World Baseball Classic 2017: Scores and Reaction from Tuesday Results
The 2017 World Baseball Classic continued Tuesday with second-round action on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Pool E rolled on with a pair of contests from the Tokyo Dome in Japan, while Pool F got underway at Petco Park in San Diego.
A clash between two-time champion Japan and 2006 runner-up Cuba headlined the day's slate. The Dominican Republic—the 2013 tournament winner and co-favorite coming into this year's event, according to OddsShark—was also on the schedule in a championship rematch against 2013 runner-up Puerto Rico.
Let's check out the complete list of scores from Tuesday's games, followed by a recap of each contest.
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Tuesday's WBC Results
| E | Cuba vs. Japan | 8-5 JPN |
| F | Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico | 3-1 PR |
| E | Netherlands vs. Cuba | 14-1 NED |
Japan 8, Cuba 5
Tetsuto Yamada hit two home runs, including a crucial two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning, to help propel Japan past Cuba in an entertaining game that lived up to the hype in Tokyo.
Yamada finished the day with three hits, three runs batted in and four runs scored out of the lead-off spot for the Japanese side. Clean-up hitter Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh also contributed with a perfect day at the plate, collecting three hits and a walk in four trips while driving in two.
The Japan bullpen handled the rest. Five relievers combined to allow one run on three hits while striking out four in five innings of work after starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano gave up four runs in four frames. Kazuhisa Makita picked up the save with a clean ninth inning.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted the win puts Japan in prime position:
Yurisbel Gracial blasted a two-run homer for Cuba to give the team a brief lead in the second inning. Alfredo Despaigne and Yosvani Alarcon each added three hits in a losing effort.
Reliever Miguel Lahera was on the mound for Japan's three-run eighth to get saddled with the loss. None of those runs were earned, however, as an error by first baseman Willian Saavedra helped spark the Japanese rally.
John Manuel of Baseball America updated the Pool E outlook:
Looking ahead, Japan will advance to the semifinals if it can take care of business against Israel in the group finale Wednesday.
Puerto Rico 3, Dominican Republic 1
Puerto Rico earned the first victory in Pool F with a 3-1 win over defending champion Dominican Republic.
Its pitching staff dominated the powerful Dominican Republic lineup. Starter Orlando Roman allowed a run in 2.1 innings of work and struck out three hitters. That set the stage for Hector Santiago, who didn't allow a run in 2.2 innings as Puerto Rico's first bullpen arm.
From there, Joe Jimenez, Joseph Colon and Edwin Diaz finished the final four innings in shutout fashion and earned the critical win against one of the legitimate title contenders.
Dominican Republic manager Tony Pena would probably say Puerto Rico's dominant pitching was aided by questionable umpiring. He was ejected in the eighth, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted his frustration built throughout the game:
Puerto Rico's Yadier Molina led the offensive effort with an RBI single in the first and solo home run in the sixth, which MLB Network shared:
The other run came from an Eddie Rosario RBI double in the fourth, which was enough for the pitchers.
Netherlands 14, Cuba 1 (seven innings)
Things didn't get any better for Cuba in its second game, as the Netherlands cruised to a commanding 14-1 victory.
The Netherlands wasted little time getting on the board with three runs in the first, which all came from a Wladimir Balentien blast. The World Baseball Classic shared the home run:
He wasn't done and drilled a solo homer in the third inning. Yurendell Decaster hit a two-run long ball later in the inning, and the game was essentially over already at 7-0. However, that didn't stop the Netherlands from pouring on five additional runs in the following frame.
Jurickson Profar, Jonathan Schoop and Decaster all notched RBI in that fourth-inning rally, and Balentien tacked on another in the fifth. Kalian Sams got in on the action with a solo homer in the seventh.
Thanks to the offensive explosion, the Netherlands needed just seven innings to earn the victory.
The pitching impressed in that limited action as well, as starter Diegomar Markwell would not be overshadowed with six innings of one-run and four-hit baseball. Shairon Martis finished the win.
If Japan beats Israel, the Netherlands will advance in second place from Pool E. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com said an Israel win would force a Thursday tiebreaker and added "B/c tie-breaker based on runs allowed, play-in game almost certain to be against Japan should Israel beat them today."
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