Cleveland Sports Forum

Francisco Lindor launches a long two-run home run to right field, giving Puerto Rico a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning

Lindor's huge homer gets PR started quickly

Francisco Lindor's first hit in the 2017 World Baseball Classic was a memorable one, as the Indians shortstop smacked a two-run home run in the first inning of Puerto Rico's Pool D matchup against Mexico on Saturday. Lindor unloaded on a 1-2 pitch from Mexico starter Miguel Gonzalez (White Sox), sending the ball over the billboards in right field at Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. The mammoth homer scored former Giants outfielder Angel Pagan, who led off with a single, and gave Puerto Rico a 2-0 advantage two batters into the game.

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Lindor sends his second rocket to right field. That one nearly cleared the wall and onto the grassy knoll beyond the wall. Lindor might have to pee in a cup.

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Lindor picked up his third hit in the top of the ninth inning after Mexico cut the lead to 5-4. He eventually scored the insurance run and Baez put the finishing touches on the inning with a three run homer. Puerto Rico extends their lead to 9-4.

Zach Borenstein singles to right field to bring home Ty Kelly, giving Israel a 2-1 lead in the 6th

Israel remains unbeaten with win over Cuba

TOKYO -- Israel's remarkable run in the World Baseball Classic has now carried into the second round.

After three straight wins to top Pool A in Seoul, the darlings of the tournament opened Pool E at Tokyo Dome Sunday with a 4-1 win over Cuba. First-round MVP Ryan Lavarnway had two hits and drove in the first Israel run, and Zach Borenstein's sixth-inning single put Israel ahead.

Former Major League pitcher Jason Marquis was outstanding in 5 2/3 innings, allowing just an Alfredo Despaigne home run. Three Israel relievers held Cuba scoreless the rest of the way, with closer Josh Zeid getting the final four outs for his second save of the tournament.

While the opening win over Cuba is significant, Israel still has work to do to advance out of Pool E and get to Dodger Stadium for the semifinals. Israel will face the Netherlands and Japan in its other two second-round games. But even a win in one of those two games could be enough.

Cuba will likely need to defeat both the Dutch and the Japanese for a chance to get to the semifinals.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Lavarnway stays hot: In a pregame ceremony Sunday, Lavarnway was presented with a trophy for winning the MVP award in Pool A last week in Seoul. Lavarnway carried his Seoul success into Tokyo, with a fourth-inning double to tie the game at 1-1 and a ninth-inning single that helped lead to an insurance run. Lavarnway also threw out Cuba's speedy center fielder, Roel Santos, trying to steal.
Ryan Lavarnway lines a double into the left-field corner, allowing Ike Davis to score from first base to tie the game in the 4th

It's Despaigne, again: Despaigne is now the all-time World Baseball Classic home run leader. Sunday's shot off Marquis was his third in this tournament and his seventh overall, breaking a tie with teammate Frederich Cepeda. Despaigne homered once in the '09 Classic and three times in six games in WBC '13.
Alfredo Despaigne crushes a solo home run to left field, jumping Cuba out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning

Marquis goes deeper: Israel manager Jerry Weinstein only allowed Marquis to throw 69 pitches, meaning he can't pitch again in this round of the tournament. Marquis gave up only the Despaigne home run in 5 2/3 innings, giving Israel a chance to come back and win the game
Jason Marquis pitches 5 2/3 innings, allows only one run and strikes out four Cubans in a no-decision for Israel

Strength in the 'pen: Israel had one roster change for the second round, and newly added White Sox reliever Brad Goldberg took over as the setup man. Goldberg hit 96 mph on the radar gun, but when he walked Cepeda to bring up Despaigne with two outs in the eighth, Weinstein went to Zeid. Zeid walked Despaigne on four pitches to load the bases, but he got William Saavedra to ground to third base to end the threat.

WHAT'S NEXT

Cuba: Cuba, which lost to Japan, 11-6, in the Pool B opener, will face the hosts in a second-round game Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET.

Israel: Israel will be back in action Monday at 6 a.m. ET against the Netherlands, in a rematch of a Pool A game the Israelis won, 4-2, in Seoul.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/cuba-vs-israel ... 486925#Box

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Francisco Lindor belts a solo home run to right field, his second homer of the game, to give Team Puerto Rico a 5-1 lead in the 7th inning

Lindor's homers put PR on brink of winning Pool D

Puerto Rico remained red-hot at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and beat Mexico, 9-4, behind a pair of home runs from Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and a homer from Cubs infielder Javier Baez in a wild game Saturday night at Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico.

With the win, Puerto Rico improved to 2-0 in Pool D, putting the team in a good position to advance to the next round. Mexico fell to 0-2, meaning it needs a win and some help Sunday to force a potential tiebreaker game.

Lindor mashed a two-run bomb in the first inning and added a solo shot in the seventh, the first hits of WBC '17 for the rising star. Baez iced the game with a three-run blast in the ninth. Puerto Rico also got RBIs from Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Astros teammates Carlos Beltran and Carlos Correa.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Lindor launches two: Lindor crushed a mammoth homer over the billboards in right field to give Puerto Rico a 2-0 lead two batters into the game. Lindor's blast off Mexico starter Miguel Gonzalez (White Sox) came on a 1-2 pitch and scored Angel Pagan, who led off with a single.

Lindor took Yankees Minor Leaguer Giovanny Gallegos deep to right in the seventh for what proved to be the deciding run for Puerto Rico.

Laird leads the way: Brandon Laird drove in Mexico's first run with a single in the first and then sparked a three-run rally in the seventh with a leadoff double. He scored on a single by Chris Roberson.

WHAT'S NEXT

Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is the home team against Italy on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Puerto Rico wins Pool D with a victory.

Mexico: Mexico will be the road team against Venezuela on Sunday night, with first pitch scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Mexico needs a victory and a win by Puerto Rico over Italy to stay in the mix for a potential tiebreaker.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/puerto-rico-vs ... 486920#Box

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Puerto Rico holds on to beat Mexico

Guadalajara, Mexico - Puerto Rico has bags ready for San Diego.

Francisco Lindor hit two home runs and drove in three runs, and the Puerto Rican team responded under pressure in the 9-4 win over Mexico at Jalisco's Charros Stadium as part of the first round of the World Baseball Classic .

After Mexico closed the lead to 5-4, Javier Báez made sure that Puerto Rico had a happy ending with a two-run cannon in the ninth.

Edwin "Sugar" Diaz, in his first appearance in the Classic, was responsible for turning out the lights at the stadium and sending the fans of Mexico home without sleep in their homes.

With Ángel Pagán on first base, Lindor shut up the fans early in the stadium after his cannon shot disappeared over the right field wall against starter Miguel "El Mariachi" Gonzalez in his first at-bat. The star shortstop knew that the ball was gone since making contact and looked at his teammates in the dugout to let them know what he did.

Lindor struck again in the seventh with his second homer to extend the Puerto Ricans' lead to 5-1.

With his performance in the game, the 23 year old became the second Boricua in the Classic to connect for two home runs in a game. The first was the Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez in 2009 against Panama.

Mexico was no easy match. The Aztecs punished reliever Hector Santiago with three hits in the seventh inning to wake up the local fans who filled the facility with whistles.

Carlos Correa's error after Xorge Carrillo's shot led Efren Navarro to score the third of the Mexican's run, and a wild pitch from Santiago allowed substitute Chris Roberson to score.

When everything pointed to a recovery by Mexico, Santiago forced the final out of the inning to stop the bleeding.

Joseph Colón and Alex Claudio combined in the eighth to shut down the Aztec bats. This opened the door for the save by Edwin Diaz.

Puerto Rican starter Jorge López completed his start after throwing 4.1 innings with two hits, one run allowed, two walks and five strikeouts before handing the ball to Santiago.

Francisco Lindor had two homers, one single, three runs scored and three runs batted in. Angel Pagán finished the game with two hits, two runs and a walk. Correa and Beltran, with three hits in the game, drove one in one run each.

Incident in the bleachers

The match was halted for about 10 minutes before the start of the ninth inning due to an incident in the stands, near third base, causing the Puerto Rican dugout to be emptied and rushed to the scene.

The Puerto Ricans stuck to the fence to claim what was happening while the public address of the stadium asked for calm.

Countless officers approached to stop the altercation and the game continued without further incidents.

FRANCISCO LINDOR MOONSHOT

https://youtu.be/UynTb7mh8s0

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After Team Japan starts the 11th with two runners on base, Sho Nakata lines a single to left to plate two runs and give Japan an 8-6 lead

Big Sho: Nakata leads Japan past Dutch in 11
First time in Classic history special extra-inning rules are utilized

TOKYO -- The winning rally began with a sacrifice bunt. Really, it did.

Playing for the first time under World Baseball Classic rules designed to prevent long extra-inning games, Japan scored two times in the 11th inning on Sunday to defeat the Netherlands, 8-6, in both teams' second-round opener. After beginning the inning with runners at first and second base under tournament rules, Japan had Seiya Suzuki bunt them over to second and third. Sho Nakata followed by delivering a single to bring both of them home.

The Netherlands was given the same advantage, beginning the bottom of the 11th with runners at first and second, but was unable to score.

Japan remained undefeated in WBC 2017, after the wildest of games in which the Japanese took the lead four times and gave it back three. Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop sent the game into extra innings with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, one of just three Netherlands hits in 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

"My brain isn't working right now," Japan's manager Hiroki Kokubu joked a few minutes after the game ended.

His brain may be hurting, but his team is in prime position to advance to the semifinals for a fourth straight World Baseball Classic. Japan is the only country to make the semifinal round in the first three tournaments.

• Aoki at center of action in Japan's thrilling win

The Dutch were a surprise semifinalist four years ago -- joining Japan in coming out of the Tokyo pool, despite losing to the hosts twice. It wouldn't be nearly as big a surprise if the Netherlands advances this year, although Sunday's loss made it likely the Dutch will need to beat both Israel and Cuba in their next two games.

"We're still in it," said Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens.

The Netherlands didn't come close to beating Japan four years ago, and in fact gave up six home runs in one 16-4 loss. Sunday's game was much closer, but it left the Dutch frustrated.

"We had plenty of chances," Meulens said. "We couldn't get a big hit. Our relievers gave us a chance. We just didn't get the timely hit to put them away."

The Dutch had runners on base in inning after inning, because they kept getting hits. They had two runners on in the 11th, because that's the rule.

But just like in so many of those other innings, the Dutch couldn't bring the baserunners home. This time, it cost them.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

A bunt and a hit: The 11th inning set up perfectly for the Japanese, because Kokubu had removed cleanup hitter Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh two innings earlier for a defensive replacement. Because he did, he had Suzuki up to begin the 11th in a bunting situation. That put runners at second and third for Nakata, who had a double and a three-run homer earlier in the game. Meulens opted against intentionally walking Nakata because the hitter behind him, Hayato Sakamoto, also swung the bat well on Sunday. Meulens also opted against bunting to start his half of the 11th, because his leadoff hitter in the inning was Jurickson Profar.

"Profar has been our hottest hitter," Meulens explained. "I wasn't going to bunt my best hitter."

Dutch catch a break: Japan nearly took the lead in the 10th inning, but with the bases loaded and one out, the Netherlands turned a double play. Or did they? Japanese players and coaches contended first baseman Curt Smith's foot was off the bag as he reached for the throw from shortstop Andrelton Simmons. First-base umpire Larry Vanover said Smith's foot was on the base, but television replays suggested it wasn't. There are no replay reviews, except for home runs, during the first two rounds of the World Baseball Classic.
With the bases loaded, Tom Stuifbergen gets Norichika Aoki to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, keeping the game tied in the 10th inning

Coco power: The only player in the top six of the Netherlands' lineup who isn't a current Major Leaguer is Balentien, the cleanup hitter known as Coco. Balentien, who played for the Mariners and Reds from 2007-09, has played for Japan's Tokyo Yakult Swallows the last six years, hitting 60 home runs in 130 games in 2013. So his game-tying two-run shot in the third inning was no surprise to the local fans.
Wladimir Valentien hammers a two-run dinger off the left-field foul pole to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the 3rd

Sho time: Nakata was Japan's cleanup hitter at the start of a fall-exhibition series, but struggled and was pushed to the fifth spot behind Tsutsugoh. Nakata said Japan's hitting coach Atsunori Inaba told him to swing as hard as he can. Now, he has three home runs in four tournament games -- including a three-run shot in the third inning on Sunday.
Sho Nakata launches a three-run home run to left field to give Team Japan a 4-1 lead in the 3rd inning, then tips his cap to the crowd

QUOTABLE

"To be honest, we knew they were going to score some runs. We thought we had to score at least 5-6 runs to win, because their offense is so powerful." -- Kokubu, on facing the Netherlands

WHAT'S NEXT

Japan: The hosts have a day off before they play Cuba on Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

Netherlands: The Dutch, who lost to Israel in a first-round game that only determined seeding, will face the tournament's surprise team again on Monday at 6 a.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV. Right-hander Jair Jurrjens will start for the Netherlands, with Cardinals Minor League right-hander Corey Baker starting for Israel.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/japan-vs-nethe ... 486926#Box

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Manny Machado rips a double to left field, bringing home Jonathan Villar to give the Dominican Republic a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning

DR downs resilient Colombia in 11 to win pool

It wasn't easy, but the reigning World Baseball Classic champions are a step closer to defending their title. The Dominican Republic completed its undefeated run through pool play Sunday and will now move on to San Diego after holding off a relentless Colombia team, 10-3, in 11 innings at Marlins Park.

Welington Castillo's two-run single off William Cuevas brought home the go-ahead runs in what ended up as a seven-run Dominican 11th inning, fueled by the Classic-specific rule that places runners on first and second starting in the 11th inning. Castillo's heroics capped a remarkable two-inning performance for the catcher, who played a huge role in saving the game for the Dominicans in the ninth when he made an exceptional tag at the plate to complete a double play and send the game into extras. Jean Segura's three-run double later in the 11th broke the game open and prevented Colombia, which mounted comebacks all afternoon, from doing so again.

The Dominicans finished pool play 3-0, narrowly avoiding a nightmare situation with the win. Had Colombia stolen the game from the heavy favorites, it would have automatically advanced to the second round while potentially forcing the D.R. to play a tiebreaker with the United States, which could also finish 2-1 with a win against Canada tonight. Instead, Colombia drops to 1-2 and needs Canada to upset the Americans for its Classic hopes to remain alive.

If Sunday was Colombia's final Classic moment, the first-time qualifier made quite a mark on the tournament by pushing the defending champions to the brink. Coming off its comeback win over the United States on Saturday, the D.R. didn't figure to be seriously pushed by Colombia, a team made up mostly of Minor Leaguers with no Major League experience.

The Dominican lineup Sunday featured five MLB All-Stars, with two more on the bench and five more in the bullpen. But Colombia fought back from a 3-1 deficit, using Mauricio Ramos' RBI double to inch closer in the sixth and Jorge Alfaro's eighth-inning homer off Fernando Rodney to tie it.

Colombia then loaded the bases against Hansel Robles in the bottom of the ninth, but came up inches short when Oscar Mercado was tagged out at the plate by Castillo on a throw from Jose Bautista, the back end of a dramatic double play that sent the game to extras and sparked multiple ejections.

The Dominicans' all-world lineup managed precious little against four Colombian relievers in the meantime. After starter Nabil Crismatt allowed three runs over the first three innings, Karl Triana, Ernesto Frieri, Dayan Diaz and Tayron Guerrero combined to throw seven innings of scoreless relief that made Colombia's comeback possible. But the Dominican bats woke up in the 11th, when RBI hits by Castillo, Segura and Carlos Santana resulted in a final score that doesn't come close to encapsulating the drama.

With a star-studded roster and a rabid following that flooded Marlins Park this weekend, the Dominicans brought expectations of dominance into this Classic. So far, they have delivered on those expectations, finishing pool play having outscored their three opponents, 26-8.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

To extras! The game came down to a fly ball off the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, the bases loaded and the score tied, Rodriguez lined a medium-depth fly to Bautista in left field. Pinch-runner Mercado tagged from third. Bautista's throw home pulled catcher Castillo up the line and into Mercado, who Castillo collided into immediately after receiving the throw. Mercado was called out in a bang-bang play. He appeared to never reach the plate. But several members of the Colombia team left the dugout to argue vehemently with home plate umpire Trip Gibson III, who ejected outfielder Tito Polo and Rodriguez.

Get excited, Phillies fans: Alfaro launched his game-tying homer 398 feet and at 109 mph, according to Statcast™, leading off the eighth against Rodney, one of the most accomplished Classic pitchers of all time. Alfaro muscled a high changeup over the left-center field wall, and shot celebratory arrows -- Rodney's signature celebration -- upon returning to the dugout.

But that wasn't the only way he made an impact Sunday. Alfaro also showed off his grade 70 arm throwing out Gregory Polanco attempting to steal second in the sixth. Alfaro is the Phillies' No. 3 prospect and No. 72 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com.

Manny is the man: Machado's masterful tournament on both sides of the ball continued. He seemed to make a highlight-reel worthy play every inning and accounted for two of the D.R.'s three runs offensively. Machado's third-inning double drove in the go-ahead run and he scored later in the inning. In the first, he likely saved two runs by deftly snagging a bad-hop bouncer with the bases loaded. He added two more sensational plays in the third and fifth. He hit .357 in pool play.

Crazy caught stealing: His team down by a run in the seventh, Polo tried to swipe second after leading off with a walk against Dellin Betances. Runners were 21 for 21 last season stealing bases against Betances, whose delivery makes him slow to the plate. So Polo ran, and D.R. catcher Castillo made a strong throw to second. But shortstop Jean Segura was late covering, and had to dive across the base to catch Castillo's throw and tag Polo in what ended up being an important, spectacular, bang-bang play.

WHAT'S NEXT

Dominican Republic: The defending World Baseball Classic champions are moving on to the second round. They'll travel to San Diego, where round two begins Tuesday against the winner of Pool D.

Colombia: Whether Colombia plays another game in this Classic depends on the result of the Canada-United States matchup set for 7 p.m. ET Sunday. If Canada wins, all three teams will have 1-2 records, spurring tiebreaker scenarios. If the United States wins, it will advance and Colombia will be eliminated. AND WHAT A SHAME! COLUMBIA, WITH A BUNCH OF MINOR LEAGUERS EXTENDED BOTH POWER HOUSE ALL STAR STUDDED DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND TEAM USA TO EXTRA INNINGS - WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE AND A FUN TEAM TO WATCH

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/dominican-rep- ... 486915#Box

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COMPLETE GAME HIGHLIGHTS JAPAN VS NETHERLANDS EXTRA INNING RULES 11 MINUTES (MUST SEE)

https://youtu.be/0OebKEH2oEY

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USA VS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC COMPLETE GAME HIGHLIGHTS 2 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS

https://youtu.be/9C3uzXwtoX0

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Francisco Lindor, #12, of Puerto Rico celebrates after hits a home run in the top of the first inning during a World Baseball Classic Pool D Game between Puerto Rico and Mexico at Panamericano Stadium on March 11, 2017, in Zapopan, Mexico.

Carlos Correa launches a three-run home run to left field, extending Puerto Rico's lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the 4th inning

Puerto Rico overpowers Italy, wins Pool D

Puerto Rico remained scorching hot at the plate as it beat Italy, 9-3, on Sunday afternoon at Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, to win Pool D and advance to the second round in San Diego.

Italy (1-2) has not been officially eliminated, but it needs some help to play in a possible tiebreaker game. Italy needs Mexico (0-2) to beat Venezuela (1-1) on Sunday night and it also needs to win the runs/inning tiebreaker over either of those teams.

Carlos Correa smacked a three-run homer for Puerto Rico (3-0), while Astros teammate Carlos Beltran added a run-scoring double. Cubs infielder Javier Baez drove in the first run for the island team, Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez added two RBIs and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor contributed a sac fly.

Italy scored three early runs, thanks to a two-run shot from Cubs Minor Leaguer John Andreoli in the first inning and a solo shot by Royals catcher Drew Butera in the second.

Puerto Rico's pitching staff shut down the Italians after Butera's homer, as starter Jose Berrios (Twins) and Hiram Burgos (Brewers) combined to record 15 outs in a row before Chris Colabello (Indians) drew a walk with two outs in the seventh.
Carlos Beltran lines a double down the left-field line, bringing home Carlos Correa to give Puerto Rico a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 3rd

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Correa goes yard: Correa launched a three-run homer to left to give Puerto Rico a 7-3 advantage in the fourth. Correa took Blue Jays Minor Leaguer Jordan Romano deep for his second homer of WBC '17.

Nimmo leaves with injury: Italy starting center fielder Brandon Nimmo was removed from the game in the bottom of the fifth after he appeared to get injured while tracking down Hernandez's RBI triple. The Mets outfielder came up lame as he chased the ball in the gap, but he was able to walk off the field on his own.

WHAT'S NEXT

Italy: It's wait-and-see mode for the Italians, who need some help to force a possible tiebreaker. Italy needs Mexico to beat Venezuela and it needs to win the runs/inning tiebreaker over either of those teams to force a tiebreaker game, which would be played Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is on to the second round in San Diego, where it will play the Dominican Republic on Tuesday at Petco Park. First pitch is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

BOX SCORES

https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/ga ... 486922#Box

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FRANCISCO LINDOR TWO HOME RUN GAME

https://youtu.be/jw8tFOey8OA

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MEXICO VS PUERTO RICO GAME HIGHLIGHTS - LINDOR TWO HOMER GAME 2 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS

https://youtu.be/pyoJDQhix1k

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Puerto Rico's Yadier Molina expressed his concern after Saturday's incident.

Classic officials address stadium incident in Mexico

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- A fracas in the stands between fans near the area designated for family members of Team Puerto Rico brought the entire team out of the dugout and onto the warning track in the outfield near the third-base line during Saturday's matchup between Puerto Rico and Mexico at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco.

Javier Baez and Yadier Molina were among the most animated players on the field during the disruption in the top of the ninth inning. Molina expressed his displeasure with security around the team's family through social media. He also met with officials from the tournament after the game.

World Baseball Classic Inc., the joint MLB-MLBPA organization that oversees the tournament, released a statement on Sunday morning.

"During last night's game, an incident occurred at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco between a fan and family members of Team Puerto Rico," the statement said. "Security staff responded quickly and relocated the families to a new area. Stadium security is always our main priority and we will make every effort to prevent another such situation."

Puerto Rico's 9-5 win against Mexico on Saturday night improved the team's record to 2-0 in Pool D play. A Puerto Rico win against Italy in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday will qualify it for the next round.

"All I heard was [manager] Edwin [Rodriguez] saying go back to the dugout," Baez said. "I thought it was my team, and when I saw the brawl was in the family section, I saw my family and everybody's family trying to separate and [trying] to be safe. Well, I got a little bit desperate, yes, because I hadn't seen what happened, but everything was under control. My family said that everything was OK."
After Saturday's game, Puerto Rico shortstop Francisco Lindor said he and his teammates were simply thinking about their families and friends in the stands. He was relieved nobody was injured.

"I know the fans of Mexico, they are good fans. But, well, the rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico is part of the game," Lindor said. "It's too bad that something happens like this, such a beautiful atmosphere, so big and so beautiful. But thank God nobody got hurt, and the [families] didn't get hurt, so that's a good thing."

David Ortiz was hanging out in the DR dugout, will hopefully be pinch-hitting very soon

There was a lot of action happening on the field during the Dominican Republic's 11-inning, roller-coaster 10-3 win over Colombia on Sunday. But off the field, in the DR dugout, a legend showed his face. A native son who's hit curse-breaking home runs, has cornfields mowed in his likeness and crushed baseballs clear out of our atmopshere. Yes, that's right, it was David Americo Ortiz.

Yes, the former greatest DH of all-time was out with his fellow countrymen -- doling out high-fives, cracking jokes and just looking really, really cool.
Let's hope for a late-inning, World Baseball Classic Big Papi pinch-hit appearance in the near future. I mean, it wouldn't be totally out of the question.

Colombia was close to the feat against Dominican

With the boots on the ground, making them suffer after 11 innings, Colombia lost yesterday 10-3 to the powerful Dominican Republic, in the World Baseball Classic, in Miami (United States ).

In a game of heart attack, performed at Marlins Park, Colombia showed gallantry, temperament, personality and talent, filling a nation with pride that vibrated with the great spectacle it offered.

Dominican scored the first inning on the legs of Jean Segura after a high sacrifice fly by Jose Bautista.

But Colombia responded in the bottom of the second, with Reynaldo Rodríguez's triple and Giovanny Urshela's hit to tie the game.

In that inning, Columbia threatened, but left the bases full and did not take advantage of the opportunity

Dominican scored in the upper part of the third inning. Jonathan Villar singled after stole second base and then Manny Machado dispatched a double bringing his partner home.

The same Machado scored after Bautista reached on error that could not be controlled by Dona Solan. The game went 3-1.

Nabil Crismatt threw three full innings, made 60 pitches, struck out one, walked one and gave up three runs and gave way in the fourth inning to Karl Lewis Triana.

Party in the stands

The Dominicans and Colombians showed a large presence at Marlins Park, a scene that registered a large attendance.

The truth was there were many more people from Dominican, a country that breathes baseball 24 hours a day. They had the party on in the stands that registered the presence of 36,962 people.

The Colombians enlivened the players of the tricolor to achieve the great feat. And in the bottom of the fifth, Colombia threatened with one out and a man on first, but Manny Machado robbed Giovanny Urshela of a double and turned the double play.

Giving the fight

Arriving at the sixth inning trailing 3-1 against the defending champions, Colombia scared the Dominicans. Mauricio Ramos doubled and brought home Adrián Sánchez and the board went 3-2.

To the surprise of many, the tricolor was facing the superpower, as it had done before the United States.

Frieri, to the ring

The pitching rose to the occasion on the mound giving a scare to the Dominicans. In the seventh Frieri replaced Karl Lewis Triana, who, in three innings gave up no runs, 4 hits, conceded a walk and had a strike out.

With the bases full, one out, Frieri faced Robinson Canó, who controlled him in a good way forcing him to bat into a double play.

Alfaro's thunderbolt

With an out and no runners on base, Jorge Alfaro stood at the plate to do a horse swing to got her out of the park. And so did the clean up hitter of the tricolor with a 1-1 count connected for the home run off of Fernando Rodney and tied the game at 3 runs.

In the top of the ninth, Dayan Diaz relieved Frieri, who gave up two hits, conceded a walk, had a strike out and gave up no runs.

For the feat

In the ninth, Jhonatan Solano singled and Óscar Mercado entered to run for him. There was full expectation. Tito Polo was walked. Colombia then had men on first and second with zero outs.

Donoovan Solano, rolled to the short stop, but put out Polo in second, but Mercado reached third and Solano occupied the first pad.

The feat was closer

Reynaldo Rodríguez connected to right fielder Jose Bautista, whothrew out Mercado at home.

The Colombians claimed that the receiver Welington Castillo blocked plate. That made the umpires expel Rodríguez and Polo, who faced Dan Lassogna, the umpire of home plate.

Inning extras

The game went to extra inning to define the winner. And the rules of this tournament say that when they reach inning 12, those who hit will start with two men in the bases (the last two who batted) to try to accelerate an early winner.

Dominicans scored two runs with a Castillo hit to score Santana and Polanco. Jean Segura doubled and scored three more runs (Polanco, Castillo and Villar) and the game was 8-3 against.

Then came one more from Segura after Cano's shot to third and Urshela's error for a 9-3 score. Santana batted in Cano and that was the tenth run.

With the score 10-3, practically sentenced the Columbians to jail. Colombia did not score runs and the game was over.

The results did not reflect what was actually observed during the 4 hour ball game. Colombia played with the heart, showed quality and placed in serious jeopardy the current champions.

The United States against Canada, in the last group C, will close the schedule at 6 pm, Colombian time.