MIAMI: The USA head into the second round of the World Baseball Classic feeling fortunate to have survived early jitters and a scare from Canada but also confident they are peaking at the right time.
The Americans narrowly advanced out of the first round. Trailing Canada and just six outs away from a last place finish in Pool D, they needed an eighth-inning rally to book their berth in the second round.
Outfielder Adam Jones doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer hit a three-run double in the ninth and the USA scored seven times in the last two innings to beat Canada 9-4 on Sunday.
So the USA moved on and Canada went home. But for a long while, it didn’t look good for the Americans.
“It would have been embarrassing,” second baseman Brandon Phillips said.
“I would have been embarrassed. USA, this is where baseball started and we represent our country.
“I just feel that if we had lost, we didn’t do our job. We have to go out there and try to be the first American team to win the WBC. That is our goal.”
Reigning European champions Italy also advanced out of Pool D while Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic qualified from Pool C.
Pool D winner the USA will play Pool C runner up Puerto Rico in one of two second round games today in Miami.
Pool C top seed Dominicans will face Italy in the other.
USA manager Joe Torre said yesterday his team’s slow start in the opening round was due to nerves.
“Once Canada beat Mexico, all of a sudden our destiny was in our hands,” Torre said.
“I sensed a real lift with this ballclub.
“I thought we may have been pressing because I know I was nervous the first game. It was a lot of anxiety that first game.”
The USA, Italy and Puerto Rico all advanced with 2-1 records while the Dominican Republic was the only team to go undefeated in its three games.AFP