After a long rain delay, Kyle Drabek and Yohan Flande were able to get into some action during the 2009 Futures Game.
Drabek pitched a 1-2-3 second inning against the World Futures. He struck out one batter. His fastball clocked as high as 96 mph and his curveball was impressive. He threw 10 pitches, 7 for strikes.
Flande got two easy outs on a strikeout and ground-out to start the second inning. Then, he allowed two straight singles, but escaped the jam by striking out Danny Espinosa.
The World Futures rallied in the final inning to win, 7-5. Rene Tosoni, a product of the Twins, was named MVP after a go-ahead double.
The US trailed 3-0. Pedro Alvarez's infield single made it 3-2. In the fifth inning, the US rallied with two outs. Jason Castro's three run home run put the US ahead, 5-3. However, Trevor Reckling could not hold the lead in the seventh and final inning.
The World team has now won 6 of 11 Futures Games.
Call of the Day: Saturday wasn't the only time Ryan Howard tied the game in the 9th.
"This is well hit to left field! This ball is off the fence! Two runs are going to score! This game is tied, as Ryan Howard slides into second base! So the Phillies have comeback, as Turnbow blows only his second save all year. It is tied at 5."
Look at the photo above. A Met. A Phillie. A Red Sock. A Yankee. In one uniform, one team, one country. Together. That is what the World Baseball Classic is about.
Team USA dog piled after they advanced to the semifinals in their dramatic come from behind victory against Puerto Rico.
For the first few innings, the game was back and fourth. Alex Rios and Carlos Delgado each hit home runs for Puerto Rico. Shane Victorino and Brian McCann drove in runs for USA.
Carlos Beltran flashed some leather when he leaped against the wall to rob McCann of a home run in the 4th inning.
On the other hand, Derek Jeter was unable to flash leather a few times as the ball squeaked up the middle twice. Jimmy Rollins, the better defensive player of the two, was the designated hitter. Davy Johnson's decesion to play Jeter at short was controversial since the hits led to runs for Puerto Rico.
Going into the bottom 9th inning, 3 outs from eliminating USA, Puerto Rico was up 5-3.
Shane Victorino led off the 9th inning with a single off his Philadelphia Phillies teammate, J.C. Romero. As he jogged down to first, he and Romero had a chuckle, but Romero would have the last laugh.
Brian Roberts singled and Derek Jeter flied out to right. With runners at the corners, Roberts stole second base. Jimmy Rollins would draw a walk against his Phillies teammate after a long at bat. Romero was lifted for Fransico Cabrera.
"I just had to bear down, the concentration you have in that situation, the adrenaline, the feeling of importance is very close to what it was like in the World Series last October," said Rollins.
Kevin Yokilis, who homered earlier in the game, drew a bases loaded walk with just one out. USA was down by one.
David Wright followed with a bloop down the right field line scoring Brian Roberts and Jimmy Rollins to give USA a 6-5 victory.
"The celebration was pretty wild," Wright said. "I never thought that we'd be dogpiling in March, but it was pretty special and something I'll always remember."
"All I know is that David Wright's face was in the dirt, and all the Mets fans were panicking," said Brian Roberts. "When people say these games aren't important they should have been in the dugout in the ninth inning."
"I heard a guy in right field yelling you guys don't have the desire or attitude to win. We showed them that we do. I think that's one of those things everyone criticizes, but we find a way to win." Victorino said.
"It's right there with it, I think, the excitement and that adrenaline rush," Youkilis said. "When you win the World Series and stuff like that, the dogpile is the same. That was nuts to go out there and do that, and just to be able to celebrate with different guys. I think that's the most special thing is, you're celebrating a game, you're celebrating a nation."
"Being with the United States and all the fans out there were supporting us today, you're celebrating as a whole, and that's what is so special about that."
Rollins on being teammates with player of their rival teams:
"We'll deal with that when we get there," Rollins said. "Tonight, we're celebrating.".
USA will play Venezuela tonight to determine their seed in the semifinals.
The United States and Japan have two of the biggest market teams in the World Baseball Classic. Add in the Dominican Republic and you have 3 of the world's biggest power houses.
In 2006, the United States lost in the second round to Mexico. In this years tournament, USA will try to redeem themselves, taking home the gold.
While many players opted to sit out the WBC and report to Spring Training, Team USA still has a solid team. The United States have returning players to their roster, but also have key additions and subtractions. The popular topic is Alex Rodriguez moving from Team USA to the Dominican Republic team. But that doesn't mean USA has a hole at third base.
You know Team USA is good when your choice of starting third baseman is between Chipper Jones, David Wright, and Evan Longoria.
Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia will be playing the middle field, with Jimmy Rollins and Mark Derosa backing up. Derek Lee or Kevin Youkilis will man first. A terrific infield, none the less.
The outfield is filled with spectacular talent such as Grady Sizemore, Ryan Brain, and Carlos Quentin, as well as others.
The United States also has excellent starters in Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt and Scott Kazmir as well as others. With a 65 pitch limit, the bullpen must be strong. With J.J Putz and Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen, the late innings should be a breeze. Japan is looking to repeat. In 2006, they defeated Cuba in the finals to take home the championship. Japan has Major League talent on their roster, including world wide fan favorite, Ichiro Suzuki.
Japan's pitching also consists of the Red Sox's DaisukeMatzusaka. Dice-K will try to dazzle the world with his famous pitch, the gyro-ball. Also on the pitching staff is Dice-K's Boston teammate, HidekiOkajima. Okajima had a 2.61 ERA in 2008.
One of the biggest names in Japan, and on the WBC roster is YuDarvish, a 22 year old phenom. In 4 seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish is 48-19 with a 2.33 ERA and 585 strikeouts.
The offense of the Dominican Republic's can't get much better with Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez both in the same lineup. The Dominicans also have a tough choice for shortstop between Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes, two of the game's best.
The roster will also include big names like David Ortiz, Alfonso Soriano, Vladamir Guerrero and others. The pitching doesn't have the big names like their offense, anchored by Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano, Edison Volquez, with Jose Valverde and Francisco Cordero at the back end. The Dominican Republic may not have the best staff in the WBC, but they have talented pitchers who will get the job done. They'll surely get their run support.
The double elimination bracket could prevent the smaller market teams to pull ahead of the power houses. However, the World Baseball Classic may be like the playoffs; any team can get hot at the right time. The small market teams could end up winning the tournament, as they have a lot of talent too. However, there is no reason why Japan, USA and the Dominican Republic wouldn't be able to dominate.
After a long rain delay, Kyle Drabek and Yohan Flande were able to get into some action during the 2009 Futures Game.
