For the first time ever, the United States will battle for the World Baseball Classic championship on Wednesday after beating Japan 2-1 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
The American squad had to come up with yet another late run in this game after Japan tied things up in the sixth inning, and that’s exactly what they did as Adam Jones notched an RBI groundout that scored Brandon Crawford to help set up a title showdown with Puerto Rico.
In each of the previous three tournaments, the American squad has had several close calls, but has never been able to get to this point. In 2006 the team won their pool in the opening round, but they went 1-2 and were eliminated in the second round.
In 2009 the United States made it to the championship round, but it was Japan that knocked them out in the semifinal and prevented them from getting into the final game. 2013 brought more disappointment for the American side, as the team went 1-2 in the second round, including a loss to the very Puerto Rico squad that they will be taking on in the title game Wednesday.
This time around, their revenge tour has already hit several stops. In the first round the United States lost to the Dominican Republic at Marlins Park in Miami, but the American squad got the best kind of revenge as they beat the Dominicans at Petco Park on Saturday to secure a spot in the semifinal round.
Tuesday’s game was another bit of revenge, as the United States avenged their 2009 semifinal loss to the Japanese squad by staging a late-inning triumph.
The final stop on that revenge tour could come on Wednesday, as they’ll take on a Puerto Rico squad that handed them their lone loss of the second round last week in San Diego. Puerto Rico has yet to lose a game in this tournament behind some stellar play from All-Star caliber players like Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, and Francisco Lindor, but that won’t undermine the Americans’ faith in themselves as they look to capture their first title in this event.
Chicago Baseball
Wednesday night will for sure crown a new champion, as neither Puerto Rico nor the United States has ever won this tournament. Japan won the first two installments in 2006 and 2009, and the Dominican Republic took home the title in 2013.
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. Central time, and the game between the U.S. and Puerto Rico will air on MLB Network.
