The Puerto Ricans had built a four-point lead in the opening round against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic knockout phase, but the latter decided that a spot in the semi-finals was theirs.
Isaac Paredes (Rays) drove in three runs in the win as his team overcame a rather steep streak as the Puerto Rican side were still pumped up following their win over the 2023 tournament favorites Dominicans.
Javier Báez (Tigers) and Eddie Rosario (Braves) gave Puerto Rico a strong start against one of the best pitchers in the Majors, Julio Urías (Dodgers). The latter gave his opponents four runs on five hits in four innings of work. Urias struck out four batters.
Fortunately for the Mexican fans, Paredes gave his team some momentum in the next inning by hitting an offering from Marcus Stroman (Cubs) on the other side of the fence and thus putting his team on the scoreboard. Stroman went four and a third innings while giving two earned runs to the Mexican batters, who had a total of five hits against him.
The Mexican squad will be making their first appearance in the semi-finals of the World Classic. They will cross swords with the powerful Japanese who have just set foot in America following their victory against the Italians. Shohei Ohtani won a second game in this classic and allowed the Japanese to continue their journey.
In the other quarter-final match, the Americans will face the surprising Venezuelans. The winner of this clash will join the Cubans who are patiently waiting to find out their next opponents in the semi-finals.
Paredes, the hero of the game, ended his night on the job with two hits on three at bats and his three RBI hurt the Puerto Ricans. Randy Arozarena, his Tampa Bay Rays teammate, had another hit in the game, his batting average sitting at .471 since the start of the tournament.
Joey Meneses (Nationals) and Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) were silenced by Puerto Rican pitchers. Both batters left six runners on base.
JoJo Romero (Cardinals) was credited with the victory, while Alexis Díaz (Reds), brother of Edwin Diaz (Mets), suffered the loss. A defeat difficult to digest for him because he had just seen his brother injured for the season reacting to the important victory against the Dominican Republic.
The Mexico-Japan match will take place this Monday, still in Miami.
