4 Takeaways From Team USA's World Baseball Classic Win Over Brazil
#World Baseball Classic #Team USA #Brazil #Lucas Ramirez #home run #Logan Webb #underdog #pitching
📌 Key Takeaways
- Team USA narrowly avoided an upset, leading by only three runs after eight innings against Brazil.
- Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, hit two home runs against MLB pitchers, including one off Logan Webb.
- Brazil's team, lacking active MLB players, showed resilience and competitiveness throughout the game.
- Team USA's pitching staff recovered after early struggles, retiring 15 consecutive batters at one point.
📖 Full Retelling
This was supposed to be the biggest mismatch of the World Baseball Classic, a team composed primarily of non-affiliated baseball players facing the most decorated roster in the competition’s history. Instead, Brazil gave the best USA team ever assembled everything that it could handle through the first eight innings of its first game of the tournament Friday night in Houston. The end result was ultimately a blowout in favor of the favorites, but it was a three-run game after eight innings and far from the cakewalk many expected. Here are my takeaways: 1. With Lucas being Manny, Brazil doesn’t back down Brazil doesn’t have any active MLB players on the roster, but it does have the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. And on Friday, Lucas Ramirez looked a lot like a left-handed version of his dad. The 20-year-old Angels prospect, who was drafted in the 17th round in 2024, wasn’t intimidated facing two-time All-Star Logan Webb to begin the night. Ramirez pulled Webb’s second pitch of the game, a four-seamer at the bottom of the zone, 104.1 mph off the bat and over the right-field wall. Seven innings later, Ramirez — who hit just three home runs in 60 minor-league games last season — added his second home run when he lifted a solo shot off reliever Gabe Speier, who surrendered just three home runs and seven extra-base hits to left-handed hitters all of last season. It’s been quite the week for Ramirez, who two days ago also went deep off Jacob deGrom in an exhibition against the Texas Rangers. Ramirez played an important role in getting Brazil to the tournament, having gone 5-for-13 in the qualifiers, and again starred on Friday night. Webb rebounded from the early homer to retire each of the next 12 batters he faced, including six via strikeout, in a four-inning start. As a team, the U.S. pitching staff retired 15 straight batters after the Ramirez home run. The streak ended with a Gabriel Carmo single off Michael Wacha to start the sixth, at which point the U.S. off
🏷️ Themes
Upset Alert, Player Performance
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Original Source
This was supposed to be the biggest mismatch of the World Baseball Classic, a team composed primarily of non-affiliated baseball players facing the most decorated roster in the competition’s history. Instead, Brazil gave the best USA team ever assembled everything that it could handle through the first eight innings of its first game of the tournament Friday night in Houston. The end result was ultimately a blowout in favor of the favorites, but it was a three-run game after eight innings and far from the cakewalk many expected. Here are my takeaways: 1. With Lucas being Manny, Brazil doesn’t back down Brazil doesn’t have any active MLB players on the roster, but it does have the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. And on Friday, Lucas Ramirez looked a lot like a left-handed version of his dad. The 20-year-old Angels prospect, who was drafted in the 17th round in 2024, wasn’t intimidated facing two-time All-Star Logan Webb to begin the night. Ramirez pulled Webb’s second pitch of the game, a four-seamer at the bottom of the zone, 104.1 mph off the bat and over the right-field wall. Seven innings later, Ramirez — who hit just three home runs in 60 minor-league games last season — added his second home run when he lifted a solo shot off reliever Gabe Speier, who surrendered just three home runs and seven extra-base hits to left-handed hitters all of last season. It’s been quite the week for Ramirez, who two days ago also went deep off Jacob deGrom in an exhibition against the Texas Rangers. Ramirez played an important role in getting Brazil to the tournament, having gone 5-for-13 in the qualifiers, and again starred on Friday night. Webb rebounded from the early homer to retire each of the next 12 batters he faced, including six via strikeout, in a four-inning start. As a team, the U.S. pitching staff retired 15 straight batters after the Ramirez home run. The streak ended with a Gabriel Carmo single off Michael Wacha to start the sixth, at which point the U.S. off
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