Team USA is into the semifinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic after excitingly defeating Venezuela on Saturday night. The United States won the quarterfinal matchup 9-7 on Trea Turner’s grand slam in the eighth inning. The United States will face Cuba on Sunday in the semifinals and play the title game on Tuesday. Japan and Mexico meet in the other semifinal on Monday in Miami.
The US needs two more wins if it hopes to repeat as World Classic champion.
The USA will be coming off the adrenaline rush of a thrilling quarterfinal finale against Venezuela on Saturday, with Trea Turner’s eighth-inning grand slam propelling them to a 9-7 victory. Their rival will be Team Cuba, which has yet to play in the tournament since beating Australia 4-7.
Their opponent will be Cuba, which has yet to play in the tournament since beating Australia 4-3 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Cuba led the most even group of the game, as the five nations – Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, and Chinese Taipei – finished with a 2-2 record. Cuba advanced in the first place by allowing the fewest number of runs (15).
In the other semifinal, after Mexico’s historic victory over Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, attention now turns to the semifinals and their duel against Japan.
It is the first time that El Tri has reached the semifinals of this tournament, and on this occasion, they have more than met expectations after the defeat suffered by Colombia in the opening match.
After winning Group C, including the United States, Benjamín Gil’s men beat a powerful Puerto Rican team 5-4.
Japan comes after annihilating Italy in the quarterfinals and their pitcher-batter Shohei Ohtani. Patrick Sandoval will launch for Mexico, while Roki Sasaki will be for Japan.
