The last of the four World Baseball Classic quarterfinal games was played last night, and the balance of power between the USA and Venezuela teams was determined.
Although it might seem to someone that the Americans were heavy favorites in this fight, it must be said that they were not. Of course, the home team had the advantage “on paper”, but the Venezuelans could put their arguments on the same paper, even if the Venezuelan national team could offer Miguel Cabrera (the veteran did not participate in the quarterfinals) and Jose Violas. Also, in terms of MLB stars, or “All-Star” team members, the Venezuelans did not look much worse than the Americans.
From the first innings of the game, it was clear that none of the teams was going to give up and the first act of the fight ended with a score of 3:2 in favor of the Americans. By the middle of the fifth inning, however, the home team was already up 5:2.
The second half of the fifth inning, however, changed the course of the game, because in it, due to both their luck and the opponents’ failures, the Venezuelans scored four points and took control of the game. On the other hand, in the seventh inning, Luis Arajez sent the ball outside the field, making it 7-5 in favor of Venezuela.
A two-run deficit isn’t too much of a problem in baseball, but the Americans needed to get the score in their favor over two innings, which turned emotions to the max. In this situation, the nerves of the first pitcher Jose Quihad could not stand, who in the eighth inning first lost to Tim Anderson, sending him to first base, then allowed a hit to Pete Alonso, and later also hit TJ Realmuto with the ball, who was then also allowed to go to first base.
The Venezuelans decided in favor of replacing the pitcher, but the Americans put Trey Turner on the field. Until this episode, Turner had not been able to get a rebound in the quarterfinal match and was already 0-2 against the pitcher in this outing, but it didn’t matter because at the decisive moment he sent the ball into the stands and with a “Grand Slam” houmranu returned the lead to the Americans and, as it turned out, secured the USA team a place in the semi-finals.
OH MY TREA TURNER ????
GRAND SLAM TO GIVE USA THE LEAD ????????
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/KFGLwZEs29
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2023
It should also be noted that the day before, Mexico secured its place in the semi-finals, beating the previous two teams 5:4 the classics finalists Puerto Rico.
Both WBC semi-final pairings have also been determined at this time. Mexico’s opponents will be the undefeated team of Japan, while the USA’s opponents will be their neighbors from Cuba. First, the Americans and Cubans will go to the field, whose battle is scheduled for Monday night, while the semi-finals between Japan and Mexico will be played on Tuesday night.
The #WorldBaseballClassic semifinals are set!
Who’s going all the way? pic.twitter.com/kDOx010AKQ
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 19, 2023
2023 World Baseball Classic, Quarterfinals
| Guests | The hosts | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Because | 3:4 |
| Italy | Japan | 3:9 |
| Puerto Rico | Mexican | 4:5 |
| ASV | Venezuela | 9:7 |
Resources used:
https://www.mlb.com/
