Baseball, Eh?
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Team Canada upset Team USA in a surprising 8-6 victory in the first round of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
The Canadian offense was fueled by Adam Stern who hit an inside-the-park homer, drove in four runs, and made two amazing catches in center. Loewen, a 21-year-old left-hander, gave up three hits and walked three but didn't allow a run in 3 2/3 innings and got the victory. Jason Varitek's 448-foot grand slam brought the United States back from an 8-0 deficit, but the Canadian team made up largely of minor-leaguers held on. After drilling a long-drive to center, Chase Utley flipped his bat and raised both arms, only to watch Stern make a leaping catch near the 407-foot sign to end the inning.
The United States (1-1) must beat South Africa on Friday, or have Mexico lose one of its remaining games to stay alive in the 16-nation tournament. If Mexico, Canada and the United States all finish with a 2-1 record, the tie will be broken by fewest runs allowed per inning in competition involving only those three teams. In that case, the United States would advance if Mexico scores at least three runs against Canada on Thursday.
Scoreboard
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R |
| Canada (2-0) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| United States (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Box Score
CANADA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg P Orr ss 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 .111 S Clapp 2b 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 .100 J Bay lf 3 2 2 0 1 1 0 .500 R Radmanovich rf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000 J Morneau 1b 5 2 3 1 0 0 0 .400 M Stairs dh 4 0 1 2 1 1 0 .286 C Koskie 3b 4 0 1 0 1 1 4 .286 P LaForest c 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .286 M St. Pierre c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 A Guiel rf-lf 3 1 1 0 1 1 2 .333 A Stern cf 4 1 3 4 0 0 0 .714 Totals 38 8 13 8 5 8 12 BATTING: 2B - J Morneau 2 (3, A Leiter, S Shields). 3B - S Clapp (1, D Willis); A Guiel (1, D Willis); A Stern (1, D Willis). HR - A Stern (1, 5th inning off G Majewski 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - J Morneau (2), A Stern 4 (5), P LaForest (1), M Stairs 2 (4). 2-out RBI - P LaForest, A Stern 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Clapp 1, A Guiel 1, C Koskie 1, P Orr 1. Team LOB - 8. BASERUNNING: CS - C Koskie (1, 2nd base by H Street/J Varitek). FIELDING: E - P Orr (2, ground ball). DP: 1 (P Orr-S Clapp-J Morneau). USA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg M Young 2b-ss 5 1 1 0 0 0 2 .167 D Jeter ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .333 C Utley 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 K Griffey Jr cf 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 .500 J Francoeur pr-rf 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 D Lee dh 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 .286 C Jones 3b 3 1 1 0 0 0 3 .500 A Rodriguez 3b 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .400 M Teixeira 1b 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 V Wells rf-cf 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 .000 J Varitek c 3 1 2 4 0 0 1 .667 B Schneider c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 M Holliday lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 a-J Damon ph-lf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333 Totals 36 6 9 6 6 3 17 a-walked for M Holliday in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - K Griffey Jr 2 (2, A Loewen, C Begg). HR - J Varitek (1, 5th inning off E Cyr 3 on, 2 Out). RBI - K Griffey Jr (1), D Lee (2), J Varitek 4 (4). 2-out RBI - J Varitek 4. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Utley 1, D Lee 1, M Holliday 1, M Teixeira 1. GIDP - C Jones. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - M Teixeira (1, 2nd base off A Loewen/P LaForest). FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Francoeur (R Radmanovich at Home).
Date
Thu 03/09/06, 9:40 am EST
Source
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