Puerto Rico defeats the United States and advances to the semifinals of the Classic
FRANCISCO! ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET??

<
<
<
<
<

Team USA and Team Dominican Republic set to square off in the 2017 World Baseball Classic

Saturday night survive: USA-DR win or else!

SAN DIEGO -- Two teams, two countries, one game and the winner takes all. The bragging rights will last at least four years.

Familiar chats of "USA! USA! USA!" will provide the soundtrack to a sold-out Petco Park. The speedy and rhythmic chorus of "Dominicana! Dominicana! Dominicana!" will provide the bassline.

The team of All-Stars from the Dominican Republic and Team USA have been on a crash course toward a final World Baseball Classic clash since the tournament started earlier this month.
And now, it's finally here.

"[Saturday] is to move on and both teams are going to be amped," USA center fielder Adam Jones said. "They are going to bring their best and we are going to bring our best."

The winner of tonight's USA-Dominican Republic matchup will join Puerto Rico, Japan and the Netherlands in the semifinals in Los Angeles next week. The loser goes home.

Baseball fans across the globe will win either way.

"You figured there was a good chance [to face the Dominican Republic]," Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said. "This is a real tough bracket and there are a lot of good teams. We figured it would be down to the last day kind of thing."

Team USA made it to this point with a late-inning rally against Venezuela for a 4-2 victory Wednesday in its first game of Pool F play and a 6-5 loss to Puerto Rico on Friday. The Dominican Republic was defeated by Puerto Rico, 3-1, in its first game of Pool F on Tuesday and defeated Venezuela, 3-0, on Thursday.

One week ago, the Dominican Republic beat USA, 7-5, in a thrilling game in front of an electric record crowd of 37,446 at Marlins Park.

It's payback time for the United States. Team USA will send Danny Duffy to the mound. The Dominican Republic will counter with Ervin Santana in his first start of the tournament.
"It's going to be a great game [Saturday]," Jones said. "We are going to bring what we got. We are facing Ervin Santana, somebody that is familiar with most of the players, so we will give it all we got and they are going to give it all they got. Hopefully, it's a great game."

Duffy's fastball velocity should be a factor. When he's on, his average four-seam fastball is 95 mph, according to Statcast™, second among left-handed starters only to James Paxton, who averaged 96.8 mph. Also keep an eye on third baseman Nolan Arenado. Yes, he's struggled at the plate and has offered at pitches out of the zone, but that could work in his favor. Arenado has hit the third-most homers in MLB over the past two seasons (83), and nearly one-third of those (27) have come on pitches Statcast™ has pegged as out of the strike zone.

Eric Hosmer already has one home run in Pool F and that should surprise no one. He and Christian Yelich both recorded 155 batted balls of 100 mph or harder last season. But the Dominican squad can play hard-hit-ball, too. Three of the top four players at hitting balls 100 mph or harder last season play for the D.R.: Nelson Cruz (179 batted balls faster than 100 mph), Robinson Cano (166) and Manny Machado (165). Only Miguel Cabrera hit more (195). And Cruz already has three home runs this World Baseball Classic.
Eric Hosmer gives Team USA a 4-2 lead in the 8th inning with a clutch two-run homer to right-center field

Watch out for Santana's slider. The right-hander threw the pitch nearly 40 percent of the time last season, leading to a swing-and-miss rate of 17.5 percent on them. In all, he induced more total missed swings on his slider (203) than all but three other pitchers: Michael Pineda (302), Chris Archer (277) and Max Scherzer (227).

Manny Machado's glove has many people in the Dominican Republic joking that he is the new secretary of defense, but Duffy would be wise not to throw him many fastballs. Last year, Machado slugged .627 in at-bats ending with either a four-seamer, two-seamer, sinker or cutter, ranking seventh out of 214 players who had at least 200 such at-bats.

One thing is certain, this game matters and the baseball world will be watching.

"It's an all-or-nothing type of game, so we are both going to come out and give it all we have," Jones said. "In the end, that's all you can do."

With two outs in the 9th, Brandon Crawford drives the ball to the left-center-field wall for a two-run triple

Crawford's drama punctuated by safe call
Puerto Rico holds off USA rally, advancing to final round

Trailing by three runs in the ninth inning of Friday night's 6-5 loss to Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, the United States got a two-out, two-run triple from Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford hit a drive that bounced off the wall in left-center field at Petco Park, and the strong relay to third by Francisco Lindor and tag by the Astros' Carlos Correa appeared to beat Crawford to the bag.

"I got him," Correa said afterward. "It was an out. Obviously, there's no replay [in the first two rounds of Classic play] and umpires aren't going to get it right all the time -- they're not perfect. But we were able to win that game. It was a great game. It got interesting in the end, but it was fun."

Correa, who plays shortstop for the Astros, was playing third base for a Puerto Rican team that also features Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor. Correa's swipe tag of Crawford as he slid headfirst into third base appeared to get him on the waist before his hands touched the bag.

Despite the call at third, Diaz closed the game out with a strikeout of Pirates infielder Josh Harrison, officially punching Puerto Rico's ticket to the Championship Round of the Classic for the second consecutive tournament.

PUERTO RICO FIRST INNING

https://youtu.be/LH_isRwHM-E

<

USA VS PUERTO RICO GAME HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT 4 MINUTES

https://youtu.be/N9EUJgANJjo

<

USA VS PUERTO RICO GAME HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT 20 MINUTES

https://youtu.be/gFWjNk_kUy0

<

COMPLETE GAME RE-RUN ABOUT 3 HOURS

https://youtu.be/AaKsgWVz-8g

<

WBC 2017 WEB GEMS ABOUT 5 MINUTES

https://youtu.be/IrtUcP05v3M

<

Team Puerto Rico lives a dream moment
Puerto Rico wants to complete the mission and win the Classic Championship in Los Angeles

San Diego, California -

Carlos Correa was 17 when he watched Puerto Rico advance to the semi-final of the World Baseball Classic in the 2013 edition.

Four years later, the star of Santa Isabel lives the best moment of his promising career with the Puerto Rican squad, which returns to the championship round of the event to be held in Los Angeles.

"I would like to play 162 games with these people, because this is very special. We love each other and we care for each other a lot, "he said.

The magic ride of Puerto Rico in the Classic will extend to the last dance of the competition at Dodgers Stadium after the tight and exciting 6-5 win over the United States against more than 32,000 noisy fans who gathered at Petco Field , As part of the second round of Group F of this event.

Puerto Rico, unbeaten in five outings, will leave this afternoon to play a game against the eliminated representatives of Venezuela at 3:30 pm (local time). Jorge López, winner of the game against Mexico in the first round gets the start.

"We are happy for all the work these guys have done. I think the first few days in Arizona gave us the opportunity to know each other, to understand our mission, which is to play as a team, to focus on what it says on the front of the jerseys and not on the surnames we have on our backs, "said veteran Carlos Beltrán , Who had two hits and an rbi in the game.

"The boys are having a good time. This victory is great not only for us but for our country, for our people, we are filling it with a lot of pride and we hope to finish the mission, "he added.

Puerto Rico will face the Netherlands on Monday at the start of the semifinals in Hollywood.

The "blonde" Puerto Ricans did not think twice about playing aggressively against the USA, who had not allowed an earned run with their starting pitchers, since the first game. But Puerto Rico came out and ripped six consecutive singles for four runs against the defeated Marcus Stroman, whose mother is of Puerto Rican decent.

"We were aggressive but patient at the plate. We waited for our pitches and we were aggressive with them. On the bases, our five steals were the difference. We put pressure on him. It's what we have done against all teams and today was not any different, "said Edwin Rodriguez, leader of Puerto Rico.

The error by Arenado on the bad hop also allowed the Puerto Ricans to extend the lead when the United States narrowed the score to 4-3 with solitary home runs by Buster Posey and Adam Jones.

In the seventh, Rodríguez ordered a double steal on the part of Javier Báez and Eddie Rosario to advance the runners to third and second, respectively.

They were the fourth and fifth stolen bases by Puerto Rico in the game, three by Baez.

The pressure against Uncle Sam's Team continued against reliever Andrew Miller when Angel Pagan hit a bullet to third baseman Nolan Arenado, who made a great play on the ball but fired a one hop shot to first baseman Eric Hosmer who could not come up with the ball allowing Javier Báez and Eddie Rosario to score on the play.

However, the drama stretched into the ninth when Seattle closer Edwin '' Sugar '' Diaz surrendered a two-run triple with two outs to Brandon Crawford to the delight of the majority of American fans in the stands.

However, Diaz to the occasion to get the remaining out via strike out and ended the threat against the Puerto Rican team who celebrated the fete both on the field and in the stands. Diaz struck out the side in the ninth inning.

"Edwin Diaz was facing an all-star team. He knew he had to battle. He knew he had to execute his pitches, and there was a lot, a lot of pressure. That's why I think that after this tournament, Edwin Diaz, when the Major League season begins, he will know how to handle all those situations normally, "Rodríguez said.



Before the sublime moment that crosses Puerto Rico, Beltrán promised that the goat of Rodriguez will become goldfish very, but that very soon.

Meanwhile, Correa confessed that victory overcame in the first place of its table of positions of unforgettable moments in its life achieved by the Houston Astros against the Yankees of New York in the wild party of the postseason of the 2015.

"Nothing compares to this moment right now. Playing for my country, being able to represent Puerto Rico and giving much joy and happiness to the Puerto Ricans back home who are now going through difficult times. So, for me, this moment is at the top of my career, "he said.

Leyland takes off his hat against Puerto Rico!

On the other hand, the manager of United States, Jimmy Leyland, gave all the credit to Team Puerto Rico for the triumph.

"It was a great game. I think they had good at-bats against Marcus. He made good pitches but Puerto Rico did a good job hitting. They put the ball in play and the hits fell in. So, you know, it was an exciting game and we came up a little short, "he said.

The United States will play the Dominican Republic's defending champion Saturday night about 10:00 pm local time. The winner will move on to Los Angeles and face Japan, two time champions of the Classic.

GEE! I WONDER IF FRANCISCO IS ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE

<
<
<

Angel Pagan lines a single to right to drive in Reymond Fuentes, Team Puerto Rico's second run of the 6th inning

PR tops Venezuela, heads to WBC '17 semis unbeaten
Puerto Ricans 6-0 in Classic; will face the Netherlands in semifinal

SAN DIEGO -- Puerto Rico put its stamp on the World Baseball Classic second round with a 13-2 win over Venezuela on Saturday, completing a sweep of the Pool F competition at Petco Park.

Puerto Rico improved to 6-0 and joins Japan as the only two nations to remain unbeaten through two rounds of the tournament. As the winner of Pool F, the Puerto Rican team opens the finals Monday night against the Netherlands at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (9 p.m. ET, MLB Network and MLB.TV).

Venezuela's tournament run comes to an end with a 2-5 record. The Venezuelan team, which was eliminated Friday night when Puerto Rico defeated the United States, went 2-2 in Round 1 -- defeating Italy twice, including in a tiebreaker matchup -- before losing all three of its games in San Diego. The tournament run was bookended by losses to Puerto Rico.
Jose De Leon tosses 2 2/3 scoreless frames, allows just three hits and strikes out five batters in his start against Venezuela

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Pagan fires a rocket to home: Venezuela nearly tied the game in the second inning when three of its first four batters reached against Puerto Rico starter Jose De Leon -- Victor Martinez drew a leadoff walk and Carlos Gonzalez and Yangervis Solarte singled -- to load the bases. Hernan Perez then lined a hard-hit ball to Puerto Rican left fielder Angel Pagan, who caught the liner and then threw out Martinez at the plate. His throw home arrived with plenty of time for catcher Roberto Perez to apply the tag for an inning-ending double play.

Odor goes deep: Rougned Odor collected his second home run of the tournament in the sixth inning on a line drive to center field. The two-run blast cut his team's deficit to 5-2 and brought an end to Puerto Rico's 12-inning scoreless streak vs. Venezuela in this year's Classic.
Rougned Odor puts Team Venezuela on the board with a two-run dinger to right-center field in the bottom of the 6th

Rivera's hustle pays off: A throwing error by first baseman Hernan Perez turned a would-be third out into another Puerto Rican run in the third frame. T.J. Rivera hustled down the line on a short dribbler to first, topping out at 19.9 mph, according to Statcast™. Hernan Perez's throw was off target, preventing pitcher Martin Perez from making the out at first and allowing Puerto Rico third baseman Carlos Correa to score from second.
Statcast is used to T.J. Rivera's max speed as he hustles to first base and reaches safely

Seventh-inning outburst: Puerto Rico's lineup got rolling in the seventh, padding the lead with a five-run frame. Seven of the inning's first eight batters reached on two doubles, two walks and three singles. Mike Aviles, Rene Rivera, Pagan and Correa each drove in runs. Venezuela managed to stop the bleeding by doubling up on a sacrifice fly, throwing out Pagan out at third.

WHAT'S NEXT

Puerto Rico: The Pool F winners advance to the semifinals in Los Angeles, where PR will take on the Netherlands on Monday at 9 p.m. ET (6 PT).

Venezuela: The Venezuelans are eliminated from this year's World Baseball Classic. They finish the tournament with a 2-5 record.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/puerto-rico-vs ... 486936#Box

<
<

After watching all of these WBC series, I can honestly say that I have never seen such support for Team USA!

This tournament has the best baseball I have ever seen. Outstanding! Almost a full house in support of this team. That's really great to see. I guess some Americans are interested.

WOW !!!

With the DR trailing 4-2 in the home half of the seventh, Machado sends one over the wall in right center field but Adam Jones, who is having an awesome series, robs Machado of a homer but Cano follows with one that goes over the left center field wall but that one was gone JUST out of the reach of Christian Yellich who gave it the o'le college try. 4-3 ball game. Machado and Jones are teammates for Baltimore. As Machado was rounding the bases, he removed his helmet and held it high in the air in salute to Jones. AWESOME moment in this game. Both USA games in San Diego were/are sold out. Park holds 40,000. Attendance tonight is 43,000. They are counting the fans on the berm in center field. Andrew McCutchen just drove in Christian Yellich and Eric Hosmer with a two run double off the left center field wall as the fans are in a frenzy. After 7 1/2 innings, 6-3 USA. Game moves to the ninth with Team USA leading 6-3. USA down in order top of 9. The DR needs some kind of serious effort if they want to come back in this one. But, the 8th and 9th innings have been the most exciting innings during the entire tournament. It's not over til it's over. The DR goes down 1,2,3. GAME OVER! And we will have a new WBC champion in 2017. USA 6 DR 3. USA moves on to Hollywood! Words can't describe how we got to this point in the tournament. Best baseball you would ever like to see. What a week of baseball!

My realistic pre-tournament favorites were Japan and Team USA. My sentimental favorites were Columbia, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. Looks like I can't lose no matter how I look at it.

Good Luck to Team Puerto Rico, Team USA, Japan, and Team Netherlands!
<

<
Adam Jones runs to the center-field wall, leaps and robs his O's teammate Manny Machado of a possible homer, who tips his cap out of respect
Sticks and Jones! USA flies over DR into Final 4

SAN DIEGO -- The United States is headed to the World Baseball Classic semifinals. Giancarlo Stanton belted a go-ahead homer and Adam Jones made a catch for the ages, propelling the U.S. to its second semifinals appearance with a 6-3 win over the Dominican Republic on Saturday night in San Diego.

The winner-take-all bout had a postseason-like atmosphere, with the sellout Petco Park crowd hanging on every pitch between two of the most star-studded rosters in the tournament. By defeating the defending champions, Team USA advances to join Puerto Rico, Japan and the Netherlands in Los Angeles. A semifinals matchup with unbeaten Japan looms Tuesday evening at at 9 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

"I think Adam's play really charged us up, Giancarlo's homer really charged us up," Team USA manager Jim Leyland said. "We beat a really good team. Our hats go off to them. They competed, they were a great team, and tonight we were the better team."

The Dominican Republic, which won the 2013 Classic with a perfect 8-0 record, fell short of the semifinals for the first time since the inaugural Classic in 2009. The Caribbean nation is now 18-6 all-time in the tournament (4-2 this year).

"We did everything that we [could] to try to win the game, but they played better than us," said Dominican starter Ervin Santana. "We got a lot of opportunities to score runs and we didn't get the job done, and they took every opportunity that they had to score runs and they did it."
Luke Gregerson gets Manny Machado to ground out to shortstop, sealing USA's 6-3 win and sending the squad to the WBC 2017 semifinals

Saturday's victory marked Team USA's first win against the Dominican Republic in three tries. The Dominican team bested the U.S. in the 2013 Classic and just last week, with its stunning, five-run comeback in Miami.

"It was good for us as a team to be able to get the chance to play the Dominican again in a must-win, and to be able to come [out] on top, to be able to finish, and to do it with just having our chest out a little bit," said Andrew McCutchen, who contributed a two-run double in the eighth. "It feels good to be a part of that. It feels good to be a part of this team, and I look forward to us going and trying to get another 'W.'"

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Stanton wows the crowd: Stanton brought the Team USA faithful to their feet in the fourth inning when he crushed a two-run, go-ahead homer into the Western Metal Supply Co. building at Petco Park. The projected 424-foot blast had a 117.3 mph exit velocity, which rates as the fourth-hardest home run of the Statcast™ era (dating back to the beginning of 2015). The Marlins slugger owns the first (119.2 mph), second (118.5) and fourth fastest exit velocities on that list.
Statcast measures the exit velocity, launch angle, projected hang time and projected distance of Giancarlo Stanton's two-run homer for USA

"That's the hardest ball I've ever seen hit from on deck," U.S. catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "I think that was kind of a knockout punch for them. But they hung in there, had some good at-bats after that, but after that homer and the double from McCutchen, it was over."

Stanton's homer knocked Santana out of the game after 3 2/3 innings. The Twins right-hander yielded four runs on six hits and struck out two batters.

Jones robs O's teammate: As is routine for Team USA, Jones came through in the late innings with a clutch play, this time with his glove. The center fielder robbed his Orioles teammate Manny Machado of a home run in the seventh with a leaping grab against the wall. Jones' catch helped the U.S. preserve its lead moments later when Robinson Cano launched a solo homer to left.
Statcast measures the distance covered and route efficiency of Adam Jones' amazing grab to rob Manny Machado of a home run

"I'm still kind of [shocked] that I even got to that ball," Jones said. "I mean, off the bat, I'm just like this ball's hit really far, so just keep going, keep going. You know this California air's going to slow it down, and just never quit. That's just the style I play with. I don't mind running into a wall or two."

Fielding gaffes cost U.S.: Team USA was hurt by defensive miscues in the first inning, beginning with a throwing error by Brandon Crawford. The Giants shortstop bobbled a ground ball from Machado and then fired an off-the-mark throw to first that allowed Machado to reach safely. Machado came around to score the next at-bat on Cano's RBI double to center, which had a 38 percent catch rate, according to Statcast™. It would have been a four-star catch for U.S. center fielder Christian Yelich, who converted on 10 of 22 such opportunities in 2016.
Robinson Cano opens the scoring with an RBI double off the left-center-field wall in the bottom of the 1st inning

Team USA then missed another opportunity for an out when Nelson Cruz struck out swinging but reached on Danny Duffy's wild pitch. The Dominican Republic scored one more run in the inning on Carlos Santana's knock, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead.
Cutch pads the lead: McCutchen's only hit of the game was a huge one, coming in the eighth inning, as the U.S. clung to a 4-3 lead. With Yelich on second and Eric Hosmer on first, McCutchen roped an Alex Colome pitch into the left-center-field gap for a two-run double.

While Yelich could cruise home on the play, Hosmer had to hustle and showed off his speed in scoring without a throw, his helmet flying off in the process. Hosmer's first-to-home time of 10.9 seconds was faster than any time Statcast™ recorded for him in 2016 when he wasn't running on the pitch. While Hosmer isn't known for being fleet of foot, he actually compares favorably to his peers at first base. Among players at that position, only Wil Myers beat Hosmer's average of 4.29 seconds on "competitive" runs from home to first -- meaning those faster than his 90th percentile time.
Andrew McCutchen supplies a pair of insurance runs with a double into the gap, putting Team USA up 6-3 in the 8th inning

QUOTABLE
"We've got six months to be next to each other and close to each other, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to give him some ribbing about it. And he robbed me earlier in the first inning, too. So it was just a little payback, just on a different situation." -- Jones on robbing Machado

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Gregory Polanco was among the bright spots for a Dominican offense that struggled to generate runs Saturday. The Pirates outfielder collected three hits, giving him multiple knocks in each of his five World Baseball Classic starts. He finished the Classic 11-for-19 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.

TEAM USA NAVIGATES DANGEROUS DOMINICAN LINEUP

Duffy and the U.S. bullpen worked their way out of numerous jams throughout the night, reigning in the Dominican Republic bats. Duffy ran into trouble early in the game with runners on the corners and no outs in the second. The Royals southpaw retired his next three batters in order with just seven pitches to erase the threat. Relievers Pat Neshek and Tyler Clippard followed suit in the later innings, working their way out of serious jams to strand Dominican runners on the basepaths.
Danny Duffy battles back from a jam with no outs and runners on second and third by inducing a popout, flyout and groundout to end the 2nd

The U.S. pitching staff limited its opponent to 1-for-11 batting with runners in scoring position Saturday. The issue plagued the Dominican squad throughout its three second-round games as it hit .087 (2-for-23) in San Diego.

"This was a very difficult game," Dominican manager Tony Pena said. "You have 11 players on base, and we could only do the best we could. They tried. I feel very proud of each of them. I will not point to any one of them. It's simply that the U.S. Team did the right pitches in that particular timeframe, and that's what cost us the game."

WHAT'S NEXT

The World Baseball Classic now moves to Los Angeles, where the final three contests will be played at Dodger Stadium. The semifinals begin Monday with Pool F winner Puerto Rico taking on the Netherlands, the runner-up from Tokyo, at 9 p.m. ET on Monday. Team USA and Japan will follow on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, and the winner of each contest will meet in Wednesday night's championship game.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/united-states- ... 486937#Box

<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<

UPDATED BRACKETS

https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/bracket

<

JONES ROBS MACHADO

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v ... ps-his-cap

<

STANTON MASHES MONSTER HOMER

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v ... ahead-shot

<

CANO HOMER CUTS USA LEAD TO 4-3

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/219702786/ ... solo-homer

<

MC CUTCHEN EXTENDS USA LEAD TO 6-3

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/219702786/ ... plates-two

<

DUFFY & NESCHEK RECORD CRUCIAL OUTS

http://m.mlb.com/video/v1242456983/must ... ps-his-cap

<

Luke Gregerson retires Manny Machado to end the game as Team USA defeats the Dominican Republic, 6-3, to advance to the semi-finals

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v ... a-advances

<

Melancon to join USA for Classic semifinal
Showalter revels in Jones' grab on Machado
O's manager stays up late to watch Team USA-DR at WBC '17
Archer won't return to USA for WBC '17 final
Team USA sets rotation for Classic's championship round
Roark to pitch semis, while Stroman would go in final if US advances
Classic a must-watch for Crew camp
Pitchers Lopez, Burgos playing for Puerto Rico vs. Netherlands on Monday
Carlos Correa

4 teams, 3 games, 1 champ: Classic heads to LA
Puerto Rico, Netherlands begin semifinals Monday at Dodger Stadium

SAN DIEGO -- After two weeks of thrilling international play spanning multiple continents, four teams are left standing from the World Baseball Classic's field of 16: Japan, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands and the United States.

With a 6-3 victory against the Dominican Republic on Saturday at Petco Park, Team USA became the last team to advance to the semifinals in Los Angeles. After a day off, the tournament resumes Monday evening with Puerto Rico taking on the Dutch at 9 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

Puerto Rico swept its competition in Jalisco, Mexico, and San Diego, recording victories over Venezeula, Mexico, Italy, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. The Puerto Rican squad is seeking redemption after finishing as the runner-up to the Dominican Republic in the last installment of the global tournament in 2013.

"We have to go to L.A. now and play there and we have to keep winning [for] two more games," Puerto Rican manager Edwin Rodriguez said after Saturday's win over Venezuela. "We have to concentrate on what is coming, the task at hand. So it is nice to have a good series in Mexico and San Diego, but we've turned the page already. So we're ready for L.A."

The Netherlands, meanwhile, has reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year. The Dutch were eliminated by the eventual champion Dominican Republic in 2013 and return to the semifinals with a more experienced roster this year. The Netherlands went 4-2 in Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo against Korea, Chinese Taipei, Israel, Japan and Cuba.
Fresh off its exciting victory in San Diego, the U.S. heads north to L.A. hoping to medal for the first time in the Classic. The closest Team USA has gotten to the championship game was in 2009, when it lost to Japan in the semifinals. And once again, the U.S. draws the tough assignment of facing a formidable Japanese team in its semifinal matchup Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

Like Puerto Rico, Japan was dominant in Rounds 1 and 2, going unbeaten against Cuba, Australia, China, Netherlands and Israel. Japan is among the most successful countries to participate in the Classic; it won the 2006 and 2009 tournaments and finished third in 2013.

"They're fun to watch," said Team USA's Giancarlo Stanton. "They're a very unique style, crisp. They have unique ways of pitching and the high leg kicks and all that. It's pretty cool.

"That's what makes this tournament very cool. You see all different countries' dynamics and how they do things different. So it's going to be fun."

The Netherlands drew fear in Japan and advanced to the semifinals
After losing a game in first round and another in the second against Japan, they KO'd (Early Termination) Israel and Cuba

San Diego, Calif. -

While Puerto Rico was owner and master of the World Baseball Classic rounds in Guadalajara and San Diego, the Netherlands team was put on the international baseball map in Korea and Japan.

The Dutch, rival of the Puerto Ricans in the semifinal game on Monday, are no longer the cinderella of the tournament since they defeated the Dominican Republic twice in 2009. This is the second time they reached the championship phase, which will be played at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

Beside the unbeaten teams (6-0) of Japan and the Puerto Ricans, the Netherlands proved that they are a legitimate contender for the championship of this fourth edition of the Classic. It's all due to the maturity the team has cultivated over the years, in addition to its powerful offense led by big leaguers Didi Gregorius (Yankees), Xander Bogaerts (Boston), Profar Jurickson (Texas), plus league stars from the Japan professional baseball league , "Coco" Balentien and pitcher Rick van den Hurk .

Balentien was Group A's Most Valuable Player with three homers and 10 RBIs in six games. He is famous for the 63 homers he hit in the 2013 season in the Japanese league.

The Europeans only lost a game in the first phase in Seoul, Korea. In the second round, the bats wre on fire with two victories via knockout against Israel (12-1) and Cuba (14-1).

They gave Japan a hard fought battle losing in extra innings by a score of 8-6 propelling Japan as the leaders towards Los Angeles. Sho Nakata drove in two runs with a single in the 11th inning. Under the tournament's tiebreak rule, the 11th inning started with runners at first and second base. Seiya Suzuki bunted to advance the runners and set up Nakata's clutch hit to left field.

In the history of the Classic, Puerto Rico has a 3-0 record against the Netherlands. The last clash between the two teams was in the first round of 2009 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, where the locals won 5-0.

Yadier Molina wins Most Valuable Player award
The receiver stood out behind the plate for the Puerto Ricans in the two games he played in San Diego

San Diego -

The Puerto Rican team was unbeaten at Petco Park in San Diego, home of Group F, where the second round of the fourth edition of the World Baseball Classic was played , and veteran catcher Yadier Molina of Team Puerto Rico was chosen the MVP award winner.

Molina, 34, stood out behind the plate for the Puerto Ricans in the two games he played with the team in San Diego.

On Tuesday against the Dominican Republic, he was 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

In addition, he also played great defense as he demonstrated by throwing out Nelson Cruz in an attempt to steal at an important moment in the eighth inning and throughout the game "framed" the pitches to be seen as strikes, actions that were protested by rival teams.

This strategy resulted in the expulsion of the Dominican skipper, Tony Peña, for protesting to referee Will Little the way he was pointing out the balls and strikes, which hurt his team.

On Friday, in the victory against United States (6-5) , Molina drove in another run and repeated the feat of the night before by "framing" pitches. Little, the lead of the umpires behind the plate, caused the wrath of the American outfielder Andrew McCutchen, expelled for protesting the strikes area.

With that victory, Puerto Rico secured the top spot in Group F and allowed Molina to rest on Saturday for the game between the Puerto Rican team and the Venezuelan team, which was also eliminated.

"It has been a win for all the teammates," said Molina upon learning of his MVP award nomination. "All the comrades who have gone to the pitcher's mound have done a great job and for them should go the prize."

In four games of the 2017 Classic, Molina has batted 6-17 (.353) with two homers, six RBIs and four runs scored.

"I have arrived in a good place, I hope the throws hit their target, and I hope to keep making good contact with the ball", commented Molina.

"I hope we all follow the same path ahead of Monday's semi-final against the Netherlands."

Puerto Rico is undefeated with a 6-0 record and travels to Los Angeles, where the team from Isla del Encanto, headed by veteran manager Edwin Rodriguez, will face the Netherlands.

The game will be the first semifinal game to be played at Dodger Stadium on Monday evening, the home field of the Los Angeles Dodgers, where the United States, which eliminated the Dominican Republic, will face Japan on Tuesday (6-0).
Lindor chosen MVP of Group D

Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor was named Group D's Most Valuable Player in the first round of the World Baseball Classic .

Lindor averaged .455 and had five hits in the round, including two home runs, four-run scored and four runs batted in. In addition Lindor played impeccable defense in the fields of the Charros of Jalisco.

ATTENDANCE FROM SAN DIEGO CAPACITY 40,000

GAME HIGHLIGHTS USA 6 DR 3 WITH INTERVIEW
ABOUT 6 MINUTES

https://youtu.be/W0P-UM-8-yY

GAME HIGHLIGHTS USA 6 DR 3 ABOUT 8 MINUTES (Spanish)

https://youtu.be/ySJBw8yuknQ

RE-RUN USA VS DR ABOUT 2 HOURS

https://youtu.be/52oLV6-k6og

<