Round 2 beckons 8-teams in Miami and San Diego in the World Baseball Classic Series. Mexico became the last team to book its spot after beating Australia in their revenge game in Pool B. The Aussies had beaten Mexico 17-7, with a Mercy-rule, in their first game together and in the return fixture, Mexico handed them a Mercy-rule win that lasted just 6-innings.
With 2-home runs and 4-RBIs, Karim Garcia led the way for the Mexicans by scoring 4-runs. “It was a fantastic game for Mexico after starting out on the wrong foot,” Mexico’s manager, Vinny Castilla, said. “But my guys never let their spirits get down, and what I told them and I told you guys after the first game, we haven’t lost anything. We’re still in this tournament, and sure enough, here we are, and they gave everything they had.”
The winner of Pool B will be decided when Mexico take on Cuba. The winner of the match will go on to play Japan at San Diego on Sunday while the losing team will meet Korea. “Obviously, we want to make it to the first place,” Castilla said. “We never play baseball to lose. You always walk out onto the field to play and to win, because if you do that, if you choose that you want first or second, boy, baseball is going to come right back and bite you.”
Venezuela showed their intentions after closing Pool C on top by beating the United States 5-3. The Dutch will lineup against the Venezuelans on Saturday in the first game for Round 2 in Miami. The Venezuelans needed the win to prove a point to the United States who beat them in their last meeting by a 15-6 scoreline. “Well, you know, when you play with a powerhouse like the United States, for anyone, it’s a really important highlight in your life,” Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo said. “It’s a very important win, because you’re playing against a real powerhouse. I think Venezuela was always waiting for this win after they clobbered us.”
Puerto Rico continued their unbeaten streak at the World Baseball Classic after beating the Dutch 5-0. Their Pool D win means that they will square off against the United states in Round 2, making for an interesting match-up. “I believe it was a great victory,” first baseman Carlos Delgado said. “It was a great series for us. … Something we have to do is give a lot of credit to our team. In three games we only had one run against us. And before that there was talk about batting, batting, batting, but pitching is what [won it for] us.
“There is space to improve. The important thing is that we did qualify in first place and we’re going to Miami, and we’re going to keep on playing hard.”
The two Asian teams, Japan and Korea have already reached the United States and have put up some spring training exhibitions.
Japan went up against the San Francisco Giants and beat them 5-3. They will go on to meet the Chicago Cubs for their next game. The Koreans lost their game to the San Diego Padres, 10-4. They go on to play against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their next game. Japan are the defending champions of the World Baseball Classic and know exactly what to expect in their upcoming games. “Adapting to the conditions of the U.S. is important,” Japan manager Tatsunori Hara said.
“But most importantly is staying within your game.”
