The US has made it to the final of the World Baseball Classic for the second year in a row after defeating Cuba 14-2. Trea Turner and Paul Goldschmidt both hit home runs, with Turner taking his tournament total to four and recording ten RBIs. Cuba briefly took the lead, but the US offense recorded 14 hits, including eight for extra bases. The Cuban team initially managed three infield hits and a bases-loaded walk off Adam Wainwright, but the pitcher managed to recover and strand the bases loaded. There were brief interruptions to play when fans ran onto the field, and protests outside the stadium were held against the Cuban team. Cuba is using some players under contract with MLB clubs, including Luis Robert, Yoán Moncada, and Yoenis Céspedes. The Cuban team has struggled in recent years, with many top players leaving for MLB.
The United States has successfully made it to the final of the World Baseball Classic for the second time in a row, thanks to its resounding 14-2 victory over Cuba. The defending champions completely dismantled the Cuban team, with Trea Turner hitting two home runs, taking his total to four in the tournament and recording a total of ten RBIs. The US scored in seven of the eight innings and tallied up crooked numbers in five of them. Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins also hit home runs for the Americans, with Goldschmidt earning a tournament-leading four RBIs. The US will face either Japan or Mexico in the championship on Tuesday, aiming to win the title twice and join the Samurai Warriors as the only teams to do so.
Cuba initially went ahead, with its first four batters reaching off Adam Wainwright without hitting the ball out of the infield. However, the 41-year-old pitcher managed to recover and strand the bases loaded. The American offense then pummeled Cuban pitchers, recording 14 hits, including eight for extra bases. The US received seven walks.
Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give the US the lead, followed by a two-run single in the fifth. St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado left the game after being hit on the hand by a pitch in the fifth inning, but X-rays came back as negative. Mets closer Edwin Díaz had sustained a season-ending knee injury during the celebration that followed Puerto Rico’s win on Wednesday, and Houston second baseman Jose Altuve broke a thumb when hit by a pitch while playing for Venezuela on Saturday.
The sellout crowd of 35,779 at LoanDepot Park sounded evenly split between the US and Cuba, with several hundred people gathered outside the ballpark in Miami’s Little Havana section to protest the presence of the Cuban team. The game was briefly interrupted in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings when fans ran onto the field, with one holding a banner that read “Libertad Para Los Presos Cubanos del 11 de Julio” (Freedom for the Cuban Prisoners of July 11) in reference to the 2021 demonstrations.
In a game that saw Cuba briefly take the lead, USA catcher Will Smith made a crucial out at home plate in the first inning to keep the score even. The Cuban team’s first four batters managed to hit three infield singles and draw a bases-loaded walk off Adam Wainwright, who struggled to field a pair of grounders, contributing to his early difficulties. Trea Turner hit a solo homer in the second inning before a three-run drive. Wainwright allowed one run and five hits in four innings before being replaced by his Cardinals teammate Miles Mikolas, who pitched the final five innings.
During the game, play was briefly interrupted in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings when fans ran onto the field, and there were protests outside the stadium before the game against the Cuban team. Cuba, which failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is using some players under contract with MLB clubs, including Chicago White Gold Glove centerfielder Luis Robert, third baseman Yoán Moncada, and former All-Star outfielder Yoenis Céspedes.
Cuba and the US met for the first time in the WBC, with the Cuban team having won 5-4 in 11 innings en route to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics, which did not include active big leaguers. The US took bronze in that event. An Olympic gold medalist in 1992, 1996, and 2004, Cuba’s national team has struggled in recent years as many top players left for MLB. However, the team’s manager, Armando Johnson, said that it was a dream for them to mix the players and wanted these players to join them in any championship.
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