first baseman Ariel Barrero.
"You can have a protest, you can have ejection, you can have people kicked out of the game, and that always happens," Velez said. "This is not the first time that you've seen this happen. It seems to me that these are the best (umpires) selected for the Classic, and by the way, I'd like to congratulate the umpires for the job they did."
Following the double play, Yunieski Maya walked Ivan Rodriguez to set up an eventful 12-pitch showdown with Carlos Beltran that ended with an RBI single to center field, which cut Cuba's lead to one run.
Rodriguez attempted to score from first when Cuba center fielder Carlos Tabares bobbled Beltran's hit, but was thrown out at home by Gourriel on a perfectly executed relay to end the inning and preserve Cuba's lead.
Puerto Rico would not score again.
"That was the play of the game," Gourriel said. "It was raining, the grass was wet, and when you have wet synthetic turf it is difficult to catch a ball and grasp it very well. I threw it home as hard as I could, because a soft throw wouldn't work, and it worked out well."
Though the image of an irate Romero during the seventh inning will linger, what he did on the mound should also be remembered. The right-hander was strong for four innings, shutting down the powerful Puerto Rico offense and giving up only three hits in the 71-pitch outing.
He had help.
Tied, 1-1, after three innings, Cuba right fielder Osmani Urrutia led off the frame with a single and moved to second when the next batter, Yoandy Garlobo, followed with a base hit. One out later, Puerto Rico starter Dicky Gonzalez walked Ramirez to load the bases.
Gonzalez was immediately replaced by Jose Santiago and would not face another hitter. Perhaps he wishes he did.
On a 2-2 count to Paret, Santiago nailed him with a pitch, allowing Urrutia to trot home and give Cuba its first lead, 2-1.
One out later, Ramirez and Paret both scored on a throwing error by Cintron as Cuba extended its lead to 4-1.
Cuba shortstop Eduardo Perez led off the game with a walk, stole second base and eventually came home on a groundball by Borrero to give Cuba an early one-run advantage.
The lead did not last long.
Puerto Rico answered in the bottom half of the frame with a leadoff home run by Bernie Williams to tie the score.
Romero and Gonzalez would make sure it would stay that way until the fourth.
"For you, some of the media and press that follow baseball, it might have been a surprise," Velez said. "It's normal for us. This is the way we play baseball in Cuba."
Box Score
Cuba----4 Puerto Rico----3
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So that's Pool 2 wrapped up, with Cuba and the Dominican Republic progressing to the finals. Pool 1 will be wrapped up tonight.
Fixtures (16th March)
USA versus Mexico
Then that will be it until the 18th.
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- "TC Admin"
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Tealey 
My Trophies:
FIFA Complex Cup x2 (Football) Intercontinental Cup (Football) Winners' Shield (Football) One Day Cricket League x2 (Cricket) ECB Complex Cup (Cricket) World Club Championship (Cricket) Tour vs. USA (Cricket) Test Knockout Cup (Cricket) Top Of The League (NFL)
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