Mercy me: Italy thumps Canada, closes in on Rd. 2

By Doug Miller / MLB.com | 3/8/2013 7:23 P.M. ET

PHOENIX --

Miami already has a Little Havana. It might soon get a little Italy.

Buoyed by a balanced offensive attack, the long-shot darlings of Pool D play in the World Baseball Classic continued to roll along, defeating Canada, 14-4, via the tournament's 10-run rule in the eighth inning before 5,140 at Chase Field on Friday.

Despite all the mathematical permutations of what could happen during the remaining two days of round-robin pool play, things have become relatively semplice for Italy.

Manager Marco Mazzieri's club is 2-0, and if it conquers the United States on Saturday, it will move on to the second round of the Classic, set for Marlins Park. And even if Italy loses that game, it will still be 2-1 and a contender to advance depending on the other teams' results and run-differential totals.

"There's no place for egos in this group, and that's what I was looking for," Mazzieri said. "That's what I'm getting. We're very happy about it. And that was the idea.

"I believe a lot in energy, positive energy, and I just try to direct that energy in one direction. And these guys have been outstanding."

Following Italy's stirring 6-5 win over favored Mexico on Thursday, Mazzieri and several members of the team insisted that they were being disrespected by pundits and that they had plans on making it all the way to the final round in San Francisco.

On Friday, playing a team with two former MVPs in Joey Votto and Justin Morneau, the Italians lived up to their own billing once again. Chris Colabello's three-run home run capped off a key four-run third inning that gave Italy a comfortable lead, and when things got tense in the seventh after Canada cut the lead to 6-4 on a bases-loaded single by Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders, Italy answered right back.

Colabello, who played for Minnesota's Double-A club last year, got things started in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out single, Mike Costanzo (Nationals) walked, Mario Chiarini singled in a run and Twins catcher Drew Butera gave Italy all the insurance it would need with a two-run double that made it 9-4.

Italy poured it on in the eighth, scoring six more runs to end it early. It appeared that the game was over via the 10-run rule when Costanzo's long fly ball to left field with the bases loaded was ruled a grand slam, but after an instant-replay review, the umpires reversed it and ruled it a two-run ground-rule double to make it 13-4. That became a mere footnote when the next batter, Chiarini, hit what ended up being a walk-off RBI single.

Italy got another good effort from a starting pitcher, with Alex Maestri of the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan going three innings and giving up one run while striking out three. Chris Cooper, a former Indians Minor Leaguer, did well in relief, also giving up one run in three innings. Former big leaguer Dan Serafini gave up two runs in the seventh, but former Major Leaguer Brian Sweeney struck out pinch-hitter Tim Smith to escape that jam.

"I know my team has a great lineup, so I knew I only had to keep the game there and have somebody else come in and relieve for me," Maestri said. "And I knew they were going to do a good job, too."

Meanwhile, Italy's bats were making enough noise to fill up the ballpark with a 17-hit outburst.

Only one player on the team, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, didn't get a hit, and he worked two walks, scored two runs and drove in another with an RBI groundout in the first inning.

Colabello went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, Chiarini had two hits and three RBIs, Alex Liddi of the Mariners had another big game with two hits and an RBI, Nick Punto (Dodgers) and Chris Denorfia (Padres) had two hits apiece and Butera added two RBIs.

"It's a pretty outstanding feeling," Colabello said. "It's just a tremendous group of people. I give a lot of credit to [Mazzieri] for putting the right pieces together, and it's awesome to be a part of. I couldn't be more ecstatic. A loss for words almost is a good way to put it."

Canada, which didn't make it out of the first round of the previous Classic, in 2009, and had to qualify for entry into this year's tournament, will have to rally over the next two days to avoid suffering the same fate.

"Every time we got close, they came back the next inning and put some runs on the board," Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. "In a game of baseball, you have to have some shutdown innings, and we weren't able to do that.

"We'll show up and we'll play [Saturday vs. Mexico]. That's all can I say. We have to pitch better, we have to get some more timely hits, and go from there."

What an awesome classic to date! Some remarkable and unexpected upsets seems to be the theme of this go around. Thanks to Comcast and DVR, I have yet to miss an inning so far. The world is learning the game and the results have been on display. Also! Some of the youngest stars are shining.

VICTOR MESA, CUBA MANAGER

The 1927 New York Yankees Murderer's Row of Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri. Would you asked them to bunt? Would you require them to take bunting practice?

That's what Victor Mesa, Cuba's manager, was asking of Cuba's Murderers Row headed by Guillermo Heredia, Yulieski Gurriel, Jose Fernandez, Frederich Cepeda, Jose Abreu, Alfredo Despaigne, and Yasmani Tomas.

Cepeda is one of the best switch hitters in baseball equally efficient from both sides of the plate. Cepeda, Abreu, and Despaigne are awesome power hitters.

When Abreu and Cepeda failed to sacrifice efficiently on Thursday night, Mesa ordered bunting practice for the entire team after their normal batting practice today. Mesa's reasoning, you never know who in the lineup would be ask to sacrifice at a critical point in the ball game.

That point came today. Abreu laid down a perfect sacrifice with Cuba leading 2-0 in fourth inning. The throw by the pitcher was errant and Cuba had runners on second and third with no outs. The next batter Yasmani Tomas delivered a 3-run homer, one of 4 prodigious blasts pounded out by the Cubans today. The mercy rule was in effect. Cuba obliterated Chinese Taipei 14-0.

The Cubans successfully executed 3 sacrifice bunts today, all early in the contest. I think Mesa's message was heard loud and clear that its a team effort and not an individual one expecially on this stage.
Cuban muscle eliminates Chinese Taipei

By Jason Coskrey / Special to MLB.com | 3/9/2013 10:20 A.M. ET

TOKYO --

Cuba isn't done in the 2013 World Baseball Classic just yet, and on Saturday night the Cubans showed just how tough an out they're going to be.

Jose Abreu, Frederich Cepeda, and Yasmani Tomas hit multi-run homers, Alfredo Despaigne mixed in a solo shot, and the Cuban offense erupted in a 14-0 rout of Chinese Taipei in an elimination game on Saturday at Tokyo Dome.

"Each player knew it was a do-or-die game," Cuban manager Victor Mesa said through a translator. "Every single piece of the puzzle came together, and they worked out very well."

The win means Cuba will face the loser of Sunday night's matchup between Japan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the right to advance to the semifinals.

"We have no choice," Mesa said of the potential team in his path. "So I can't say that much [about it]. The only thing we can do is just play hard. My ambition is to go to San Francisco with Japan."

Chinese Taipei was eliminated with the loss.

"Here in Tokyo, we lost two games in a row and we couldn't go forward," Chinese Taipei outfielder Dai-Kang Yang said.

Cuba jumped out front early after Cepeda hit a two-run home run in the first and Despaigne singled in a run in the fourth. The Cubans weren't done in that frame, as Tomas hit a three-run homer to make the score 6-0.

"My first at-bat, I grounded out," Tomas said through a translator. "The manager told me to sit on the outside pitch and make good contact. That's why I could hit a home run."

Cepeda and Tomas have been on fire during the Classic. Cepeda is now 8-for-16 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs in five games. Tomas is 5-for-12 with a double, two homers and four RBIs over the same span.

Tomas struck out to start the sixth, but the next three hitters reached safely to load the bases. Yulieski Gourriel singled in a run to make the score 7-0, and Jose Fernandez brought in three more with a double.

Cepeda doubled in a run later in the inning, and he was then driven home on a two-run home run by Abreu. Despaigne capped an eight-run sixth with a solo homer.

Starting pitcher Danny Betancourt threw six scoreless innings to earn the win for Cuba, with Ching-Lung Lo taking the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Despite the loss, the Taiwanese team found a positive to take out of its time in the Classic.

Baseball had suffered through a few lean years recently in Taiwan, and many hope the sport is slowly on the upswing. The Chinese Taipei team is hoping its performance at the Classic helps get things turned around.

"In order to get the fans back to the stadiums, we have to play hard," Chinese Taipei manager Chang-Heng Hsieh said. "In that case, we are satisfied with what we did."

Chinese Taipei beat the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Australia in the first round to advance to Tokyo. They exit the Classic having lost their final three games against Korea (to close out the first round), Japan and Cuba.

"I am glad that we could show our fighting spirit to Chinese Taipei's fans," Hsieh said. "By playing hard here in Tokyo and Taichung, I am hoping all the fans come back to baseball and come back to the stadiums."

Extra Classic: Japan outlasts Chinese Taipei

By Jason Coskrey / Special to MLB.com | 3/8/2013 10:00 A.M. ET

TOKYO --

Japan just kept coming, and coming, and coming.

And finally, more than four hours after the first pitch was thrown, Samurai Japan broke through.

Hirokazu Ibata hit a game-tying RBI single in the top of the ninth, Sho Nakata drove in the tie-breaking run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th and Japan rallied to defeat Chinese Taipei, 4-3, in the second round of the World Baseball Classic on Friday at Tokyo Dome in a thrilling game that lasted four hours and 37 minutes.

"All of the Japanese fans are showing their appreciation for Ibata, and so am I," Japan manager Koji Yamamoto said. "Nakata, such a young player, he had a game-winning sacrifice fly, and it was good enough."

Japan will have a chance to punch its ticket for the Championship Round at San Francisco's AT&T Park with a win over the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Sunday. The Dutch defeated Cuba, 6-2, earlier Friday.

Chinese Taipei has to face Cuba for the right to continue in the Classic on Saturday. Chinese Taipei will send Ching-Lung Lo to the mound against Cuba's Danny Betancourt.

Chinese Taipei was cruising with a 2-0 lead for much of the night before Japan staged an eighth-inning rally reminiscent of the one it used to beat Brazil in its opening Classic game.

Yomiuri Giants (Nippon Professional Baseball) duo Shinnosuke Abe and Hayato Sakamoto delivered RBI singles in their home park to tie the score at 2 in the eighth.

Chinese Taipei snatched the lead back in the bottom half of the inning, with a single, double and an RBI single by Szu-Chi Chou off pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.

Chinese Taipei's Hung-Wen Chen retired Atsunori Inaba, walked Takashi Toritani, then retired Hisayoshi Chono to start the ninth. Toritani was nearly caught stealing second with Ibata at the plate, but just beat the throw from the catcher.

Ibata worked the count even at 2-2, then delivered an RBI single that tied the score.

"I don't really remember," Ibata said of the hit. "But overall, I was kind of relaxed. The result is, I got a base hit, and I'm happy I got a hit."

After Nakata's heroics in the top of the 10th, Chinese Taipei put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom half, but it couldn't seal the deal against reliever Toshiya Sugiuchi.

"First of all, my players played very well, and I can't thank everyone enough," Chinese Taipei manager Chang-Heng Hseieh said through a translator. "In such an international game in such an international competition, I am always eager to play well, so we can get closer to Japan. Although we lost, we put a lot of pressure on Japan."

Japan's Kazuhisa Makita threw a scoreless inning to earn the win in relief. Chen was charged with the loss, and Sugiuchi earned the save.

Japan's rally in the eighth wiped out another fantastic outing by Taiwanese starter Chien-Ming Wang, who threw six shutout frames to extend his Classic scoreless streak to 12 innings. Wang allowed six hits, walked one and struck out one.

"He went six innings without any runs," Hseieh said. "I can't complain. It's the best result. Unfortunately we couldn't beat Japan, but all the players played as hard as they could."

First round of Classic a ratings bonanza in Japan

By Paul Casella / MLB.com | 3/8/2013 1:38 P.M. ET

Team Japan's opening-round action last week in the World Baseball Classic received television ratings in Japan exceeding almost all other sporting events over the past year.

Nearly one-third of all televisions on in Japan were tuned in to the Classic, beating out all broadcasts of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The ratings also surpassed all other sporting events televised in the country over the past year, with the exception of World Cup soccer events.

The highest ratings came in Japan's opening game against Brazil on Saturday, a 5-3 victory that drew a 35 share (percentage of televisions on that were tuned to the game). Japan's win the following day against China, as well as its first-round finale -- and only loss -- against Cuba, each drew a 30 share.

After advancing out of Pool A with a 2-1 record, Japan opened second-round play with a 4-3 victory over Chinese Taipei on Friday morning in Tokyo. Team Japan's next game will take place Sunday morning at 8 p.m. locally/7 a.m. ET, when the two-time defending World Baseball Classic champions take on the Kingdom of the Netherlands in a game that can be watched live on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

USA knows stakes are high against Italy

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 3/9/2013 2:49 A.M. ET

PHOENIX --

It's not as if the alarm needs to go off for Team USA, which is now in a must-win situation on Saturday night at Chase Field against a surprising team from Italy that is so far dominating the bracket.

Because the U.S. lost, 5-2, to Mexico on Friday night, it needs to defeat the 2-0 Italians if the Americans have any hope of moving on to the second round beginning Tuesday night at Marlins Park in Miami.

"If we won today, it would have been the same mindset: We need to win tomorrow," U.S. manager Joe Torre said after the game. "This is a postseason approach. You have to think about winning every day. But if you don't win one day, I mean, you shouldn't be in the tournament if it's going to get you down to the point of not thinking you can win.

"That's not a concern to me. We certainly were ready to go out there and win tonight. They just did a better job than we did."

Italy won earlier in the day, defeating Canada, 14-4, in a game that ended on the 10-run rule in the bottom of the eighth inning. By virtue of its wins already over Mexico and Canada, plus a big advantage in the run differential tiebreaker, Italy seems almost assured of emerging from the first round for the first time and moving on to Miami.

The Italians are throwing unheralded left-hander Luca Panerati against Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, who most recently was 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in four starts this past October as San Francisco won the World Series for the second time in three years.

On Saturday, Canada will play Mexico at 12:30 p.m. MT (2:30 p.m. ET) and Team USA will meet Italy at 7 p.m. MT (9 ET). The pool closes on Sunday here at 1 p.m. MT (3 ET) with Canada playing the U.S. in what could be a decisive contest. All the games will be broadcast nationally by MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

"There's some interesting strategy in this tournament. It's a little unorthodox," Italian hitting coach Mike Piazza said. "We have to watch our pitching and then there's the run differential. We have some [pitchers] rested, who are going to be able to pitch tomorrow, but right now we're just going to let it all hang out and play a good game against the U.S. You see from one to nine, guys are really battling. It builds great unity and energy on the team."

Italy came from behind on Friday at Salt River Fields in the ninth inning, defeating Mexico, 6-5. The Mexicans came back from that disappointment to stymie the U.S., which has only been together since a team meeting on Sunday. The Italians have been practicing mostly out at Camelback Ranch for a week with Major Leaguers like Chris Denorfia and Jason Grilli joining the group as workouts were already in progress.

Piazza said that the unity has made a big difference to a team that didn't make it out of the first round in the initial two Classics, both won by the Japanese. The U.S. hasn't finished higher than fourth.

"That was essential, especially for our bench guys now," Piazza said. "We got some at-bats against some good pitching. The Dodgers were very gracious to let us work out there and we got some good work in. It forces you to get ready quick."

If the U.S. wins out, mostly likely they will move on to Miami, although a complicated run-differential formula would be used to break a three-way tie.

R.A. Dickey, who started and lost on Friday night, said the U.S. will be ready.

"You grieve this for the rest of the night, but when you come tomorrow you better be ready," said Dickey, who won a bronze medal at Atlanta in 1996 with the U.S. Olympic baseball team. "The beauty of a tournament like this is that if we take care of business the next two days we should advance and then it's a clean slate. So we're not going to get too down. It's part of the competition. We get it."

Japan, Netherlands to meet for spot in San Fran

By Jason Coskrey / Special to MLB.com | 3/9/2013 11:01 A.M. ET

TOKYO --

Japan moved to within a win of the World Baseball Classic's final round with an epic 4-3 victory over Chinese Taipei in 10 innings on Friday night.

Thousands of fans watched the game live, and more followed on television or through the Internet. The Kingdom of the Netherlands' players, who will face Japan on Sunday, were not among them.

"We didn't watch the game," Dutch team veteran Andruw Jones said after his team's workout Saturday at Tokyo Dome. "We were relaxing and just focusing on the next day that we are going to play and trying to take a rest day.

"I think we just took the day off to just relax and enjoy our day off and wait to see who we're going to face, and its going to be Japan. So now we have to just prepare for that."

The Japanese and the Dutch will square off Sunday at 7 p.m. locally/6 a.m. ET in a game that can be watched live on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes, with the winner earning a berth in the final round at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Both teams held brief practice sessions at Tokyo Dome Saturday morning.

A win over Japan would complete the journey the Kingdom of the Netherlands began during the first Classic in 2006, when the Dutch finished 1-2. The Kingdom of the Netherlands followed that with a surprising run to the second round in '09, on the strength of a pair of upset victories over the Dominican Republic.

The Dutch have already knocked off Korea (by a score of 5-0) and Cuba (6-2) in this year's Classic.

"Our confidence is up right now," outfielder Wladimir Balentien said. "We've been hitting the ball much better now. I think everybody is doing a great job on that, and if we keep doing what we're doing, we have a great chance to advance to the next round."

Japan hopes to have gained some momentum with its dramatic win over Chinese Taipei on Friday night. The Japanese needed rallies in the eighth and ninth innings to send the game into extra frames, then won on Sho Nakata's sacrifice fly in the 10th.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands qualified for Sunday's game with a win over Cuba on Friday. Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop was a triple away from the cycle and drove in four runs -- three on a home run in the sixth -- to lead the way, and Curt Smith also homered.

"One-through-three in their lineup are Major League players," Japan coach Masataka Nashida said. "Then at No. 4, there is Balentien, then Jones."

The Dutch also turned a Classic record-tying five double plays during their win over Cuba, with four coming on ground balls.

"We've got great young talent on our team, and they know how to play defense," Jones said. "I think that's a plus that we've got. If we eliminate mistakes and errors, we've got a good chance to advance."

Balentien is no stranger to Japan or Tokyo Dome, having spent the past two seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball's Tokyo Yakult Swallows, who play in nearby Jingu Stadium. Balentien hit .179 with a home run and five RBIs in the Big Egg last season.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is sending Rob Cordemans to the mound to start the game, and Japan will counter with Kenta Maeda.

"There will be a lot of tension for sure," Maeda said. "But pitching under this kind of circumstance will give me some experience."

Maeda beat China in his most recent outing, striking out six over five innings of one-hit ball in a 5-2 Japanese victory.

"He's a great pitcher," said Balentien, who was 2-for-9 last season against Maeda, who plays for NPB's Hiroshima Carp. "But we have great hitters, too, so it will be a nice ballgame to watch."

DR pitching contains Spain for second win

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 3/9/2013 3:00 P.M. ET

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico --

If nothing else, the Dominican Republic is now guaranteed a stronger World Baseball Classic showing than its disappointing 2009 performance.

A 6-3 win over Spain on Saturday afternoon gave the Dominican squad its second victory here in Pool C, one more than was collected four years ago. This team, obviously, has its sights set higher than just one-upping the 2009 version.

First on the list is advancement to Round 2, and Saturday's win goes a long way toward ensuring a trip to Miami. If Venezuela loses to Puerto Rico on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET (6:30 local time), the Dominicans would be guaranteed a spot in the next round.

After a scoreless first, the Dominican offense woke up in the second, scoring a pair off of Spain's starter, Yoanner Negrin. Nelson Cruz's single brought Edwin Encarnacion home for the first run of the game. Cruz came home to make it 2-0 on Ricardo Nanita's two-out single.

The Dominicans would score three more an inning later. Jose Reyes led off with a walk and went to third on Negrin's errant pickoff throw. A Robinson Cano double and two more walks chased Negrin before Cruz drove in his second run of the game with another single that brought home Cano. Encarnacion scored his second run on a Carlos Santana groundout to make it 5-0. Santana's solo homer in the eighth made it a 6-1 game.

Dominican starter Samuel Deduno was dominant, going four shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out five. Spain's offense, which sputtered in a 3-0 loss to Puerto Rico on Friday night, didn't wake up on Saturday until late. Trailing by five runs entering the ninth, Spain had no trouble getting to Jose Veras. With the bases loaded, however, Rafael Alvarez made the final out against Fernando Rodney, who had walked Barbaro Canizares, his first batter, to force in a run. Veras' final pitch, which struck Paco Figueroa, ricocheted off Santana's left ribs, prompting the D.R. trainer to examine the Indians star catcher, who remained in the game.

Spain mounted a bit of a threat in the sixth, when Figueroa walked to lead off the inning and eventually made it to third on a groundout and a two-out infield single by Yunesky Sanchez, who went 3-for-4. But Alfredo Simon struck out Jesus Merchan to end the inning. The run came in the seventh, when Salomon Manriquez led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Engel Beltre laid down a beauty of a bunt toward Cano at second base for a hit, and when Cano tried to shovel the ball to first with his glove and it instead went by him, Manriquez was able to trot home.

For the second time in as many games, Spain's bullpen did its best to give the squad a chance to get back into the game. Aside from the single allowed by Nick Schumacher that allowed Cano to score, Spain's relievers clamped down on the Dominican offense. They were charged with no runs over the next 5 1/3 innings before Santana's blast off of Rhiner Cruz.

Puerto Rico opens Classic with shutout of Spain

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 3/8/2013 9:52 P.M. ET

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico --

The game plan when playing as a favorite against a team that's perceived to be an extreme underdog is to knock the opponent down early and not let them get back up, lest the underdog feel it has a chance to climb back into the game.

Puerto Rico got the first part right, scoring three first-inning runs against Spain in what looked like a game headed toward rout status. It didn't exactly put away Spain, though, not scoring any more after that nine-hit opening frame. Fortunately for the home faithful at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, the Spanish offense could manage to get just two runners into scoring position and the host team walked away with a 3-0 victory in its first Pool C game.

"I think that we were the only ones who were not underestimating Spain, and they showed it tonight," Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "Spain team is a good team. They have good pitching, and they showed it tonight. I mean, every victory for us is an important one. "

The win improved Puerto Rico's World Baseball Classic record in its home ballpark to an impressive 8-2. This was the team's fourth Classic win a row at Hiram Bithorn.

Puerto Rico didn't waste any time to put any thoughts of a Spanish upset to rest, putting up three runs in its first time at bat. Angel Pagan led off with an infield single that glanced off starting pitcher Sergio Perez's glove, a sign of how things would go for Spain. Pagan came around to score on Carlos Beltran's double. A Mike Aviles sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk to No. 8 hitter Carlos Rivera gave Puerto Rico its other runs for the inning.

That proved to be more than enough for Giancarlo Alvarado and the rest of the Puerto Rican pitching staff. Alvarado tossed four very efficient innings, allowing just one hit -- coming with two outs in the fourth -- while walking none and striking out four. He induced six ground-ball outs during his outing.

"I would have loved to keep on and pitch the whole game, but … there's a pitch limit, and I was able to help them out until then and do my job," Alvarado said. "And I'm more than happy. And thank God the other pitchers also did a great job."

Hiram Burgos followed Alvarado and got knocked around, comparatively, giving up four hits in his 4 2/3 shutout innings. Spain's first threat of any sort came in the sixth, when Gabriel Suarez and Engel Beltre led off the frame with singles. A popup and a double play later, and Burgos was trotting back to the dugout with another zero put up on the board.

Spain got two runners aboard again in the seventh, this time with one out. But though Burgos fell behind in the count, 3-1, to Jesus Merchan, he induced Spain's third baseman to ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

"It was excellent to score early in the game," Burgos said. "The pitchers needed to keep the game close, and thank God we did what we had to do. We need to give thanks to the defense, and we got some good double plays, and they played good defense during the whole game. The pitchers and especially me, I just attacked the strike zone and let them put the ball in play, and put it on the defense, which is very good. "

After Perez's struggles for Spain -- he would last just one batter into the third -- lefty Richard Salazar came in and shut the door. The southpaw confounded Puerto Rico's offense with offspeed and breaking stuff, throwing up five zeroes of his own and yielding just two hits in the process. In many ways, following that opening frame, Spain played evenly with Puerto Rico, showing it belongs in its Classic debut.

"Today before we left the hotel, MLB [Network] said that they would have the first knockout of the tournament, and I'm sorry for [them]," Spain manager Mauro Mazzotti said. "And we started a little bit tense, a little bit nervous, a little bit of fear, and we faltered for an inning. But I think that after, we played well and we had some good at -bats, and we had our chances.

"We played a game, and wet our feet in the tournament, and let's see. Let's see what comes next."

What comes next is the Dominican Republic, perhaps the most feared team in this Pool C grouping. Puerto Rico will move on to play Venezuela on Saturday, following by a meeting with that Dominican squad on Sunday.

Demolition derby

Please don't park anywhere near where Giancarlo Stanton is hitting baseballs

After a Giancarlo Stanton batting practice homer shattered a windshield in the parking lot, the Marlins slugger signed his handiwork for the car's owner.

Alex Kim didn't give it much thought when he parked his car at the D-backs' Spring Training facility on Wednesday.

When he returned, though, he found his car in much different condition than when he left it. Specifically, his windshield was busted on the driver's side, thanks to a Giancarlo Stanton batting practice home run, hit during Team USA's final tuneup before the start of the World Baseball Classic.

"I was a little upset," Kim said. "My first reaction was I have to pay for a windshield that I didn't break."

A couple of Kim's co-workers suggested he talk to the good folks from Safelite, an auto glass company that happens to sponsor the D-backs. Kim called, and the company volunteered to replace the windshield for no cost.

The story doesn't end there. Following a rigorous weight-lifting session in the home clubhouse, Stanton graciously agreed to meet with Kim and sign the windshield.

Francona, Indians keep an eye on Classic

MESA, Ariz. --

With five players participating in the World Baseball Classic, the Indians organization is certainly paying attention to the tournament.

The team would ideally like to have all its players in camp, but manager Terry Francona does not feel the Classic has hampered the Indians' regular Spring Training routine.

"The hardest thing for us is not having [Carlos] Santana, because a lot of things go through the catcher," Francona said. "In saying that, it has opened up a lot of room for guys to play. [Yan] Gomes has gotten to play a lot, but every team has to deal with [losing players to the World Baseball Classic.]"

In addition to Santana, who is catching for the Dominican Republic, Asdrubal Cabrera (Venezuela), Mike Aviles (Puerto Rico), Vinnie Pestano (USA) and Giovanni Soto (Puerto Rico) are participating in the Classic.

Some managers worry about sending pitchers away during Spring Training, either because the pitchers' arms may not be ready for intense situations or because they will not get their work in, but that does not seem to be the case for Pestano.

"He warmed up in the fourth, he warmed up in the fifth and he pitched in the sixth, so that would be a no," Francona said when asked if he was concerned Pestano wouldn't get to pitch. "To this point, he's been on a real good schedule."

In his one inning during USA's 5-2 loss to Mexico, Pestano retired the side in order and recorded one strikeout.

Of the group, Santana is the only one to have played in two games. He is 1-for-5 with two RBIs, a home run and four walks as the Dominican Republic has posted a 2-0 record.

Aviles and Cabrera are a combined 0-for-5, with an RBI (Aviles) and a run scored (Cabrera).

GIOVANNI SOTO

I hope many of you got to see Puerto Rico bounce Venezuela out of the Classic today. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic advance to the semi finals in Miami. Our Indians played a major role in the decision today. Giovanni Soto handcuffed the Venezuelan major league stars with his arm pitching 3 innings of no-hit, no run baseball (inning 4 thru 7). Mike Aviles worked his magic with the bat tying the score at 2 in the 4th with a bases loaded single. In the 8th, Aviles came to the plate once more with the bases loaded and added an insurance run with a sac fly deep to right center giving Puerto Rico a 4-2 lead. Puerto Rico went on to score 2 more times in the 8th to make it a 6-2 ballgame. The final score was 6-2.


Puerto Rico - Top of 4th Score Venezuela 2 Puerto Rico 0.


Carlos Zambrano pitching for Venezuela
A Pagan doubled to left.
I Falu grounded into fielder's choice to first, A Pagan out at third.
A Rios walked, I Falu to second.
I Falu to third, A Rios to second on wild pitch by C Zambrano.
C Beltran grounded out to third.
Y Molina walked.
E Gonzalez relieved C Zambrano.
M Aviles singled to center, I Falu and A Rios scored, Y Molina to second, Y Molina tagged out at third attempting to advance on play.
Score Venezuela 2 Puerto Rico 2.


Venezuela - Bottom of 5th Score Puerto Rico 3 Venezuela 2.
Giovanni Soto pitching for Puerto Rico


Infante fouled out to third.
M Scutaro struck out swinging.
A Cabrera struck out swinging.


Venezuela - Bottom of 6th Score Puerto Rico 3 Venezuela 2.
Giovanni Soto pitching for Puerto Rico


M Cabrera walked.
P Sandoval flied out to right.
C Gonzalez grounded out to second, M Cabrera to second.
S Perez grounded out to second.


Venezuela - Bottom of 7th Score Puerto Rico 3 Venezuela 2.
Giovanni Soto pitching for Puerto Rico


M Prado grounded out to third.
G Parra walked.
O Infante flied out to right.
M Scutaro flied out to left.


Puerto Rico - Top of 8th Score Puerto Rico 3 Venezuela 2.


Henderson Alvarez pitching for Venezuela
A Rios hit by pitch.
C Beltran singled to right, A Rios to second.
J Rincon relieved H Alvarez.
Y Molina singled to right, A Rios to third, C Beltran to second.
M Aviles hit sacrifice fly to center, A Rios scored, C Beltran to third.
Score Puerto Rico 4 Venezuela 2.
C Jimenez relieved J Rincon.
C Rivera struck out looking.
L Figueroa hit for A Gonzalez.
L Figueroa doubled to deep right, C Beltran and Y Molina scored.
Score Puerto Rico 6 Venezuela 2
E Rosario grounded out to second.
Final Score Puerto Rico 6 Venezuela 2.
MIKE AVILES

Puerto Rico bounces Venezuela from World Baseball Classic

Jorge Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports11:41p.m. EST March 9, 2013

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –

In a week when Venezuela lost its 14-year president to cancer, throwing the near-future leadership of the country into question, its highly touted baseball team had a chance to provide a welcome diversion, perhaps send some joy back home.

It failed spectacularly.

By losing 6-3 to Puerto Rico on Saturday night, Venezuela dropped to 0-2 and gained a quick and unexpected exit from the World Baseball Classic, a stunning development for a country of 30 million still reeling from the death of president Hugo Chavez.

The polarizing and highly controversial Chavez was a diehard baseball fan who frequently called manager Luis Sojo during the previous two WBCs. He was among the legions of Venezuelan disappointed that Venezuela was eliminated in the second round in 2006, then fell just short of the final in 2009.

Those now look like the good old days, considering a loaded lineup that featured seven major league All-Stars did not come close to winning either of its first two games in this year's tournament, has been outscored 15-6 and must beat Spain on Sunday to avoid being dropped into the qualifiers bracket.

"Venezuela is a baseball country,'' said Sojo, the only member of the team to address the news media. "Especially in this moment of crisis, even the ballplayers spoke about how this could be a special incentive for our country, but baseball is an unpredictable game and you have to execute. We didn't and that's why we're out.''

The high-powered Venezuelan lineup, featuring Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval and Carlos Gonzalez in the middle of the order, failed to produce more than three runs in any of the first two games.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the third, Venezuela had just one hit until the ninth, when it tacked on a meaningless run.

Veteran starter Nelson Figueroa and lefty reliever Giovanni Soto proved that Puerto Rico's supposedly inferior pitching was underestimated, as they combined to allow just two runs over the first seven innings. Soto, a 21-year-old Cleveland Indians prospect who has not pitched above Class AA, was especially sharp, throwing three hitless innings.

"This is extremely disappointing and sad,'' said Sojo, who called this the most painful of Venezuela's three exits from the WBC, "because this wasn't in our plans.''

Neither did the script call for Puerto Rico, whose output of major leaguers has declined dramatically in recent years, to sail through to the second round with a game to spare.

The hosts responded to Venezuela's two-run third inning with a two-spot of their own in the fourth, both driven in by a Mike Aviles single, then took the lead in the next inning on Angel Pagan's single up the middle.

A three-run eighth broke the game open, with career minor-leaguer Luis "Wicho'' Figueroa, 39, delivering the killer blow, a pinch-hit two-run double that boosted Puerto Rico's lead to 6-2.

The near-sellout crowd of 18,741 burst out in chants of "Wicho! Wicho!'' as the Puerto Rican players acknowledged the longtime winter league standout.

"He's battled hard throughout his career, playing a lot of amateur baseball in Puerto Rico, and I know his family came to see him in the game,'' Carlos Beltran said of his teammate. "It's a beautiful experience for him and we're really happy. We all came out to congratulate him.''

After registering the final out, the Puerto Rican players hugged in the middle of the field, unfurled a flag and celebrated almost like they had won the World Series – there was no dogpile – then danced and hugged some more as the crowd serenaded them.

Puerto Rico reached the second round in 2009, unbeaten in the first, but this one may have meant more because the task seemed so daunting.

Pagan, who did celebrate a World Series title with the San Francisco Giants in October, pointed out there's still work ahead, both in Sunday night's matchup against the rival Dominican Republic and after that in Miami, which hosts the second round.

But even Pagan allowed himself to take in the emotion of the moment in front of the home crowd.

"The expectations for us were low, a lot of people saying we didn't have enough pitching and were too young,'' Pagan said. "But we focused on our goal as a team, not on what anybody else said. And we accomplished it.''

***************************

Every pitch, every play, every out had the capacity crowd -- not to mention the players -- on the edge of its collective seat. Venezuela's Carlos Gonzalez slammed his helmet down in disgust when he was called out on a very close play in the sixth with one out and a runner on first. Sojo came out to argue, to no avail, and Puerto Rican lefty Giovanni Soto calmly got Salvador Perez to bounced out to second to end the inning. Soto was terrific in relief of Nelson Figueroa, tossing three hitless innings, walking two and striking out two.

"Giovanni Soto's job, that guy, he impresses me," Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "The lineup that he faced, the best hitters not only in the Classic, the best hitters in baseball, and he held on and he kept the lead. Giovanni Soto's relief was key."

I can't imagine what was going through Giovanni Soto's mind today facing the powerful and major league star-studded lineup of Venezuela in front of a capacity crowd that was on their feet for nearly the entire ballgame. A game which had major implications. A win meant advancing to the next round in Miami. A loss meant a sudden death game on Sunday. How much pressure is that? Soto managed to go through that Venezuelan lineup rather easily. Here's a kid with no experience above the double "A" level performing magic on the biggest stage of this youngster's life. What a beautiful Effort!

I hope you didn't miss this one!

Behind Wright's slam, USA controls Classic fate

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 3/10/2013 12:32 A.M. ET

PHOENIX --

Italy is in, and for Team USA, a trip to Miami is contingent on a victory over Canada on Sunday at Chase Field in the finale of Pool D of the World Baseball Classic.

The Americans put themselves in a position to control their own fate by defeating Italy, 6-2, on Saturday night. David Wright's grand slam, only the second in Classic history, broke open a tight game in a five-run fifth inning.

Italy, the decided underdog of the pool, punched a ticket to the second round by defeating Mexico and Canada. The Italians (2-1) will be the No. 2 seed if the U.S. wins out or the top seed if Canada triumphs Sunday. The U.S. and Canada are both 1-1.

Mexico (1-2) was the first team to be eliminated from the bracket after losing to Canada, 10-3, on Saturday in a game marred by a ninth-inning brawl.

Should the Americans win, they will be joined at Marlins Park by Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the teams that advanced from the pool in San Juan, Puerto Rico, this weekend.

The semifinals and final game are in San Francisco's AT&T Park from March 17-19.

Jason Varitek hit the only other Classic grand slam, coming in the inaugural international baseball tournament on March 18, 2006, right here in a loss to Canada.

Wright's shot off Italy reliever Matt Torra snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the U.S. its first lead in this pool. The U.S. lost to Mexico, 5-2, on Friday night and was behind in that game from the opening inning. The Americans trailed again, 2-0, to Italy after the first, but they sliced the lead in half on Joe Mauer's opposite-field RBI double in the fourth.

Brandon Phillips singled home the tying run when the U.S. rallied in the fifth, showing its first real offensive pulse of the weekend. With the bases jammed, Wright drilled his homer deep into the bleachers in left-center, giving the U.S. a lead it never relinquished.

Ryan Vogelsong started for the U.S. and earned the win, working into the fifth inning before nearing the 65-pitch limit placed on starters in the first round of the Classic. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked none and struck out four, all of them in a row from the last out of the third through the fourth inning.

Benches clear after Canada-Mexico plunking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azx5pkaPiNE

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 3/9/2013 9:00 P.M. ET

PHOENIX --

A full-out brawl between Canada and Mexico during the ninth inning of Saturday's World Baseball Classic contest at Chase Field was attributed to a misunderstanding about the tiebreaking rules in the first round, round-robin format that places a premium on the number of runs scored.

With Canada leading by six runs on its way to a 10-3 win, catcher Chris Robinson pushed a clean bunt single toward third base that was played by Luis Cruz. After the play, Cruz walked toward the mound and appeared to gesture for right-hander Arnold Leon to hit the next batter, Rene Tosoni.

It took three pitches and a warning by home-plate umpire Brian Gorman to both benches, but Leon hit Tosoni on the shoulder and both benches cleared. In the end, seven players were ejected. Four of them were from Team Mexico -- Leon, Oliver Perez, Eduardo Arredondo and Alfredo Aceves. The three Canadians to be ejected were Tosoni, Pete Orr and Jay Johnson.

"It was just simply, I think, a misunderstanding," Mexico manager Rick Renteria said. "In a normal professional setting, I should say, a 9-3 bunt in that particular situation would be kind of out of the ordinary. But based on the rules that have been established in this tournament -- the run differentials and things of that nature -- those things may occur. And I think in just the heat of the moment, you lose sight of it and maybe that's how it occurred. It was just a misunderstanding."

Renteria defended Cruz, but all of the key players in the incident were not available to comment.

"Really, I would say that you would have to ask him, but that being said, none of the guys want to speak right now," Renteria said. "They would rather calm down and compose themselves. That question is assuming a fact, and I think that you guys are going to have to find out later on. That said, did he say that? I doubt it."

The Round 1 rules provide that in the case of a three-way tie after each team has played three games, to advance to the second round, a complex equation is used, factoring in runs scored per inning played on offense minus runs allowed per inning on defense in the games involving only those teams.

Thus, a premium is placed on winning games as well as scoring as many runs as possible. That means a steal or bunt -- while classically inappropriate in a typical Major League game that unfolds in this manner -- might be essential in this tournament to a team moving on.

"In this tournament, it's, 'You play baseball like every inning is 0-0.' That's the unfortunate thing," Canada's manager, Ernie Whitt, said. "What happened tonight is because of the rulings that they have. Regular baseball, during the season, you would never see that happening. But because of the run differential that they have, you play it like a 0-0 game the whole time. I mean, they stole the base in the eighth inning. They're down six or seven runs. Why do you do it? I mean, it's unfortunate what happened. It happened. They need to take a look at that."

Whether suspensions are going to be involved because of the fracas is still in question. In that regard, Major League Baseball released the following statement:

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, there are members of the Technical Committee who are in attendance at every game who would detail it in depth and make any recommendations to World Baseball Class Inc. WBCI, which is made up of individuals from MLB and the MLB Players' Association, would then determine if any action is required. This will be looked into, and there will be no comment while this is ongoing."

After Tosoni was hit by the pitch, he headed toward the mound, and suddenly both bullpens and benches emptied and a lengthy scrum intensified. Punches were thrown, and Johnson body-slammed Eduardo Arredondo to the turf, delivering several blows to his face.

Just when it seemed like everything had calmed down, a Canadian player egged on the pro-Mexico crowd on his way back to the first-base dugout by raising his arms as if to welcome their derision. Soon after, a bottle flew out of the stands and hit Canadian coach Denis Boucher on the face. Canada shortstop Cale Iorg threw the bottle back into the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning with Mexico at bat, a fan threw a baseball onto the field in the direction of Canada's first-base coach, Larry Walker, but it did not hit Walker. Whitt then told Gorman that he would pull his players off the field if order was not restored.

After a public-address announcement threatened to forfeit the game, there were no further incidents and the game ended quietly when Ramiro Pena grounded out to Joey Votto at first.

Both managers said there were no injuries, despite all of the pushing, shoving and punching that occurred.

"You can't hurt us; we're Canadians," Whitt said to some laughter during the postgame news conference.

The results left Mexico with a slight chance of advancing in the tournament to Miami's Marlins Park, where play will begin on Tuesday. In that event, Canada, Mexico and the United States would all have to finish play on Sunday with 1-2 records, and that's when the three-way run-differential tiebreaker would kick in.

The second round uses a double-elimination format, meaning that the first pair of the four teams to lose two games would be out.

The single-elimination semifinals and final game are from March 17-19 at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Still, Whitt said he'd like to see the first-round rules changed.

"There's got to be another method other than scoring runs, running up the score on the opposing team," Whitt said. "No one likes that. That's not the way baseball's supposed to be played. There's a professionalism that we're all accustomed to here in North America. And unfortunately, teams are knocked out of the tournament because other teams run up the score on them. Unfortunately, that's what you have to deal with when you have that type of format."