Category: Baseball

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Blue Jays:

Let’s talk about it.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic officially kicked off earlier this week, and several Yankees are involved, most notably Aaron Judge. The Yankee captain is also captaining Team USA, while other Yankees around the tournament include Jazz Chihsolm Jr., Austin Wells, David Bednar, Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan Yarbrough, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, and Amed Rosario.

However, seeing the coaching staffs of the teams at the WBC is often an exercise in remembering some guys. The tournament often brings out some of the biggest stars in their respective countries’ histories to take the reins and lead the current-day players, and that often also filters down to all of the coaching roles. With that in mind, let’s dig into the coaching staffs and remember the Yankees, great or not, who you may see in the background on your television in the coming weeks.

We’ll start off with Team USA, who has quite a number of former Yankees around the coaching staff. The most famous, and most beloved, of them is none other than Andy Pettitte. The Yankee hero will be the pitching coach for the U.S., a role he also filled at the last edition in 2023.

The team has two listed hitting coaches, one of which is ill-fated former Yankees’ interim hitting coach Sean Casey. The other is a former 2017 player in Matt Holliday. Also around will be Brian McCann, who is simply listed as “assistant coach,” but I assume he’ll be working with the catchers in some way. Another Yankee connection is that prospect George Lombard Jr.’s dad — George Sr., you could guess — is Team USA’s first base coach.

For Team Canada, mid-2000s relief workhorse Paul Quantrill will also serve as pitching coach, but former Yankee catcher Russell Martin will be manning the first base coaching box as well.

If you watched the opening game between Australia and Chinese Taipei earlier this week, you might have noticed a couple familiar, but slightly older, faces. The bullpen coaches for each respective team were former Yankees Graeme Lloyd and Chien-Ming Wang.

There are no former Yankees’ players on the Dominican Republic’s coaching staff, but Robinson Canó‘s dad, José, who famously was the pitcher for Robbie when he won the Home Run Derby in 2011, will be the DR’s bullpen coach.

Jazz will see some a familiar face in Team Great Britain’s dugout as current Yankee coach Tanner Swanson will serve as bench coach. Former Yankee hitting coach Dillon Lawson will also be their hitting coach.

Another team that will have a current Yankee coach is Israel, where bench coach Brad Ausmus will manage the WBC team.

Kevin Youkilis will be his bench coach, but the less said about his Yankee tenure, the better.

Team Italy’s roster probably won’t win the tournament, but it is probably my favorite, as seemingly any MLBer with an Italian last name could get on the team. The man who played a big role in putting together than team is none other than Francisco Cervelli, who is the manager, having previously played for the team in past editions.

He’s not even the only former Yankee catcher on the coaching staff either. None other than Jorge Posada is one of the team’s hitting coaches, while the hirsute Sal Fasano is the bullpen coach. To round things out, Dave Righetti is the pitching coach, and 1979 backstop Jerry is on the staff as well.

Yet another former Yankee who will manage their country is Andruw Jones. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer will skipper the Netherlands, including former Yankee player Didi Gregorius.

Obviously, the most interesting action in the WBC will be on the field. However, if you’re ever looking up at your tv wondering “Hey, is that…” it might be!

1890
Pioneering reliever and spitballer Dave Danforth was born, in Granger, Texas.

A relative rarity as a college-educated (Baylor University) player in the 1910s, Danforth was signed by the A’s in 1911, and while bouncing back and forth between Philadelphia and minor-league Baltimore, Danforth completed a dentistry degree at the University of Maryland.

After two years as a non-practicing dentist/Louisville Colonels minor league hurler in 1914-15, the White Sox signed Danforth for the 1916 season. He made a legendary mark in the bullpen in Chicago’s storied 1917 season: The southpaw led the AL with 50 appearances and all of the majors with 26 finishes and nine saves (he also started nine games, one of them a complete-game shutout). All that added to a value of 3.3 WAR, which still ranks tied for 13th-best in franchise annals.

Oddly though, that was the only one of his four White Sox seasons yielding positive WAR. Manager Kid Gleason hoped to move Danforth into the starting rotation in 1919, but he was crushed for five earned runs in the first inning of his season debut and was shelled in long relief his next game out; he saw only 13 games from there, and no action after July.

The White Sox apparently released Danforth after his -2.9 WAR season in 1919. He made it back to the majors with the Browns, stitching together a strong final four MLB seasons in more of a swingman role, earning 9.3 WAR with St. Louis.

Nicknamed Dauntless Dave for his ability to manage arm pain, Danforth returned to the minors to pitch in seven more seasons, to age 42. After ending his baseball career, Dr. Danforth practiced dentistry in Baltimore until retirement.

1903
Future White Sox coach and manager Kid Gleason was involved in the first intraleague (American-National) league trade ever, after the 1902 peace treaty is struck. Second baseman Gleason went from the Detroit Tigers to New York Giants, in exchange for second baseman-manager Heinie Smith. New York flipped Gleason to Philadelphia, where he was a regular for four more years, until the age of 40.

Gleason coached for the Phillies upon retirement, then had two stints with the White Sox (1912-14, 1916-17). He managed the club from 1919-23, having the unfortunate timing of being a rookie manager overseeing the Black Sox scandal.

Coincidentally, 21 years after this trade and just five after the Black Sox scandal, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds club that upended the White Sox in 1919, Pat Moran, died from Bright’s disease, at the age of 48 and while still Cincinnati’s active manager.

1953
The White Sox brought back pitcher Earl Harrist for a second tour on the South Side, and it turned out to be significantly less successful than his first.

Harrist had a mildly-successful season back in 1947, pitching to a 3.56 ERA (103 ERA+), going 3-8 but earning five saves. He was traded to Washington during the 1948 season.

After then moving to the Yankees and Browns organizations, the White Sox bought Harrist from St. Louis with the intent of using him late in games (he’d matched his 1947 career high of five saves with the Browns in 1952). However, Harrist was simply awful this time around with the White Sox, ballooning to a 7.56 ERA in just seven appearances before the club cut him loose on May 23.

Detroit grabbed him and gave Harrist another eight games, but despite laboring until 1958 in the minors, the righty would never see the major leagues again.

1959
Bill Veeck and his partners (including Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg), officially announced they had bought the White Sox. Veeck owned 54% of the team, with Chuck Comiskey retaining his 46%.

At the introductory press conference, Veeck jokingly told the media that “you can have 54% of the coffee!”

It was remarkable timing for the new owners, who steered the White Sox to their first AL pennant in 40 years, finishing 94-60-2.

2011
The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the White Sox in their old spring training ballpark (Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson), with the proceeds benefiting a fund in memory of Christina Taylor Green, the granddaughter of baseball executive Dallas Green. Christina was one of six murdered in a shooting spree on January 8, at a town hall meeting with U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords at a supermarket near Tucson.

The young Green, born on Sept. 11, 2001, was a Little League player (following the footsteps of her minor league pitcher father and ex-MLB pitcher grandpa) and a student leader. She was at the Giffords gathering to observe government in action.

The result of the game hardly mattered, but the White Sox won, 12-1, with Edwin Jackson earning the decision.

Diamondbacks News

Kevin Ginkel Eyeing Health, Another Postseason
Kevin Ginkel’s 2025 season was ruined by injuries. Now, the Arizona reliever is back and looking to improve upon his 2025 results and help lead Arizona to a return to October baseball.

Diamondbacks, Carroll Give Injury Update
Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll took three at-bats off live pitching at Salt River Fields on Friday, March 6, his first time hitting at game-like intensity since undergoing surgery last month for a broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Struggling Drake Gets Nod Versus Giants
Left-handed starter, Kohl Drake, will try to get his spring on track after a rough start to training. The lefty will be starting against the Giants this afternoon.

Other Baseball News

Seiya Suzuki Shows Power, Patience to Rally Japan over Rivals
Korea gave Japan all it cold handle in their WBC tilt. Seiya Suzuki launched two home runs in the affair as Japan looks to repeat as champions.

Judge, Team USA Plate 15 in Rout of Brazil
This wasn’t even David and Goliath. This was more like David’s charismatic little sibling who didn’t even know what a slingshot was. It did not go well for Brazil.

Skubal, Tigers Have Had No Contract Talks
The Tigers and Tarik Skubal have not entered into any sort of contract negotiations since the team and player exchanged arbitration numbers. Skubal insists that no conversations will happen during the season, paving the way for his exit from the Motor City this coming winter.

A legendary legacy.

First pitch against the Boston Red Sox is at 1:05 at JetBlue Park and the Rays will be providing TV and radio coverage.

Mets lineup

1. Mike Tauchman – RF
2. Jorge Polanco – DH
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Brett Baty – 1B
5. Luis Torrens – C
6. Ronny Mauricio – SS
7. Jose Rojas – LF
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Jackson Cluff – 2B

Kodai Senga – RHP

Cardinals lineup

1. Masyn Winn – SS
2. Alec Burleson – 1B
3. Ivan Herrera – DH
4. Nolan Gorman – 3B
5. JJ Wetherholt – 2B
6. Pedro Pages – C
7. Joshua Baez – RF
8. Victor Scott – CF
9. Miguel Ugueto – LF

Kyle Leahy – RHP

Broadcast Info

First pitch: 1:05 PM EST
TV: Cardinals – Matrix Midwest, Cardinals.TV
Radio: Cardinals – KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, Cardinals Radio Network

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers, March 7, 2026, 1:05 p.m. ET

Location: Joker Merchant Field, Lakeland, FL

How to Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Detroit Tigers looking to grab a win.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

Well the Braves are missing a few players to the WBC, but the rest of the squad keeps chugging through the Spring Training schedule and we have gotten to see some fun prospect performances.

Today they take on the Orioles and the young top 100 prospect, lefty Luis De Leon.

The lineups are as follows:

Join us and discuss today’s game in the comments below!

Game Notes

Time: 1:05 ET

TV: Gray TV

Streaming: MLB.TV (free game of the day)

Radio: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan

Is it on TV?

Yes, after a one-day break from spring training coverage, the Sox are back on the air. You can catch the game on either NESN360 or over the air on WHDH, first pitch at 1:05 PM.

What’s the lineup?

What should we watch for?

It’s Johan Oviedo’s third start, which means we can start drawing more meaningful conclusions from his performances. The thing to keep an eye on this spring in his case is his control. He had three walks in his first start and generally appeared to be nibbling around the plate. But he attacked hitters more directly in his second start and didn’t issue a single free pass.

And check it out: a Miguel Bleis sighting! Suffice it say some of his prospect shine has dulled, but he’s still young and worth keeping an eye on.

The Houston Astros (3-7-3) host the Miami Marlins (6-6) in Grapefruit League play.

RHP Jason Alexander will make his third start of the Spring opposite RHP Chris Paddack for the Marlins.

Isaac Paredes will make his first appearance at second base this spring.

TODAY’S STARTER: Today will be the third start of the Spring for RHP Jason Alexander. He was strong in his last outing, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings vs. the Mets on March 1 at Clover Park. Alexander proved to be a valuable in-season pickup for the Astros in 2025 when claimed off waivers on May 18 after being DFA’d by the Athletics. In his 14 appearances (13 starts) with HOU, he was 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA (29ER/71.1IP) with a save.

TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Sam Carlson, RHP Michael Knorr, RHP Anthony Maldonado, RHP Roddery Muñoz and RHP Alimber Santa.

VS. THE MARLINS: Today will mark the third of six Grapefruit League matchups between the Astros and Marlins this Spring. The clubs will also meet for a Spring Breakout exhibition on March 19 at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The Astros are 1-1 vs. the Marlins this Spring.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have signed veteran C Christian Vázquez to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training. Vázquez, 35, has played in 11 Major League seasons (2014, 2016-25) and has batted .250 (810×3244) with 71 home runs and 349 RBI in 993 career games. He batted .271 (36×190) in 65 games with the Twins last season.

This will mark his second stint with the Astros, as he was acquired ahead of the 2022 Trade Deadline, starting in the club’s combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series, as well as the series-clinching Game 6. Vázquez is currently playing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, March 7, 11:05 a.m. CST

Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL.

TV: none

Streaming: HOU video livestream (astros.com)

Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2

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So far, Team Panama has struggled to get things started at the plate this spring. The team managed just one run in each of its exhibition games, and one more in the WBC opener against Cuba. 

They’re facing a Puerto Rican team that has had no trouble scoring and is coming off a 5-0 shutout win in its opener. Our Panama vs. Puerto Rico predictions and World Baseball Classic best bets call for Team Puerto Rico to keep it rolling.

Panama vs Puerto Rico prediction

Panama vs Puerto Rico best bet: Puerto Rico -1.5 (78¢ at Kalshi)

Team Puerto Rico has scored 13 runs in three games, nearly scoring as many runs as Panama has hits.

The Puerto Ricans also got strong pitching in Friday’s opener, striking out nine Colombians in a 5-0 win in front of a raucous home crowd. They also scored five in an exhibition win over Boston, and three in a loss to the Twins.  

Panama, meanwhile, was beaten by the Yankees, 11-1, in a game stopped in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. They also managed just one run in losses to the Tigers and in the WBC opener against Cuba. 

Panama vs Puerto Rico players to watch

Panama’s Johan Camargo, an infielder who last played in MLB in 2023, hit .300 with an .812 OPS in the Mexican League last year. He’s hit in all three of Team Panama’s games and has more than a quarter of the team’s base hits with a .500 average.

Puerto Rico’s Eddie Rosario hit .313 at Triple-A last year and has hits in all three of Puerto Rico’s games, impressive considering he was only in the starting lineup for one of them.

He’s been on base five times, driven in two runs, and scored two. He also stole a base.

Panama vs Puerto Rico odds

• Moneyline: Panama 15¢ | Puerto Rico 86¢
• Run line: Panama +1.5 | Puerto Rico -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 4.5 | Under 4.5 

How to watch Panama vs Puerto Rico and game info

Panama vs Puerto Rico weather

78F, 15 mph winds, 10% PoP.

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The other day, I posted a short piece about how the Phillies not winning a World Series title does not mean they haven’t had a successful season. There was a short survey to ask your opinion, so here are those results.

It’s interesting that the results are somewhat varied. Success can vary from person to person as at least one in five believe they have to win a championship to be considered successful. Yet the majority of people who voted believe they have to win a series as the bare minimum to feeling good about the season.

The National League does have some solid competition for the pennant this year. Everyone is chasing the Dodgers of course, but the Phillies can pretty solidly be lumped into a group with the Mets and (maybe) the Cubs as being threats to dethroning the defending champions. Your view on whether the Brewers can keep doing what they’re doing will likely shape how much of a chance you think they have and whether or not you would place them in that same bin.

Yet there are several other teams that are sprightly enough to give anyone a challenge in a playoff series. The Padres, Braves, maybe the Reds and Pirates, mayyyyyyybe the Giants and Diamondbacks, all of them have rosters that we can squint and tilt our head a certain way to visualize their being able to make the playoffs, making the National League quite competitive this year.

Focusing back on the Phillies, there needs to be something that stems the tide this season. They’ve take a few steps back in terms of how they have finished each season since making their World Series appearance in 2022, so taking a playoff series would go a long way to helping with perception. Is that the bare minimum? As you can, there is a good amount of you that believe that. If they don’t win a playoff series? Then those wholesale changes many are looking for with the organization might end up happening.

This article was brought to you by FanDuel.

Vidal Brujan was once a top prospect, bouncing around the back half of top-100 lists in the late 2010s and early 2020s. He was lauded for his bat-to-ball skills, above average approach, standout speed, and defensive flexibility as he worked his way up Tampa’s system. The latter scouting call has certainly born out – Brujan has appeared at every position except catcher in the big leagues, logging significant time at second, third, short, and on the outfield grass. Everything else though, not so much.

Brujan has stolen only 16 bases since debuting in 2021 while being caught 14 times and hasn’t actually had above average sprint speed since 2022. He’s never walked all that much and, more relevantly, has never posted an above average SEAGER in the big leagues, typically sitting around 20% below league average. And the contact skills have been more good than great, certainly not enough to buoy the rest of the profile. Couple that with anemic damage on contact numbers and you get a player with a career 54 wRC+ and -2.0 fWAR.

If for some reason you remember Andrew Romine, that’s the sort of player we’re talking about here. Romine had an 11-year career as a utility man, accruing a net 0.0 fWAR and posting a career line 40% below league average. He also became just the fifth player to ever appear at all nine positions in a single game in 2017, the last such player to do it. Brujan has a very similar skill set, though you’d ideally hope the games down the stretch matter enough to the Mets that they can’t make time for it.

This archetype of player is simply not as common anymore. With the notable exception of Kiké Hernandez and the Dodgers (who I would assume keeps getting brought back for clubhouse reasons rather than on-field contributions), good teams are not prioritizing extremely limited offensive players who can stand at a bunch of spots without actually being very good anywhere. Even the Brewers, who loved multi-position flexibility under David Stearns and continue to under his successors, have rarely rostered a player with this level of anemic output.

This leaves Brujan – and other players like him – squeezed out of modern roster construction. Without a surprising late-career improvement to his approach, damage, or speed, there’s limited utility keeping him on the bench, particularly with the infield flexibility already offered by the Mets starters (Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, Brett Baty, and Jorge Polanco can all move around). The injury to Grae Kessinger may have cleared the path to an early-season utility role with Francisco Lindor still working his way back from a hamate injury. Beyond that, the life span of this sort of throwback reserve is limited.

Baseball careers are often remembered for a single moment. Sometimes it’s a walk-off hit or a championship performance. Other times, it’s even more strange. Like a game stopped by controversy, resumed weeks later in an empty stadium, and remembered forever for a bat covered in pine tar and a player charging like a bull out of the dugout.

Mike Armstrong was the winning pitcher in one of the most famous games in baseball history.

That moment of notoriety did little to help him once he arrived in New York, where his Yankees tenure became defined less by what happened on the field and more by a public feud with both his owner and his manager. Perhaps it was the memory of that one game or perhaps he was just an unfortunate victim of the Steinbrenner and Martin feud.

Michael Dennis Armstrong
Born: March 7, 1954 (Glen Cove, NY)
Yankees Tenure: 1984–86

A native of Glen Cove on Long Island, Armstrong’s path to the majors was anything but direct. Drafted out of high school in 1972, he chose instead to attend the University of Miami before becoming a first-round selection of the Reds in the 1974 MLB Draft. Years of minor-league development followed before he finally got a cup of coffee in the majors with the Padres in 1980.

Armstrong was never a flamethrower. He built his career as a reliever through durability and adaptability, pitching wherever managers needed a few innings grinded out rather than dominating with overpowering stuff. After early seasons spent moving between the majors and minors, he found stability with the Kansas City Royals in 1982 and 1983.

That stability produced perhaps the best season of his career. In 1983, Armstrong appeared in 58 games, won 10 contests, and logged more than 100 innings out of the bullpen with a 3.86 ERA. More importantly, he found himself at the center of baseball history.

On July 24, 1983, the Yankees and Royals played what would become known simply as the “Pine Tar Game.” George Brett appeared to hit a go-ahead home run off Goose Gossage before Yankees manager Billy Martin argued that Brett’s bat contained excessive pine tar. Home-plate umpire Tim McClelland’s ruling erased the homer, chaos followed, and Brett famously stormed onto the field in protest. The game ended in confusion and was later ordered resumed by American League president Lee MacPhail nearly a month afterward, with only four outs left to play in an empty Yankee Stadium.

Armstrong, who had pitched earlier in the original contest, was ultimately credited with the victory (retiring a young, pinch-hitting Don Mattingly as part of his two innings of work). Few pitchers have ever earned a win under stranger circumstances.

“It was wild,” Armstrong later recalled, describing returning to finish a major-league game in complete silence, dressed in uniform with no fans present. The bizarre victory became the defining highlight of his career. And within months, he was actually traded to New York.

In December 1983, the Yankees acquired Armstrong from Kansas City in a deal that sent slugging first baseman Steve Balboni to the Royals, a move that quickly began to unravel. Armstrong arrived at spring training in 1984 with arm soreness, prompting owner George Steinbrenner to publicly complain that the Yankees had received “damaged goods.” Steinbrenner even appealed to commissioner Bowie Kuhn in an attempt to void the trade.

The appeal failed, but the damage was already done. Before Armstrong threw a meaningful pitch for the Yankees, his owner had openly questioned whether he belonged on the roster at all. He did not make his Yankees debut until June 16, 1984 (which happened to be Lou Piniella Day and the end of the Yankee great’s playing career).

When Armstrong finally took the mound, he performed reasonably well — especially after shaking off the jitters of the two-run debut above. Across 36 relief appearances that season, he recorded a 3.48 ERA and a 4.06 FIP, numbers that suggested a useful bullpen arm capable of contributing to a competitive club. It would also prove to be the high point of his Yankees career.

Over the next two seasons, Armstrong bounced repeatedly between Triple-A Columbus and the Bronx. Roles shifted, opportunities became inconsistent, and any sense of stability proved difficult to maintain. Complicating matters further was his relationship with on-again/off-again Yankees skipper manager Billy Martin.

Martin publicly criticized Armstrong in the press, stating he had never liked him dating back to his Kansas City days and openly questioning his ability to retire left-handed hitters. For a reliever already fighting for innings, the comments created an uphill battle.

“You feel like you’re working against your own manager,” Armstrong later said, capturing the frustration of trying to succeed while lacking organizational support.

The Yankees of the mid-1980s were defined by volatility, constant roster churn, and public criticism from ownership. Armstrong found himself squarely in the middle of that environment. Demotions followed, appearances became sporadic, and at one point he openly requested his release, believing the organization had mishandled his development from the start.

By April 1987, after refusing a minor-league assignment, the Yankees released him. He finished his MLB career later that season with Cleveland, closing an eight-year run in the big leagues.

Armstrong’s career totals — a 19–17 record with a 4.10 ERA — do not immediately stand out on paper. But statistics rarely capture context. He remains forever linked to one of baseball’s most famous controversies, credited with perhaps the most unusual victory a pitcher has ever earned, and remembered as one of the many players who experienced firsthand the intensity of the George Steinbrenner years.

For a hometown pitcher returning to New York, the story never unfolded the way anyone expected or would have hoped. Baseball history often remembers its stars, but just as often it remembers moments and the players caught inside them. Happy 72nd birthday, Mike.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Friday was the first full slate of WBC pool play action, and a lot of stuff happened. As expected, there were a lot of blowouts — both because of the fundamental talent mismatch, but also because these games are still Spring Training-y with the pitch count restrictions and the overall dearth of pitching talent, so all it takes is for one subpar pitching performance against a high-quality lineup to let things get out of hand.

If you’re only here to read about the Braves, well:

• Ronald Acuña Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B, BB, K. One flyout would’ve been an extra-base hit at Truist (off the right field wall), another was mashed but right at the center fielder.
• Ozzie Albies: 0-for-4, one hard groundout, two weak groundouts, and a popout.
• Chadwick Tromp: 0-for-3 with a walk, two strikeouts, and a weak flyout.
• Nacho Alvarez Jr.: 1-for-3 with a mashed homer, a walk, and a strikeout.

Alright, onto the games:

Japan 13, Taiwan 0. An expected mercy rule slaughter in this game. Shohei Ohtani doubled in the first but ended up stranded, only to hit a grand slam in the second. Not that the Samurai were done then, as they put up a ten-spot in total in the frame, scoring six more times after the slam. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was pretty meh with a 2/3 K/BB ratio in 2 2/3, but Taiwan didn’t get anything going. Taiwan collected just one hit in this game, though they did draw five walks.

Cuba 3, Panama 1. Of all the games, this one was probably the most tense. Logan Allen got the start for Panama and made a lot of Cuban hitters look silly with five strikeouts in three frames… but he also got popped for two homers: Yoelkis Guibert pulled a laser down the right-field line for a solo shot in the second, and then Yoan Moncada crushed a two-run homer in the next inning. Cuba’s first two pitchers, Livan Moinelo and Yariel Rodriguez, were adept at handling Panama’s bats (six total innings, 7/2 K/BB ratio), but things got more interesting against what I guess is the softer part of Cuba’s bullpen. Emmanuel Chapman labored through four batters in which Johan Camargo knocked in Panama’s only run with a weak single past the infield. Panama got a one-out double in the ninth but that was it. I was really impressed by Panamanian arm Dario Agrazal, who washed out of the minors years ago but dominated the Cuban bats for two very clean frames.

Venezuela 6, Netherlands 2. This game ended up being closer than you’d think given that the relatively unheralded Oranje pitchers had to face down basically an All-Star lineup. Antwone Kelly looked overmatched against the Venezuelan attack, but the game was still just 2-1 after two. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled on the first pitch he saw and later scored on Luis Arraez spraying one through the infield, but Druw Jones ripped a hard groundball double (on a pitch that wasn’t a strike and probably shouldn’t have been pulled) to plate a run with Ranger Suarez pitching for Venezuela. But, Javier Sanoja took Kelly deep to reclaim the lead.

The next few frames were quiet, but the entry of Jaydenn Estanista (a fringe prospect in the Phillies system) opened the door for Venezuela: HBP, walk, misplayed bunt, walk added a run, and then a couple of singles off Eric Mendez blew the game open. Luinder Avila struggled a bit to start the sixth with a HBP and walk of his own, but it led to just a lone run on a sac fly as Jose Butto came in to restore order. That capped the scoring — Acuña’s hard smash getting caught stopped more scoring by Venezuela, and Daniel Palencia looked destructive as he slammed the door in the ninth.

Mexico 8, Great Britain 2. This was one of those games that arguably shouldn’t have been close at all, but only actually stopped being close/interesting at the end. Boston farmhand Jack Anderson looked great through three frames, his efforts marred only by a Nacho Alvarez Jr. mash job of a solo homer (of all things). In the sixth, Harry Ford returned the favor with a solo shot of his own, and this game was weirdly tied, with Great Britain actually clogging the bases more frequently against real MLB starter Javier Assad than Mexico was able to.

The eighth, though, led to more “restored order” in terms of aligning to expectations. Gary Gill Hill had looked fine in the seventh and struck out the first two in the eighth… only to then walk two straight on ten pitches. That led to his replacement by onetime Braves prospect Tristan Beck to face the lefty-swinging Jonathan Aranda (who had a ..380+ xwOBA last year!!!), and Aranda hit a routine opposite-fit field fly ball that nonetheless went for a three-run homer because the venue for this game included the Crawford Boxes. Mexico then added four more against Graham Spraker and company in the ninth, so in the end, this was a blowout, but it never really felt that way until the end. Mexico used eight different pitchers in this one and they kind of struggled considering the quality of the opposition relative to their own caliber as mostly major leaguers, so that was weird to see.

Puerto Rico 5, Colombia 0. This game was scoreless in every single frame but one. Jose Quintana threw three no-hit innings with a 1/1 K/BB ratio for Colombia, and was replaced by Adrian Almeida, who struck out the Puerto Rican side in the fourth. In the fifth, though, there were three singles and a Gio Urshela error before Almeida recorded an out, and then even more ball-in-play stuff finding holes, such that Puerto Rico jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Unlike their opponents, Colombia never managed to sequence or cluster their baserunners, and didn’t score any runs as a result.

Dominican Republic 12, Nicaragua 3. There was a point… actually two points, where Nicaragua held a lead in this game. But, the heavily favored D.R. team scored nine of its 12 runs in its final three offensive frames. Nicaragua scored three times off Cristopher Sanchez and his defense in the first two innings, and led 3-2 until Julio Rodriguez tied it with a single in the bottom of the third. Junior Caminero’s homer off Stiven Cruz broke the tie in the sixth, while Rodriguez and Oneil Cruz added homers in a six-run eighth. Nicaragua’s pitching staff was understandably overwhelmed (4/7 K/BB ratio) but somehow their batters avoided the strikeout, as a bunch of MLB-quality arms on the D.R. side only managed a 6/2 K/BB ratio (with Sanchez accounting for four of those strikeouts).

USA 15, Brazil 5. Another game that was close until the Stars and Stripes plated seven and nearly doubled their run total in the ninth. Aaron Judge popped a two-run dinger on a 3-0 pitch a few minutes into the game, but Anaheim farmhand Lucas Ramirez took Logan Webb deep in response. Webb largely dominated as expected (6/0 K/BB in four frames), but Brazil’s Victor Masai popped a three-run homer off Michael Wacha (5/0 K/BB in three frames otherwise) to make it a three-run game. Ramirez later connected on a second dinger, this time off Braves legend Gabe Speier. The ninth-inning explosion came against a trio of pitchers without any experience as professionals, as Team USA drew five walks in a single frame along with some hits and whatnot to make it a laugher in the end.

Taiwan 14, Czechia 0. I mean, yeah. Taiwan took a drubbing per the first blurb in this post, and then returned the favor on poor Czechia. Czechia’s beleaguered pitching staff had a 6/8 K/BB ratio and gave up a grand slam to another Braves legend, Stuart Fairchild, in the second. Czechia’s bats did stuff in at least one prior game in pool play but not here, as a quartet of Taiwanese arms posted a 10/1 K/BB ratio, and Czechia only had two runners reach second base, with just one coming after Terrin Vavra’s leadoff double in the first.

There’s another sizable slate of games on Saturday — eight in total, including one where we already know Japan beat Korea by a very non-dominant 8-6 tally. Keep an eye on Nicaragua-Netherlands, where the Oranje are gonna have to do something to avoid visions of an early exit.