4 Takeaways From USA's World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal Win Over Canada
#World Baseball Classic #Team USA #Canada #quarterfinal #pitching #Logan Webb #Paul Skenes #bullpen
📌 Key Takeaways
- Team USA advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought quarterfinal win over Canada, setting up a matchup with the Dominican Republic.
- Team USA's pitching, particularly its rotation with Logan Webb and Paul Skenes, is a major advantage moving forward in the tournament.
- Canada mounted a late comeback against the USA bullpen, making the game close after falling behind 5-0.
- The victory was more a relief than a celebration, coming after a surprising pool-play loss to Italy that had jeopardized USA's tournament hopes.
📖 Full Retelling
DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – Once again, it did not come easily or stylishly for Team USA on Friday night, as evidenced by the subdued celebration on the field in the aftermath of its victory against its neighbors to the north. It seemed more like a sigh of relief than a scene of jubilation. But coming off a shocking pool-play loss to Italy that put its tournament hopes at risk, the dream team survived again, holding off Canada in the quarterfinals to set up a matchup of the juggernauts between Team USA and the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s semifinals. Here are my takeaways: 1. Team USA Has Major Pitching Advantage Moving Forward Yes, Team USA has assembled a lineup packed with superstars, but the biggest difference for the club in this tournament compared to past iterations is the arm talent — particularly in the rotation. Even with Tarik Skubal no longer available, the U.S. had a back-to-back All-Star in Logan Webb to start on Friday and will have a back-to-back All-Star and Cy Young Award winner in Paul Skenes ready for Sunday’s much-anticipated matchup against the Dominican Republic. Webb did his job against the Canadians, holding them scoreless for 4.2 innings with five strikeouts. In two starts in the WBC, Webb allowed just one run in 8.2 innings. Once he left, though… 2. Canada Made Things Interesting vs. USA Bullpen After falling behind 5-0, Canada didn’t go down without a fight. The inning after Webb’s departure, Tyler Black got Canada on the board with an RBI single off Brad Keller in the sixth. USA manager Mark DeRosa then turned to lefty Gabe Speier to get the platoon matchup on Bo Naylor, but it didn’t matter as the Canada catcher crushed an inside slider 404 feet out to right field to bring Canada within two runs. It would soon get even dicier for the U.S. bullpen. David Bednar entered in the seventh and got a couple ground balls to start the inning, but they both resulted in infield singles. After a passed ball by Cal Raleigh, Canada suddenly had the tyin
🏷️ Themes
Baseball Tournament, Team Performance
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Original Source
DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – Once again, it did not come easily or stylishly for Team USA on Friday night, as evidenced by the subdued celebration on the field in the aftermath of its victory against its neighbors to the north. It seemed more like a sigh of relief than a scene of jubilation. But coming off a shocking pool-play loss to Italy that put its tournament hopes at risk, the dream team survived again, holding off Canada in the quarterfinals to set up a matchup of the juggernauts between Team USA and the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s semifinals. Here are my takeaways: 1. Team USA Has Major Pitching Advantage Moving Forward Yes, Team USA has assembled a lineup packed with superstars, but the biggest difference for the club in this tournament compared to past iterations is the arm talent — particularly in the rotation. Even with Tarik Skubal no longer available, the U.S. had a back-to-back All-Star in Logan Webb to start on Friday and will have a back-to-back All-Star and Cy Young Award winner in Paul Skenes ready for Sunday’s much-anticipated matchup against the Dominican Republic. Webb did his job against the Canadians, holding them scoreless for 4.2 innings with five strikeouts. In two starts in the WBC, Webb allowed just one run in 8.2 innings. Once he left, though… 2. Canada Made Things Interesting vs. USA Bullpen After falling behind 5-0, Canada didn’t go down without a fight. The inning after Webb’s departure, Tyler Black got Canada on the board with an RBI single off Brad Keller in the sixth. USA manager Mark DeRosa then turned to lefty Gabe Speier to get the platoon matchup on Bo Naylor, but it didn’t matter as the Canada catcher crushed an inside slider 404 feet out to right field to bring Canada within two runs. It would soon get even dicier for the U.S. bullpen. David Bednar entered in the seventh and got a couple ground balls to start the inning, but they both resulted in infield singles. After a passed ball by Cal Raleigh, Canada suddenly had the tyin
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