Yesterday was an off day for the WBC, so instead of our daily recap we’ll take this opportunity to look ahead to the quarterfinal round that begins tonight and continues tomorrow. The tournament now advances to a single elimination format, with two sides of a bracket that will narrow eight teams down to two.
Friday
There will be two games tonight, with the first being Korea vs. Dominican Republic at 6:30. The D.R. has been an offensive powerhouse as expected, bulldozing their way through Pool D. They have scored the most runs (41), hit the most home runs (13), and collected the second most overall hits (40). Their absolutely loaded lineup has been led by Vladimir Guerro Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., as that pair has combined to hit .480 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. The Phillies own Cristopher Sánchez has been named the starter for tonight’s game.
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Korea meanwhile was the runner-up to Japan in Pool C, going 2-2 with a pair of wins against Czechia and Australia and a pair of losses against Japan and Chinese Taipei. Bo Gyeong Moon opened the tournament with a grand slam in the first inning of Korea’s first game against Czechia and hasn’t slowed down there. The first baseman is hitting .538 with two home runs and a tournament best 11 RBIs.
The second game tonight will be the United States against Canada. The U.S. and its manager Mark DeRosa got bailed out from a possible humiliating exit thanks to Italy, as they were still able to make it out of Pool B despite their previous loss to Italy. Their offense has been just about as advertised in most categories, as they’re first in hits (41) and second to the D.R. in total runs (40). However, one area that’s been lacking is power, as their seven home runs are fifth most and are nearly half of the D.R. (13) and Italy (12). The U.S. can still lean on its pitching though even if the loss of Tarik Skubal has made it just a little thinner, as they will send Logan Webb to the mound tonight for his second start of the tournament.
Canada has advanced to the quarterfinal round for the first time in its history, winning Pool A with a 3-1 record. Their pitching staff has pitched well, allowing the third fewest runs (10) in the tournament, and their hitting has been able to manufacture enough offense to overcome just two total home runs and the second fewest runs total (21) of the eight remaining teams. Michael Soroka will take the ball against the U.S. in his second start following three innings of one-run ball that earned him the win against Columbia.
Saturday
On the other side of the bracket that starts Saturday, we have the upstart Italy taking on Puerto Rico at 3:00. Italy has been the surprise of the tournament, as their upset of the U.S. being one of the biggest wins so far. Their offense has been impressive with 12 home runs and 32 runs scored. Phillies prospect Dante Nori has had a strong tournament, hitting .500 with two homers and a team-leading six hits and five RBIs. Aaron Nola’s five shutout innings against Mexico was one of the best pitching performances so far and was the saving grace of his Phillies teammates Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller on Team U.S.A.
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Puerto Rico, despite having one of their weaker teams in recent memory, was still able to advance to the quarterfinal round as the runner up to Canada in Pool A. Their pitching has carried them, as their 1.22 ERA is the best in the WBC and their 40 strikeouts are fourth most. Their offense hasn’t impressed with just 10 runs scored, but they have been able to get clutch hits when needed, capped off by arguably the most dramatic moment of the WBC so far with Darrell Hernaiz’s walk-off homer against Panama.
Defending champions Japan will look to continue their march back to the finals with their quarterfinal game against Venezuela. Japan has predictably been a juggernaut, outscoring their opponents 34-9 and pitching two shutouts. They’re third in home runs (8) and total runs offensively while their pitching staff is second in ERA (2.12) and strikeouts (49). Shohei Ohtani has of course done Shohei Ohtani things, as the reigning WBC MVP is 5-9 with two home runs including a grand slam for six total RBIs in just three games played. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Saturday in his second appearance this WBC. He threw 2.2 scoreless in his only other appearance against Chinese Taipei.
Venezuela will look to knockoff the reigning champs with their own well-balanced roster. Their lineup that includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Luis Arráez, Jackson Chourio, and Eugenio Suárez among others ranks seventh in runs scored (26) while their pitching staff that includes Ranger Suárez and Eduardo Rodriguez is fifth in ERA (2.75). Suárez has already been named the starter against Yamamoto. Ranger is also making his second appearance after allowing one run in three innings in the opener against the Netherlands.
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