California

Team USA Advances to Second Round of World Baseball Classic

The United States beat Canada on Sunday to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic

Team USA advanced to the second round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) with their 8-0 victory over Canada on Sunday.

The United States wasted no time in building up a big lead. After only two innings of play, the USA already had seven runs. With three runs in the first inning and four more in the second, Canada was taken out of the game in a hurry. While that offense was taking place, the USA also received some stellar pitching.

Nolan Arenado's three-run home run in the second inning was one of the big hits for the USA early on. Arenado had been kept quiet in the WBC before the homer, but made his presence known in a big way in this one. The Colorado Rockies' star should remain in the middle of Team USA's lineup in the second round of play.

Christian Yelich's solid work continued with a 2-5 day, and the Miami Marlin also scored twice. Yelich has been America's best hitter in the tournament with his .625 average. Despite being the only starting player to never have been selected to an All-Star Game, Yelich has out-shined his teammates in all three of his appearances.

The news wasn't as good for Giancarlo Stanton however, as his struggles continued in an 0-4 day. Stanton was dropped to eighth in the batting order, and could be in danger of losing his starting job for Team USA. Stanton had been slumping in camp with the Marlins prior to the WBC as well.

On the pitching side of things, Danny Duffy shined in the start for Team USA. Duffy struck out seven across his four innings, and walked none. Those seven strikeouts were part of the 13 that the United States had overall in the win.

The second round of the WBC will begin on Tuesday at Petco Park in San Diego, California.

Contact Us