WBC C's: Quarterfinals And Semis
The World Baseball Classic wraps up tonight with global bragging rights on the line. While there are no Canadians alumni represented in the matchup between the United States and Venezuela, four of the original 11 former C’s in the tournament moved on from Pool Play and had a chance to
The World Baseball Classic wraps up tonight with global bragging rights on the line. While there are no Canadians alumni represented in the matchup between the United States and Venezuela, four of the original 11 former C’s in the tournament moved on from Pool Play and had a chance to appear in the elimination rounds.
CANADA – Lost in the Quarterfinals to Team USA, 5-3 final
RHP Adam Macko
Macko provided key outs in multiple games during Pool Play, though he couldn’t quite capture that same success in the Quarterfinals against the Americans. The lefty worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief with a pair of strikeouts, but both runners he inherited when he entered the game in sixth inning came around to score. Those were the last two runs Team USA plated, and they were the x-factor in a 5-3 final score.
INF Otto Lopez
The Dominican-born, Montreal-raised Lopez logged two hits from the leadoff spot in the Quarterfinal, but it wasn’t enough in Team Canada’s loss. He finished the tournament with five hits in five games played, good enough for a .263 batting average.
ITALY – Lost in the Semifinals to Venezuela, 4-2 final
UTL Jon Berti
As one of the elder statesmen on Team Italy, Berti put together terrific numbers over the course of the tournament. He didn’t appear in the Quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico then got the start at second base in the Semifinals against Venezuela. In that game, the Troy, MI native went 1-for-4 and wrapped up the tournament batting .375 with a 1.132 OPS in four games played.
PUERTO RICO – Lost in the Quarterfinals to Italy, 8-6 final
RHP Luis Quinones
For as good as Quinones was in Pool Play – he didn’t allow a run in four innings of work and racked up seven strikeouts over two outings – the right-hander ran out of luck in the Quarterfinals against Team Italy. Quinones coughed up two runs on two hits plus a walk and failed to record an out. Unfortunately, the two scores he allowed proved to be the difference in the game; Italy scored their seventh and eighth runs against him then survived a late Puerto Rican rally to win 8-6.
Catch all the World Baseball Classic action throughout the month of March as an appetizer for the 75th anniversary of historic Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Opening Night at The Nat is set for April 7. Tickets and more information are available by calling 604-872-5232, visiting CanadiansBaseball.com or following the C’s on social via @vancanadians.