Cuba bounces back by cruising past China

An opening loss to Japan put Cuba under pressure in the World Baseball Classic, and three innings of frustration against China and Bruce Chen only made things worse.

Then manager Carlos Marti called his hitters together before the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday (local time) at the Tokyo Dome. Chen, the retired Major Leaguer who is China's best pitcher, was out of the game, which remained scoreless. It was time for the Cubans to start scoring runs.

Marti's players responded, quickly and dramatically. Cuba sent nine batters to the plate and scored four times in the fourth, taking control of a Pool B game they went on to win, 6-0. Roel Santos' two-run triple was the biggest hit of the inning, coming right after 19-year-old Yoelquis Cespedes drove in the first run.

With a 1-1 record through two games and only a game against Australia remaining, the Cubans kept alive their chances of advancing to the tournament's second round. China is 0-1, with games against Australia and Japan remaining.

"If we can win against Australia, we most likely go to the second round," Marti said. "It's going to be a very important game. But if we lose, it's not the end of the world."

Marti doesn't want to put any more pressure on his team. The Cubans already had enough of that, as Wednesday's game remained scoreless through three innings.

Marti said the purpose of his quick in-game meeting was simple, just a reminder his hitters needed to adjust to the slower-throwing Chinese pitchers after facing the harder-throwing Japanese relievers just hours earlier in Tuesday night's 11-6 loss.

"That's it," he said.

And that was it. The Cubans started hitting, and China never did. Cuba starter Bladimir Banos and three relievers limited China to just one hit, a fifth-inning Shunyi Yang single off Banos.

"We didn't have any hitting at all, and that's a lot of credit to the Cuban pitchers," China manager John McLaren said.

Chen didn't allow a run in his 2 2/3 innings, but McLaren removed him after 49 pitches to preserve his eligibility to pitch later in Pool B play. McLaren said Chen will pitch at some point in China's final scheduled first-round game, Friday night against Japan, live on MLB.TV.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The kid leads the Cubans: Yoenis Cespedes was already 23 years old when he burst on the international scene by batting .480 for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. His half-brother, Yoelquis, is only 19 and is already an emerging star in this tournament. Yoelquis had three hits in Cuba's 11-6 Classic-opening loss to Japan, and it was his single off the right-field wall that drove home Cuba's go-ahead run and kick-started the four-run fourth inning Wednesday.

Chen's 49-pitch escape: Chen, who retired in 2015 after 17 Major League seasons, is by far China's best pitcher, so McLaren knew his best chance of advancing was to use Chen twice in the first round. To do that, Chen could throw no more than 49 pitches against Cuba. That looked like a problem when Chen had early control issues and threw 21 pitches in the first inning. Chen began the third at 43 pitches, and he allowed a leadoff infield single to Santos on a 1-1 pitch. That gave him just three pitches to retire Alexander Ayala. Chen did that, and more. On his 49th pitch, he got Ayala to ground into a double play, ending his day with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. And he can pitch again Friday against Japan, in China's final first-round game. More >

Banos nearly perfect: Cuba held its top starting pitchers out of the opening game against Japan, believing that wins over China and Australia would be enough to advance to the second round. The plan looked questionable when Cuba lost, 11-6, to Japan, but Banos made it look better with his strong outing against China. He was in total control and was efficient enough to make it through five innings despite the tournament's 65-pitch limit for first-round games.

Cuban bats stay hot: Cuba had nine hits in the final three innings vs. Japan, and the hot hitting continued against China. Santos, Ayala and Yurisbel Gracial each had three of Cuba's 14 hits. Gracial, a 31-year-old third baseman who played last summer for Quebec in the independent Can-Am League, is 5-for-8 in WBC 2017.

QUOTABLE
"I knew Cuba was a very tough opponent. They're a great country for baseball." -- McLaren

"I don't want it to be special. I want it to be natural. I want them to feel it's just another game." -- Marti, on Cuba's key game against Australia

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Chen called catcher Wei Wang to the mound during the first inning, but it wasn't because the two couldn't get together on signs or strategy. "I can understand Spanish," said Chen, who grew up in Panama. "And I heard the Cuban players yelling 'in' or 'out' as [Wang] set up. So I just asked him to set up later."

WHAT'S NEXT
China: Right-hander Kwon Ju will will face Australia in China's second game of the tournament at 5 a.m. ET on Thursday at the Tokyo Dome. 

Cuba: Ace right-hander Lazaro Blanco will start Cuba's third game of Pool B against Australia at 10 p.m. on Thursday at the Tokyo Dome. 

Why Israel defeated Chinese Taipei

Five-run fifth propels Japan past Cuba

Japan manager Hiroki Kokubu was concerned his team would feel nervous in Tuesday night's World Baseball Classic opener.

The nerves may have showed, as Japan fought off three late Cuban rallies in an 11-6 win that thrilled a sellout crowd at Tokyo Dome. Nobuhiro Matsuda led the way for Japan with four hits, including a three-run home run, but the Cubans scored five late runs and even left the bases loaded in the ninth inning.

"I've never felt so much pressure," said Kokubu, who was managing in the World Baseball Classic for the first time. "I didn't get calm until maybe the fifth inning."

It was in that fifth inning that Japan scored five times to take a 7-1 lead, with Matsuda's home run the biggest blow. While the Cubans came back with three seventh-inning runs, a two-run home run from Yoshitomo Tsutsugo in the bottom of the inning restored a five-run edge.

The team known here as Samurai Japan has reached the semifinals each of the first three times the tournament has been played, winning the championship in both 2006 and '09. The Japanese were disappointed by their semifinal loss to Puerto Rico in 2013, and Kokubu wanted a strong showing in Tuesday's opener to set his team on track to reclaim the title this year.

Cuba figured to present Japan's biggest challenge in Pool B, which also includes China and Australia. Some of the Cuban media questioned manager Carlos Marti's decision to start Noelvis Entenza against Japan, and Entenza didn't make it out of the second inning. Marti used five more pitchers and Japan scored against all five.

"Our pitching staff was not as we wanted it to be," Marti said. "As far as our offense, yes we were satisfied to score six runs off Japan's pitchers. The Japanese pitchers are solid."

While it wasn't a great night for Cuba, 19-year-old right fielder Yoelkis Cespedes made an impressive World Baseball Classic debut. Cespedes, whose older half-brother Yoenis plays for the Mets, doubled and scored Cuba's first run in the third inning, then singled in the seventh and again in the ninth.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Matsuda powers Japan: Even though he has 62 home runs over the past two seasons for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Matsuda batted eighth in Kokubu's opening night lineup after playing poorly in Japan's pre-tournament exhibition games. It all worked out for the hosts, because Matsuda singled and scored Japan's go-ahead run in the fourth inning. His fifth-inning home run gave Japan a 6-1 lead.

"Today I was so focused, and I was very pleased with what I did," Matsuda said. More >

Yamada drives in one (but not two): Tetsuto Yamada appeared to have given Japan a 3-1 lead when his fourth-inning drive reached the seats in right field. But third-base umpire Cory Blaser quickly signalled fan interference, and replay confirmed that a fan had reached over the fence to catch the ball. Instead of a two-run home run, Yamada was credited with an RBI double. The inning ended with Japan leading 2-1, but only because Cuban center fielder Roel Santos robbed Norichika Aoki with a sliding catch in left-center field.

Despaigne feels right at home: Cuban left fielder Alfredo Despaigne got a loud ovation in the pregame introductions, because he has played in Japan for the past three seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines. Despaigne looked comfortable, and his seventh-inning home run sparked a three-run rally that gave the Cubans a chance at a comeback.

Turning defense into offense: Japan scored a first-inning run when Aoki doubled and Tsutsugo followed with a two-out single. But Tsutsugo said the rally really began in the top of the first, when a sliding stop from second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi started a double play that kept Cuba from scoring.

"Kikuchi made a great play, and then Aoki set up the great chance to score," Tsutsugo said. "I could get my hit by riding the momentum from them."

QUOTABLE
"It was a bit difficult for me to get adjusted to the strike zone, and I had a few bad pitches. I struggled with the location of offspeed pitches, too. I'd like to do better next time." -- Ayumu Ishikawa, who needed 23 pitches to get through the first inning, but allowed just one run on two hits in four innings

"We'll try to win the last two games. Otherwise, we'll be eliminated, and that's not something I want." -- Marti

WHAT'S NEXT
Cuba: It's a quick turnaround for the Cubans, with their game against China scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Marti named right-hander Vladimir Banos his Game 2 starter. Bruce Chen, the longtime Major League left-hander, will start for China.

Japan: The hosts will be back in action Wednesday, with a 5 a.m. start against Australia. Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will start for Japan, with right-hander Tim Atherton on the mound for Australia.

Dutch hit 2 homers, hand Korea second loss

If you were to poll the globe prior to the World Baseball Classic, Korea would have been one of the last countries many would've expected to start the tournament with two losses. But that's exactly the position the Pool A host country and former favorite finds itself on Tuesday, after a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in front of a stunned crowd at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Jurickson Profar and Randolph Oduber launched two-run homers and Andrelton Simmons drove in a run and scored another in support of five pitchers for a Dutch team looking to advance out of pool play for the third consecutive World Baseball Classic. Now nearly a decade removed from its global coming-out party in 2009, the Netherlands entered the tournament a trendy favorite after finishing fourth overall in '13.

Which is why Tuesday's matchup was billed as a powerhouse matchup: An early-tournament treat between two teams with legitimate championship chances. But Korea's hopes are in grave danger now after two losses in two days on its home soil. Korea lost to Classic rookie Israel in the tournament opener. The top two teams will advance to the second round.

Looking to start their tournament strong, the Netherlands handed the ball to former Major League starter Rick van den Hurk, who spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan. Van den Hurk allowed three hits and walked two over four shutout innings. Diegomar Markwell, Shairon Martis, Tom Stuifbergen and Loek van Mil combined to limit Korea to just three hits over the final five frames.

"We had to play our 'A' game today to come out on top, and we did. We pitched a very good game," Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens said. "The Korean team is still tough. They didn't get much hitting today, because our pitchers were on their game today."

Korea, which finished in the top three in the first two World Baseball Classics but didn't advance out of pool play in 2013, scored one run over its first two games, a span of 19 innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
MLBers lead the Dutch: The strength of the Dutch roster comes from its core of talented Major League middle infielders: Xander Bogaerts, Profar, Simmons, Didi Gregorius and Jonathan Schoop. Meulens had to get creative to get them all in the lineup, sticking Profar in center field, Bogaerts at third and Gregorius at designated hitter. But it paid off. Simmons, Profar and Bogaerts began the game with consecutive hits -- Profar's a two-run homer -- and Simmons drove in another run in the second with a double to give the Netherlands an early 3-0 lead against losing pitcher Kyu Min Woo.

"We had a meeting before the game today," Profar said. "I had a chance to study the pitcher a little bit, just try to follow Simmons. Luckily, I got a good pitch and put on a good swing."

Both sides of the ball: Those big leaguers flashed the leather as well to help the Netherlands keep that early lead. The former Platinum Glove winner Simmons snared a sharp grounder for the game's first out and started a nifty double play with Schoop two innings later to help starter van den Hurk out of a jam. Profar and Bogaerts handled all their chances at their new positions. More >

Slumping sluggers: Korean manager In-Sik Kim made examples of sluggers Tae-Kyun Kim and Dae-Ho Lee after Korea's loss to Israel in Game 1, saying "Today, our No. 3 hitter and No. 4 hitter failed their mission. That's why we had just only one run." Lee managed an early single for his first hit of the Classic on Tuesday, but for the most part, the heart of the lineup went silent again. Kim and Lee have combined to go 1-for-16 with four strikeouts and nine left on base over the first two games. More >

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Martis, the Dutch reliever who pitched briefly for the Nationals and Twins earlier in his career, threw a scoreless inning -- 11 years after first appearing in the tournament. Just a teenager at the time, Martis.threw a seven-inning no-hitter in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

WHAT'S NEXT
Korea: The Koreans are off on Wednesday before they play their final game of pool play on Thursday against Chinese Taipei. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. ET.

Netherlands: The Dutch can all but lock up a second-round slot with a win against Chinese Taipei, which lost 15-7 to Israel in its opener, Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Right-hander Jair Jurrjens, a former All-Star with the Braves, gets the ball for the Netherlands.

Israel routs Taipei, sprints to 2-0 Classic start

The 2017 World Baseball Classic already has one of its biggest surprises in Israel, which beat Chinese Taipei, 15-7, on Tuesday at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, in the second game of the tournament. With its second win in as many days, Israel is in prime position to advance to the next round.

Israel wasted no time taking control of the game, coming out of the gate with four consecutive hits and scoring four runs in the top of the first inning.

Ryan Lavarnway added a two-run home run in the third inning and Nate Freiman tied a bow on the victory with a three-run shot in the ninth as Israel's balanced offense combined for 20 hits.

Chinese Taipei briefly closed the gap in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to cut Israel's lead to 6-3. But Chinese Taipei's bullpen faltered in the top of the seventh as the Israelis pulled away with a five-run inning.

Playing in its first Classic, Israel is 2-0 in Pool A, having beat host Korea, 2-1, in 10 innings on Monday. Israel can win Pool A if it beats the Netherlands on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET). The top two teams from each of the four pools advance.

While Israel has enjoyed early success as a tournament darling, manager Jerry Weinstein wants his club focused on the next game, not the next round.

"One of the goals is to not put the cart before the horse," Weinstein said. "We're not in the second round yet. We're preparing for the game with the Netherlands and that's what we're thinking about right now. My experience has been that when you start getting ahead of yourself, you get out in the future, you're not taking care of the present. We need to take care of what we're doing here right now and when we know we're going to be in next round, then we'll start talking about the next round."

Israel once again benefitted from a strong performance from its starting pitcher. Corey Baker fired 4 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and striking out three. The 27-year-old right-hander is in the Cardinals' organization and reached Triple-A last season.

Chinese Taipei saw its offense come alive with four runs in the ninth, but the game was already out of reach by then.

Israel had 10 different players record a hit, including four players with three hits and two others with multiple hits. Freiman drove in four runs, Tyler Krieger drove in three, and Ike Davis and Lavarnway each contributed two RBIs.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Early offense: The Israelis chased Taipei starter Chun-Lin Kuo from the game before he could secure his third out, opening the top of the first with four straight hits and tagging Kuo for four runs in the frame.

Davis and Krieger each delivered two-run singles. Davis recently signed a Minor League deal with the Dodgers and Krieger is ranked as the Indians' No. 18 prospect by MLBPipeline.com.

"I just also think it was important, because last night was such an emotional game and a stressful game; to get out of the gate with high energy and get on top early, so that was good," Lavarnway said.

Captain comes through: Chih-Sheng Lin, selected as the team captain for Chinese Taipei, put his team on the board with a two-run double in the sixth. Lin has said he plans to retire from the national team after the Classic.

QUOTABLE
"You know, for us, or for me, this is a huge deal to help possibly maybe kick‑start baseball in Israel. It's not as big as we'd like, and I think we can maybe change that with what we're doing." -- Davis, on growing the game in Israel

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Israel entered WBC '17 ranked No. 41 in the world, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation, and has already beaten the No. 3 (Korea) and No. 4 (Chinese Taipei) ranked teams.

WHAT'S NEXT
Israel: Next up for Israel is its final game of pool play, against the Netherlands on Wednesday night. After beating Pool A host Korea and Chinese Taipei in its first two games, Israel would clinch a spot in the second round of the Classic with a win over the Netherlands. Israel will be the home team, with first pitch scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

Chinese Taipei: Next up for Chinese Taipei is a matchup with the Netherlands on Wednesday morning. It's the country's second game of WBC '17. Chinese Taipei will be the road team in the 4:30 a.m. ET contest.

Why Israel Was Able To Beat Korea

Israel beats host Korea in extras to open WBC '17

The 2017 World Baseball Classic began in dramatic fashion on Monday, with Israel beating Pool A host Korea, 2-1, in 10 innings in the tournament's opening game.

With MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in attendance at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Israel finally broke through in the top of the 10th. With runners on first and third and two outs, Scott Burcham stepped in against Korea's Chang-Yong Lim and slapped a two-strike grounder up the middle. Korean second baseman Geonchang Seo made a sliding stop to keep the ball in the infield, but he had no play on any of the runners, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

Josh Zeid closed out the game for Israel, including striking out Korea slugger Dae-Ho Lee -- who hit 14 homers for the Mariners last season -- to end the game.

Right-hander Jason Marquis started for Team Israel -- which was playing its first Classic game -- and pitched three scoreless innings. The 15-year Major League veteran allowed two hits and struck out three before leaving with Israel holding a 1-0 lead.

Korea's starter, left-hander Won-Jun Chang, kept Israel's bats mostly in check over four innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out five, thanks mainly to an effective slider. But some control issues in the second inning led to an Israel run -- Chang walked three in the frame, including Tyler Krieger with the bases loaded.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Oh dominates: Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh, Team Korea's only Major League player, came in in a critical situation and overmatched the Israeli hitters. With the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning, and the game still tied at 1, Korean manager In-Sik Kim called on Oh, who rang up Burcham to end the inning. Oh remained in the game for the ninth and pitched a scoreless frame, including two more strikeouts. The 34-year-old has now pitched in all four World Baseball Classics.

Missed opportunities: Israel loaded the bases three times in the game, but came away with only one run, on Krieger's walk in the second. With two opportunities to break open a tie game late, the Israelis came up empty. In the seventh inning, they loaded the bases with two outs against Hyun-Seung Lee. Blake Gailen worked a 3-0 count, and after taking a strike, he thought he had drawn a go-ahead walk as Lee's offering came in on the low border of the strike zone. But the pitch was called a strike, and on 3-2, Gailen lined out to end Team Israel's threat.

An inning later, Israel left the bases loaded again. With one out, Changmin Lim induced a check-swing grounder from Krieger on a full count, and Korea got the force at home. Then Korea brought in Oh, who kept the game tied.

Seo ties the game: Seo came through for the home team in the fifth inning with a game-tying base knock. Facing a lefty-lefty matchup against Jeremy Bleich with one out and runners on first and second, Seo jumped on the first pitch he saw and sliced a clean shot through the left side. The single scored Kyoung-Min Hur for the Pool A hosts' first run of the tournament.