Post-game
Team USA celebrate in a way that virtually guarantees no one will get hurt, lots of handshakes and gentle hugs, just like Ian Kinsler likes it, while Jim Leyland buttons his managerial career with a win in the World Baseball Classic.
Marcus Stroman says:
“Can’t put it in to words honestly...the pride we had each and every game...I feel like we’ve been playing for years together...I love you mom especially, she went through a lot through this, some emotional times...”
Clearly some motivation for his clean performance tonight came from the online trolling his mother dealt with because her son decided to play for Team USA rather than PR.
Yes, emotion is a major part of the WBC - Yadier Molina is crying: this tournament is a powerful device in several baseball nations around the world even if it hasn’t quite taken off here. It sent an attendance record and continued to provide solid entertainment.
Check back with the Guardian for more WBC coverage, but from all of us, wherever you are, good morning, good afternoon and goodnight.
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, Final
Correa grounds to third: Arenado has it, he fires to first and it’s all over. TEAM USA HAVE WON THEIR FIRST WBC TITLE!
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 9th
Pagan lines a single that nearly hits Roberstson, before Lindor grounds out to Hosmer. That’s two down! It’s up to Carlos Correa to stall the celebration.
Updated
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 9th
David Robertson is on to finish off PR: Hernandez pops up to second, Koinsler has it, one down!
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, top of 9th
Jones grounds 5-4-3, inning over. Team USA are three outs away from their first WBC title!
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, top of 9th
Lucroy grounds out to short, Stanton moves to third. One down for Kinsler, who walks. Here’s Jones, who is in the running for tourney MVP.
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, top of 9th
Emilio Pagan tries to mop up this mess for Puerto Rico and promptly allows a double off the wall by Stanton.
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 8th
Kennys Vargas (there’s only one of them) pinch hits, or pinch strikes out. We go to the ninth.
USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 8th
Neshek is on, and after Molina singles, Baez grounds in to a 6-4-, which is great because this game needs to end. Now it’s Rosario to try and extend the inning.
RUN! USA 8-0 Puerto Rico, top of 8th
Southpaw Alex Claudio is on to pitch and allows a base hit.
Then McCutchen hits a grounder towards Baez in the hole at short - he makes a great play but then throws it away! Arenado scores, McCutchen moves to second and Hosmer lands at third!
Then Crawford strikes out, inning over.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, top of 8th
Arenado, a two-out base hit. Hosmer is up but they’re giving Burgos the hook.
That gives me time for a line...
Marcus Stroman
6+IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 3K 0HR
That the WBC can provide a career defining start means this tournament is on the up.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, top of 8th
Burgos still on for PR. Jones lines to center, Yelich is caught looking and Randy Buist has a question:
@LengelDavid Even as a Tiger fan, why the heck did Kinsler need to open his mouth about baseball cultures?
— randy buist (@randybuist) March 23, 2017
I don’t know, but he should’ve done it three weeks ago to bring some more juice to the WBC.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 7th
Beltran swings and misses, which gets Stroman very excited in the dugout as he tells somebody somewhere to STFU.
Note: do not troll someones mom on twitter before he pitches.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 7th
Correa waves at a fast ball, two down. Now it’s up to Beltran to try and get Puerto Rico on the board.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 7th
Sam Dyson is the new pitcher for Team USA. The crowd in LA have gotten increasingly vocal as the night moves towards a likely first World Baseball Classic victory.
The Texas hurler is pitching for a second consecutive night. There’s a man on second: he’s facing Lindor and the Indians shortstop grounds to short - Crawford moves to his left and has it, firing to first for the out.
Pagan moves to third on the play and Carlos Correa comes to the plate.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 7th
Angel Pagan sprays a pitch into left field and that does it for the no-no and Marcus Stroman.
The Jays hurler walks off, pumps his fist and is greeted warmly, with much less visible emotion and passion than he would be if he were entering the Puerto Rican dugout.
A great night for the Long Island native.
It's seventh inning stretch time
In honor of the World Baseball Classic final, I present Take Me Out to the Ballgame...in Dutch...for your enjoyment.
Viva honkball.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
There is a very quick moment of “whoa” after Kinsler’s big swing...but it’s a can of corn. The catch is made in left field and the side is finally retired.
Stroman is almost definitely coming out for more, as all of Toronto covers their eyes.
USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
Lucroy walks, and it’s bases loaded for Kinsler. We could get the mercy rule in motion with one big knock...
RUN! USA 7-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
Hiram Burgos can’t stop this two-out train: Stanton tacks on with an RBI base hit to left. McCutchen scores and now the big question is what the legendary Leyland, managing in his final game, will do with the kid.
Now Burgos bounces one - that sends Crawford to third and Crawford to second.
It’s getting messy.
No, wait - it is messy.
Stroman
It’s been a long tome in-between drinks for Stroman. How will Leyland handle this?
RUNS! USA 6-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
Crawford goes out and gets a tough pitch on low and away and has a base hit! Here comes Arenado! Hosmer follows! It’s a two-run knock for the Giants shortstop and Team USA go up big!
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
McCutchen battles Berrios and wins the nine pitch battle - he lays off a slider away and takes a well-earned base. Bases loaded, two down.
That’s it for Berrios, the next pitch he throws will be for the Twins. Here comes JC Romero to face Brandon Crawford.
Updated
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
Hosmer is hit with a 95MPH on the elbow and or ribs. Now there’s a little chat at the mound before McCutchen steps in.
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 7th
Jones bounces back to Berrios who has it and throws to first. One down. Now Yelich fouls off a two-strike pitch into the glove of Molina, and that’s two outs. Here’s Arenado, who hits a hard ball right up the middle for a base hit - turns out that trip to first earlier proved an inspiration.
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 6th
Hernandez grounds out to short, the inning is over, and Marcus Stroman has the FU YOU swagger coming off the mound. That man is in the zone.
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 6th
One pitch, one out: Eddie Rosario grounds to second. Here is TJ Rivera.
If this is the Stroman Toronto get all season long, it’s going to be interesting in the north.
Another little knubber - Rivera is out on a bouncer to second.
Just 63 pitches in here. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
There’s a 95-pitch cap, but it can be done if PR insist on catching that plane. Can’t it?
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 6th
Berrios, catches Kinsler looking - he strikes out the side!
Now, can PR get a hit?
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 6th
Jose Berrios of the Twins is on now and the rightly starts off by mowing down Giancarlo Stanton with high cheddar for the first out of the sixth inning.
Oh, I forgot this.
Seth Lugo
4IP 5H 4R 4ER 4BB 7K 1HR
Seth was able to dance through the raindrops...until he didn’t.
Now Lucroy strikes out. Two down. Here’s the copy king, Ian Kinsler, who is 2-3 with a homer and single.
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 5th
A 3-1 pitch to Baez is tapped to short, Crawford this time is running in and to his right and making it look easy. That’s five hitless innings for Marcus Stroman here in the final of the World Baseball Classic!
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 5th
Short hop to short, and Crawford has another chance: he gets Molina with plenty of time to spare: two down.
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 5th
Now it’s American shortstop Brandon Crawford working in the hole at short, he backhands a ground ball from Beltran and throws a pellet in time to get the Astros DH.
Here is Molina looking to get PR’s first hit.
Question of the night
If the United States win this, how will Ian Kinsler choose to show his passion and emotion?
USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
Crawford pops to short, and a damaging inning is over for Team Puerto Rico.
Updated
RUN! USA 4-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
McCutchen bounces deep, and I mean deep into the hole at short - Lindor dives, on the outfield grass to make an amazing stop - but the throw is not in time! An incredible defensive play doesn’t help PR here as Yelich comes around to score, and Team USA have now doubled their lead in the fifth!
Really, a ridiculous play by Lindor there.
USA 3-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
Hosmer bounces to short - Lindor has it, tony little bobble, fires to Baez at second for one, the throw to first not in time! So the inning continues with runners at the corners for McCutchen.
PR were potentially a tiny little bobble away with getting out of this inning with just a run.
USA 3-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
Arenado....bunts? Yep, he does, and the pitcher, Jimenez, pounces on it and forces Jones out at third. First and second with one out for Hosmer.
I think Arenado just wanted to see what the view was like from first base.
RUN! USA 3-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
Yelich, a base-hit to right filed - around comes Kinsler and the US add a run! That will do it for Lugo who is chased here in the fifth.
Joe Jimenez jumps out of a jelly into a jam - still two on, nobody out and he’ll face the slumping Arenado, who is looking to break out in a big spot!
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 5th
Adam Jones walks for a second time tonight and here comes Edwin Rodriguez to go get Lugo...or maybe not.
Lugo, up to 80 pitches now, will stay in to face Yelich.
So it’s two on and nobody out in a crucial inning here for Puerto Rico...
Mouthy Stroman
Stroman had some lip service for the Puerto Rican dugout as he walked off the mound after striking out Correa. He’s been taking heat from the crowd for the same reason I wrote about earlier: he picked the US over PR despite sharing island heritage.
I just wonder what his teammate Ian Kinsler thinks of all this.
Maybe he’s thinking about it while on first base: the Tigers second baseman has a single to add to his home run as the US enjoy yet another leadoff baserunner.
Updated
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 4th
Stroman is cruising: Pagan, a fly out to right field, Lindor, a bounce-out to the Jays pitcher. Now there’s a full count to Carlos Correa, always a home run threat.
His 46th pitch is up and in and past Correa! Puerto Rico are still hitless!
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 4th
Lugo, who seemed to be teetering just an inning ago, seems to have more air in his tires - he sets down Crawford, Stanton and Lucroy in order to finish the fourth on 69 pitches: it’s just what Puerto Rico needs to keep their bullpen from bleeding out.
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 3rd
Hernandez strikes out. Inning over.
Continuing on, Guardian contributor Erick Fernandez sounds off on the budding Kinsler controversy.
Despite how many international players, Latino, Asian, etc, there is still a very much us. vs them problem in the MLB.
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) March 23, 2017
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 3rd
Eddie Rosario lines to left and Rivera lines to right - so Stroman is just a touch over 30 pitches on an economical night where the Jays hurler has yet to allow a hit.
Kike Hernandez is next.
Unwritten rules
Apparently, the ongoing sagga between certain baseball cultures has snuck into the WBC, courtesy of Ian Kinsler. Thoughts?
this makes me wanna root for puerto rico 🤔 https://t.co/EkXfDTejCz pic.twitter.com/qjg6umUjHM
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 22, 2017
Updated
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 3rd
The US have a lead, Lugo’s pitch count is at 60, but PR are out of the inning: after Hosmer is intentionally walked, McCutchen is Lugo’s sixth K, side retired.
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 3rd
John Smoltz, analyst on TV here in the US thinks Lugo’s two-strike pitch to Yelich is up and away, but the on-screen technology and the umpire say it’s strike three. That’s one down.
But now Lugo bounces one in front of the plate that gets away from Molina and Jones heads down to second.
There’s a runner in scoring position with one down.
Now it’s two down - Arenado, who at this very moment couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, becomes strikeout victim no5 for Lugo, who has settled things down a bit here. Still, he has to get past the dangerous Hosmer.
Updated
USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 3rd
Now Lugo loses Adam Jones on a seven-pitch walk. His pitch count is heading towards 50 without an out in the third, and Yelich, already with a double in hand, heads to the plate. Lugo needs some help from a pitcher’s best friend.
Updated
HOME RUN! USA 2-0 Puerto Rico, top of 3rd
Ian Kinsler drives a sinker over the wall at Dodger Stadium: it’s a two-run home run for the Tigers second baseman and Team USA take the lead!
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, top of 3rd
Jonathan Lucroy has a knock to center field and Team USA have a leadoff runner in the third. Top of the lineup again and here’s Ian Kinsler.
Updated
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 2nd
Baez digs for a breaking ball in the dirt - strike three. So Stroman navigates around a leadoff walk and we head to the third inning scoreless.
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 2nd
Stroman, fabulously talented, has been somewhat inconsistent during his short career. Here he walks Beltran to start the second.
...a lot of talk on the broadcast here in the USA on how crime has virtually disappeared during the WBC down in Puerto Rico, an island with a population 100 times smaller than the USA.
Less exciting for the island is the 6-4-3 double play Yadier Molina just bounced into.
Two down for Javier Baez.
Updated
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, top of 2nd
Hosmer is off and running on a full count but Stanton waves at a pitch away - strike three, side retired. That’s a pair of left on by Team USA.
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, top of 2nd
Hosmer draws a walk before McCutchen becomes Lugo’s second strikeout victim. Now Crawford peppers a line drive straight into Lindor’s glove - and the Indians shortstop fires to first trying to double up Hosmer who slides back into the bag - is he safe? Is he out? It’s super close.
The umps call him safe after a short video review.
So now there’s two down and Giancarlo Stanton walks up to the plate with a chance to put the US up a deuce. Will Lugo survive?
Updated
Little 6
There aren’t too many big league pitchers who wear a single number on the back of their uniform. I believe, and this is not checked, that Mike Leake was the only other pitcher besides Marcus Stroman to wear a single digit last season. The Jays hurler wears the number in honor of his grandmother, who was born on 6 March.
Unfortunately for Stroman, he had to publically defend another family member, his mother, on twitter recently: a Puerto Rican “fan” trolled the Jays hurlers mom because he chose to play for Team USA rather than Puerto Rico, where his mother was born. Nice.
@aya11763 we good momma. Can't allow the thoughts and words of others to derail us off our path. Love you! ❤️
— Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo6) March 19, 2017
Updated
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, bottom of 1st
Now it’s Marcus Stroman’s turn - he quickly gets Puerto Rican and free-agent leadoff man Angel Pagan to bounce out to second.
Then Francisco Lindor also rolls one to Ian Kinsler, who tosses over to Eric Hosmer once more for the out.
Two down and here’s the monster, Carlos Correa. The Astro also grounds out, this time it’s back to Stroman, who throws easy to first, inning over.
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, top of 1st
Arenado strikes out, meaning Lugo and his curveball strand Yelich at second, side retired.
Team USA coming up.
USA 0-0 Puerto Rico, top of 1st
Adam Jones, who has made noise with both ball and glove this tournament, pounds another Seth Lugo pitch into the dirt: the shortstop TJ Rivera scoops it up, tosses to first, and that’s two easy outs.
Now Christian Yelich goes opposite field to left, Yelich, turns the corner and slides into second base, safe! It’s a two-out double for the Marlins outfielder. Can the struggling Nolan Arenado, who has just three hits in this tournament, punch him in?
First pitch
Ian Kinsler has stepped in and promptly grounds to third where Carlos Correa lives - he has it, and fires successfully over to first base for the very first out of this final. We’re off!
Trivia answer
Congratulations to Kevin Simons, who correctly guessed that the blonde bearded Carlos Beltran is Xavier Abel in not such a great disguise. Kevin, you are now famous. You can even google your name in a news search, if you like.
Updated
National Anthems
It’s that time: Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, but it still has a national anthem. This is how it sounded when these teams faced off four years ago at the WBC.
Trivia time
Can you name the Portuguese footballer who most closely resembles the Puerto Rican designated hitter?
Puerto Rico is running out of blonde hair dye because of the World Baseball Classic!!https://t.co/KAMHl3q0EB pic.twitter.com/xsG5WpnUkx
— a.g. (@aghease) March 22, 2017
The winner gets bragging rights for the rest of the WBC.
Please email or tweet your answer to us and we’ll make you muy famoso!
Lineups: Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico have the advantage as the home team, and because they mostly have blonde hair. Blondes, as we know, have more fun, so that is also a natural advantage considering they are all playing a game.
Oh, and they also have Yadier Molina, who is something of a supernatural power.
1. Angel Pagan, LF
2. Francisco Lindor, SS
3. Carlos Correa, 3B
4. Carlos Beltran, DH
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Javier Baez, 2B
7. Eddie Rosario, RF
8. T.J. Rivera, 1B
9. Hernandez, CF
RHP Seth Lugo
Updated
Lineups: United States
They’re the away team inside their own country, and so will operate with that disadvantage.
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Adam Jones, CF
3. Christian Yelich, LF
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Eric Hosmer, 1B
6. Andrew McCutchen, RF
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Giancarlo Stanton DH
9. Jonathan Lucroy, C
RHP Marcus Stroman
A very nice tournament
The World Baseball Classic will never be the World Series, and that’s just fine with its main sponsors, Major League Baseball, a group that counts its Fall Classic as its core crown jewel.
We’ll always deliberate whether or not its being played at the right time: play it after the World Series and the NFL will crush it, play it during an extended all-star break and it will break the momentum of a season, play it in the spring and it’s too much too soon for the fragile bodies of today.
So we deal with pitch counts and rusty swings, all while a tournament that’s supposed to be the best from all countries (and territories, and kingdoms) does the best it can to impress.
And it does.
The World Baseball Classic is fabulous because it exists, because it provides an opportunity for the sport to have high-level professionals from all corners to play for a title while representing their country, or their parents country, or their grandparents country, or maybe just because they had a bar mitzvah. Before 2006, that was not possible.
At this point, I’m still happy to call this tournament reasonable progress, and I’m still happy to watch at-bats that can feel like October when its only March.
Having said that, at least here in the US, personally, I believe this tourney is a Trout, Haprer and Syndergaard away from taking off. Instead, they’re a solid, but less spectacular product out there, one that made a final without all those folks, and manager Jim Leyland deserves credit for getting them here.
And speaking of Leyland, he’s been a popular man as of late:
“I’ve talked to some managers and pitching coaches in the last 24 hours, and we had a good conversation about using guys back-to-back for the first time, but with a limit on pitches,” Leyland said earlier. “This is a process. You have a lot of conversations, but we’re pretty much a full boat in the bullpen tonight.”
Such talk arises because Luke Gregerson, Andrew Miller, Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon and Pat Neshek - who Leyland inserted in a key eighth inning spot last night against Japan to the wonder of just about everybody - all pitched last night, and as we know, pitch counts and the WBC are like baseball and apple pie.
Having said that, Leyland also insists that starter Marcus Stroman can go 95 pitches for the USA if needed. Stroman gave up four runs in the first inning against these very Puerto Ricans on Friday in San Diego.
Louisiana’s own Seth Lugo will start for Puerto Rico - he’s tossed 11 innings so far this tournament and allowed three runs in 5 2/3 frames last time he faced these Yanks.
Standby for lineups.
Updated
Hello and welcome
As our upcoming game is coming to us from the City of Angels, why don’t we begin with a hearty “hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon or evening, (or even morning) to you, wherever you may be...” just as former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully would have done thousands of times from his Chavez Ravine booth. The difference here is that this isn’t Major League Baseball we’re getting set for, it’s the final of the World Baseball Classic.
What started with games in Korea and Tokyo at the start of this month, ends at Dodger Stadium, where Team USA is prepping to play in their very first WBC final against Puerto Rico, a ballclub that has swept through this tournament without a blemish, a streak that includes a 6-5 defeat of the Yanks.
Unlike their fellow Americans, Puerto Rico have reached the final before: they were shut out in 2013 against the Dominican Republic by the score of 3-0, except back, then they didn’t have an entire island of blonde haired supporters rooting them on.
We’ll be bringing you lineups, highlights and other little nuggets shortly, but for now, why not grab some mofongo, a beer and get set for what should be something resembling high-stakes baseball. You can also kill time until our 9PM EST first pitch by joining our blog by email or tweet: any and all musings are welcome.
Updated
David will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at how the United States made it to tonight’s final: with Tuesday’s narrow win over Japan.
