Freddy Peralta – RHP
Ryan Weathers – LHP
First pitch: 1:10 PM EDT
TV: WPIX, MLBN (out-of-market only)
Location: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL
How to Watch: Sportsnet Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in Bradenton today against the Boston Red Sox looking to grab a win.
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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
The Pittsburgh Penguins got one point against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, but couldn't get the extra one after a 4-3 shootout loss.
The Penguins are 1-9 in shootouts this season and have scored on only four of their last 25 shootout attempts. For as bad as the goaltending has been in shootouts, the skaters have been even worse.
Saturday's loss was the Penguins' third in a row, and they'll try to snap that streak against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. This will be the second time that these two teams will meet this week, after the Bruins won 2-1 in Boston on Tuesday.
The Bruins have won both matchups against the Penguins this season, outscoring them 3-1. They give the Penguins fits due to their stingy defensive play, but the Penguins will try to change that on Sunday.
The Bruins have gone 1-1 since Tuesday's win, while the Penguins are 0-1-1. Like the Penguins, the Bruins played at home on Saturday and will be in the second half of a back-to-back on Sunday. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman started that game, meaning Joonas Korpisalo is in line to start against the Penguins.
David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie continue to have outstanding seasons for the Bruins. Pastrnak has 22 goals and 74 points in 57 games, while Geekie leads the team in goals with 34 and also has 56 points in 61 games.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Penguins head coach Dan Muse makes any line changes for this game. If I were him, I'd split the Girard-Letang defensive pair and move Ryan Shea up to play with Letang. Shea has been really good as of late and could help stabilize Letang's game since the latter has been really rough in recent games.
Here are what the lines looked like on Saturday:
Forwards
Chinakhov-Rakell-Rust
Mantha-Novak-Brazeau
Koivunen-Kindel-A. Hayes
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Clifton
Arturs Silovs is set to start in goal after backing up Stuart Skinner on Saturday.
Puck drop is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
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Playing in a second game in as many nights against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Arber Xhekaj was limited to just over nine minutes of ice time once again. Granted, he’s not perfect defensively, far from it, but he can be a difference maker from a physicality standpoint.
At the time of writing, Xhekaj was second among all NHL defensemen who have played at least 30 games in hits per 60 minutes with 14.42 mere decimals between Connor Clifton, who leads the league with 14.59.
Canadiens Swung For The Fences But Struck Out...For Now
Canadiens Steal Two Points After Being Dominated By Los Angeles
Canadiens: Xhekaj Or Struble Makes No Difference To St-Louis
When he spoke to the media on Friday, Kent Hughes said he didn’t acquire any players because he wants to see the organization’s young players get some experience. That’s all well and good, but the 6-foot-4 and 240-pound defenseman cannot get the experience he needs if he’s not allowed to play.
On Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings, captain Nick Suzuki was rocked by a hard hit along the boards, and the Antichambre panel on RDS lamented the lack of a fight for him. They pointed out that Xhekaj wasn’t on the ice then, but he could have taken the number and addressed it later, before asking whether he was allowed to do so under Martin St-Louis. That’s the issue right there, Xhekaj is playing scared and wondering if he’s going to get the chop if he does what his nature dictates.
In press conferences, St-Louis has often said that he doesn’t want to overcoach his skill players by telling them when they should have shot rather than passed the puck, but from the outside looking in, it looks like he doesn’t mind overcoaching the gritty defenseman. Granted, Xhekaj needed to be reeled in initially because he was getting himself out of the play too much, seeking the big hits, but he’s adjusted that side of his game.
In the playoffs, where big hits and physicality are a regular occurrence, Xhekaj needs to play and do it without worrying about being scratched for the smallest mistake. He’ll never play as sound a game as a player who was drafted in the first round, but he brings something those players can’t bring. To benefit from that, though, the Canadiens need to learn to live with the occasional mistake.
Furthermore, when the Canadiens hold their annual skills contest, he’s always the leader in the hardest shot category. Last month, he set a net personal best with a 107.3 mph rocket. Of course, there’s a difference between doing it in a skills competition and in a game, but if he had more confidence, he might be more inclined to try some shots out there.
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Gregor Townsend knows how quickly hope can turn to despair but their performance against France could spur them on to greater heights
The feeling that Scotland might just have the hang of this winning thing continues to build. Playing dazzling rugby every now and then has never been a problem. Meaningful wins? Harder to come by.
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the extraordinary win over France – and there were, how to put this, quite a few of those – was watching the resolutely unmoved disposition of Gregor Townsend. As if there were nothing much to see here. Seven tries and 50 points against the red-hot favourites for the title. All in a day’s work.
Continue reading...
Another rushed day for me, but Rhys Hoskins homered yesterday and that was good.
Stuart Fairchild also homered again for Taiwan. Travis Bazzana went 0 for 4 but didn’t strikeout vs. Japan.
Discuss any news below!
The Phillies followed up Friday’s 14 run outburst by getting shut out on Saturday. Chances are, their offensive output on Sunday will fall somewhere in between when they travel to Fort Myers to take on the Minnesota Twins.
Alan Rangel will get the ball for the Phillies. The righthander is vying to be considered for rotation depth, but early returns in Grapefruit League play haven’t been good, and he enters a game with a 9.64 ERA in three appearances.
The Twins’ first pitcher will be Simeon Woods Richardson, a righthander with a career 4.04 ERA
Game time is 1:05 PM and will be televised locally by NBCSP.
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The Boston Bruins have had a miserable time getting road wins when facing quality defensive teams — and they’re facing a very good one in Pittsburgh today.
Even without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, my Bruins vs. Penguins predictions see the home team taking care of business.
Let’s dive into my NHL picks for Sunday, March 8.
Bruins vs Penguins best bet: Penguins moneyline (-125)
The Boston Bruins have struggled mightily on the road against good defensive teams. They've played 12 away games against teams ranking in the Top 10 in shot suppression, goal suppression, or both. Only two resulted in wins.
Boston posted an average goal differential of -1.92 and shot differential of -4.58 in those 12 contests. A lot of them were not close.
The Pittsburgh Penguins sit second in penalty-kill percentage, sixth in goals against, and 10th in shot suppression, so — even missing key players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — they’re positioned well to cause the Bruins problems and get a win.
Ben Kindel has played a bigger role without Sidney Crosby in the lineup and made the most of it. He's averaged 2.7 shots and 5.0 attempts through six games, recording four or more attempts in five of them.
Yegor Chinakhov has cleared 2.5 shots in eight of his past 10 appearances. He played more than 21 minutes in his first game without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup and figures to be heading for another big workload against the Bruins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have hit the moneyline in 15 of their last 25 games (+4.50 Units / 14% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Penguins.
| Location | PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA |
| Date | Sunday, March 8, 2026 |
| Puck drop | 4:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | TNT |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Texas Rangers lineup for March 8, 2026 against the Anaheim Angels.
We creep ever closer to Opening Day, one spring training game at a time…
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
Carter — CF
Smith — 2B
Jansen — C
Haggerty — DH
Wade — 3B
3:05 p.m. Central start time.
Two titans walk into a ring: the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic. Having split the season series thus far, who will win the season series??
To All Who Are Concerned about the Bucks’ recent woes:
Look, Van is absolutely right: it will be hard for the Bucks to “catch” anyone below them in the standings, many of whom are actively trying to lose (unlike the Bucks, of course). But nothing easy’s worth doing, and the further they fall in the standings, the slightly better their chances of a better pick come June. And the alternative—getting pantsed in the 9/10 game by an alt-right rookie—is gonna help their chances to keep the big man? Psh.
But hey, there’s something to be said for not being the Magic. Pegged by this “pundit” to finish third in the conference, they’re mired in sixth after an up-and-down stretch, behind the Raptors (!) and the Sixers (:P). Look, they’re higher than the Bucks, but they had expectations after splashing four firsts on a spot-up shooter, and now Milwaukee just might have to take their coach off their hands and call it even.
We will update the injury report when it is released.
Since the Magic can’t shoot to save their lives, here’s hoping for a big game inside from the Bucks’ pricey acquisition, “I Would Walk 500” Myles Turner.
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
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The future of the NBA is in good hands — and today’s slate of games is Exhibit A, with Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel all on the docket.
The wily veterans are well represented, too, from LeBron James and Kevin Durant to James Harden and Klay Thompson, and my favorite NBA player props and NBA picks tap into both pools of talent.
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Klay Thompson | Over 2.5 threes | +102 |
 Victor Wembanyama | Over 24.5 points | -110 |
 Kon Knueppel | Over 18.5 points | -110 |
+102 at bet365
With this Dallas Mavericks injury list, Klay Thompson remains a key cog off the bench, and he’s put together back-to-back elite shooting games, going a combined 12-for-23 from beyond the arc.
I’m taking the Over on 2.5 triples for Klay today in Toronto. He’s nailed this prop in five of his past seven outings, and there would be even more shots up for grabs if Flagg (questionable) is ruled out.
Even at age 36, Thompson can make teams pay from the perimeter, and he’s knocking down his 3-pointers at a 39% clip this season. He hit some clutch shots at Scotiabank Arena in his days with the Warriors, and he’s never shy about letting fly from downtown.
-110 at bet365
Victor Wembanyama is off to a hot start in March, and he’s dropped 25+ points in three of his last four games, including a 38-point masterpiece against the Pistons. Look for more Wemby magic tonight against the Rockets.
He gave Houston fits with 28 points in a late January matchup, and he’s drilled four 3-pointers in back-to-back contests to keep the San Antonio Spurs in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the West.
Wemby is shooting 51% from the field at home, and his ability to get easy buckets in the paint should help relieve the burden on San Antonio’s guards against the Houston Rockets’ perimeter pressure.
-110 at bet365
Kon Knueppel is surging towards the Rookie of the Year trophy, and he’s coming off a 27-point outing against the Heat on Friday. He’s knocked down 21 threes across his last five contests, and I’m buying into more sharpshooting tonight in Phoenix.
It’s been a great stretch for Knueppel, who’s scored 20+ points in six of his last eight games, and he’s found ways to be even more productive on the road, with a 21.4 ppg average away from Spectrum Center.
The Phoenix Suns’ gritty defense has to be factored in, but we’ve seen the Charlotte Hornets backcourt take down quality opponents on their charge up the standings.
These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review!
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
ALTENBERG, Germany (AP) — Julia Taubitz spent four months chasing another World Cup title. The German sliding superstar won it by about the slimmest possible margin.
The Olympic champion is the women's World Cup luge singles champion once again, clinching her fifth consecutive title and sixth overall on Sunday with a second-place finish in the season finale at Altenberg.
Merle Fraebel of Germany won the race, and Taubitz needed a second-place finish to clinch the World Cup title. She got it, holding off third-place finisher Kendija Aparjode of Latvia by just 0.006 seconds; that's about 25 times faster than a typical blink of an eye.
But it was enough.
“Today was a perfect day,” Taubitz said. “It was the most exciting overall World Cup victory of my career.”
Taubitz finished the season with 634 points, four more than Fraebel. Germany's Lisa Schulte finished the season third, and Summer Britcher of the U.S. ended the season fourth in the overall standings.
It was Britcher's best season finish since she placed third overall in 2018-19.
Germany's Felix Loch won the season finale, his 56th World Cup victory and tying him with Italy's Armin Zoeggeler for the most in men's singles history.
Loch, an eight-time World Cup overall champion, held off Italy's Dominik Fischnaller for the record-tying win. Austria's David Gleirscher was third.
Austria won the final team relay of the season, with Italy second and Latvia third. The U.S. did not have a team in the relay, since Britcher was the only American slider taking place in the World Cups after the Olympics.
Teams need a men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles team to be part of a relay entry.
Sunday's World Cup luge finale represented the end of the major international sliding season.
Germany took 149 major international sliding medals — bobsled, skeleton and luge races at the World Cup and Olympic level — this season, which nearly matched the total from the rest of the world combined.
Austria won 57 sliding medals this winter, and the U.S. won 26.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Georgia Tech has decided to fire Damon Stoudamire as its coach following a three-year stint, the school announced Sunday, March 8.
The Yellow Jackets made the move one day after their 79-76 loss to Clemson in the last game of the regular season. With a 2-16 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Georgia Tech finished 18th out of 18th in the league and did not qualify for the ACC tournament.
With Saturday's loss, the Yellow Jackets ended the season on a 12-game losing streak. The last win for Georgia Tech was a 78-74 road win over North Carolina State on Jan. 17. The Yellow Jackets won just two out of 17 games since the calendar flipped to 2026. They ended 2025 at 9-5.
Stoudamire, who played in the NBA for 13 years, went 42-55 in three seasons with Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets failed to make the NCAA Tournament under Stoudamire, who replaced Josh Pastner following a seven-year stint.
Georgia Tech owes Stoudamire $2.6 million during the next two years for the remainder of his contract, unless he takes another job.
Georgia Tech has not made an NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2020-21 season and has just four appearances since finishing as the runner-up in the 2004 tournament to Connecticut.
Prior to taking the job with the Yellow Jackets, Stoudamire was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. He also coached Pacific from 2016 to 2021, posting a 71-77 record in five seasons with the program.
Stoudamire played college basketball at Arizona from 1991-95 before becoming a first-round pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He was rookie of the year for the Raptors in 1995 and also played for the Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ga Tech fires Damon Stoudamire as men's basketball coach
The Detroit Red Wings are in New Jersey on Sunday for an evening matchup with the New Jersey Devils, setting the stage for a memorable night as newly acquired defenseman Justin Faulk is expected to make his debut with the club.
Detroit acquired Faulk with minutes remaining before the NHL trade deadline, adding an offensive defenseman and a much needed right shot to their blue line. The Red Wings sent defenseman Justin Holl, blue chip prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 first round pick, and a 2026 third round pick originally belonging to the San Jose Sharks to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the veteran blueliner.
The South St. Paul, Minnesota native has continued to produce even at age 33 with 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 61 games with St. Louis this season prior to the trade, continuing his long standing reputation as a defenseman capable of contributing offensively while playing heavy minutes.
Across his NHL career, Faulk has been one of the more consistent offensive defensemen in the league. Since entering the NHL after being selected in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he has appeared in 1,041 career games between the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues and now the Red Wings.
Faulk will wear number 72 with Detroit, marking the first time the number has been used by the franchise since it was worn by Andreas Athanasiou during his tenure with the Red Wings from 2015 to 2020.
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Over the course of his career, Faulk has recorded 141 goals and 349 assists for 490 points while also building a reputation for his physical style of play. The former U.S. National Development program product has established himself as a strong physical presence, registering 1,621 career hits, which ranks 33rd all-time among NHL defensemen, along with 1,426 blocked shots, placing him 57th all-time among defensemen. His track record has shown that he is a reliable secondary scoring option while remaining a dependable two-way presence on the blue line.
Faulk built his reputation during his time in Carolina, where he developed into the Hurricanes' top offensive defenseman and earned three appearances in the NHL All-Star Game in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
He joined St. Louis for the 2019-20 season, one year removed from the Blues historic Stanley Cup win and Faulk became a steady top-four presence, helping log heavy minutes as well as depth scoring.
For the Red Wings, the move signals a clear intention to end their near decade long playoff drought while still avoiding a full sacrifice of future assets. GM Steve Yzerman made it clear he wanted to reward the group for its efforts this season, doing so by adding an experienced and highly capable defender who could help push Detroit’s young roster toward a postseason berth.
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We got our first ever walk-off home run in WBC history yesterday. Then we got our second ever walk-off home run a few hours later. Finally, we had our first real upset in Tokyo.
Pool A (San Juan):
Canada got its WBC journey off to a strong start with an easy 8-2 win over Colombia.
It was a big day for former Cubs for Team Canada. Owen Caissie opened up the scoring with a 403-foot two-run home run off of Rangers minor leaguer Austin Bergner. [VIDEO]
Meanwhile, Michael Soroka started for Canada and got the win. He allowed one run on four hits over three innings. The one run came in the third inning when Mariners prospect Michael Arroyo singled home Tito Polo [VIDEO].
But Canada got that run back in the bottom of the third when former Red Sox minor leaguer Río Gómez walked Abraham Toro with the bases loaded. Gómez is a former Red Sox farmhand who pitched in Taiwan last year.
Canada extended the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Josh Naylor. Colombia closed again when Harold Ramírez doubled home Arroyo in the top of the eighth. [VIDEO]
Canada got to Mariners pitcher Guillo Zuñiga in the eighth, scoring four runs to put the game out of reach. This triple by Toro was a highlight. [VIDEO]
Puerto Rico 4, Panama 3 (10 innings)
Panama’s upset efforts were spoiled after Athletics infielder Darell Hernaiz hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th.
Panamanian starter Ariel Jurado hadn’t pitched in the majors since throwing for the Mets in 2020 and has pitched in KBO since 2023. But he befuddled an all-current major league Puerto Rico lineup for five scoreless innings. Jurado allowed three hits. He struck out four and walked no one.
Panama broke through with two runs in the top of the fifth inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by the Cubs’ Christian Bethancourt and 36-year-old Luis Castillo, an international veteran who hasn’t played in the US since reaching Double-A with the Tigers in 2013. Both doubles came off former Cubs reliever Jorge López.
Puerto Rico cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth on a Nolan Arenado sacrifice fly.
The score stayed 2-1 until the bottom of the ninth. Former Nationals reliever Alberto Baldonado got the last out of the eighth inning and came out for the ninth. After retiring the first batter, he walked Eddie Rosario and gave up a single to Mártin Maldonado. Panama was one out away from the upset when Baldonado retired Christian Vázquez on a fly to right. But then Maldonado walked both Matthew Lugo and Willi Castro to force in a run and send the game to extras.
In the top of the tenth, Panama took the lead on an RBI single by Yankees infielder José Caballero. [VIDEO]
Panama looked to tack on around run on a single by Cardinals minor leaguer Leonardo Bernal, but right fielder Carlos Cortes threw out Caballero at the plate. [VIDEO]
In the bottom of the 10th, Puerto Rico had runners on the corners and no outs. They tied the game on a double play ball by Cortes. That brought up Hernaiz, who hit the second walk-off of the day. [VIDEO]
Pool B (Houston)
Italy made its debut in the 2026 WBC with an easy 8-0 win over Brazil.
The game was scoreless through five innings and Brazilian starter Enzo Sawayama (who pitches in the Japanese minors) and Italian starter Sam Aldegheri of the Angels traded zeros. But Italy broke through against the Brazilian bullpen when Astros infielder Zach Dezenzo hit an RBI single and then Jac Caglianone doubled in another run. Dazenzo got thrown out at the plate. [VIDEO]
Phillies minor leaguer Dante Nori hit two solo home runs, one in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Later in the seventh inning, Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone hit a three-run home run that went 416 feet and landed in the upper deck. [VIDEO]
Nori’s second home run went 420 feet. [VIDEO]
United States 9, Great Britain 1
Great Britain jumped out to an early lead, but a Kyle Schwarber two-run home run in the fifth gave the US the lead and they never looked back.
Tarik Skubal was making his one appearance in the WBC in this game and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton took the first pitch he threw deep. [VIDEO] (Apparently Skubal is softening on his “just one start” position.)
Skubal was pretty good after than, allowing just two hits and striking out five over three innings.
The Great Britain starter, former Phillies farmhand Tyler Viza kept Team USA off the board for three innings. Viza pitched two years in Taiwan and two in Mexico since his last minor league game in 2022.
Viza had some help from former Cub Trayce Thompson, who robbed Will Smith of a home run. [VIDEO]
But after Viza exited, Team USA’s bats found their groove. Schwarber’s home run came as a part of a five-run fifth. Here are all five runs. [VIDEO]
The game was pretty much over after that. Team USA scored four more runs and three of them came on sacrifice flies. Two were hit by Alex Bregman and one was by Will Smith. The other run came on an RBI single by Aaron Judge.
Bregman was 1 for 3 with a double and two sacrifice flies. Pete Crow-Armstrong went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk.
Pool C (Tokyo)
Chinese Taipei 5, Korea 4 (10 innings)
In the first real upset of the tournament, Chinese Taipei edged Korea 5-4 in 10 innings.
Chinese Taipei scored first when former major league infielder Yu Chang hit a solo home run off of former Cy Young Award runner-up Hyun Jin Ryu. [VIDEO] Chang went 0 for 2 with a strikeout over his career in the majors against Ryu.
Chinese Taipei starter and NPB pitcher Ruei-Yang Gu Lin held Korea scoreless through four innings. But after Gu Lin allowed the first two batters of the fifth inning to reach via a walk and a single, he was pulled from the game. One of the runners he let on came around to score on a double play, which tied the game at 1-1.
In the top of the sixth inning, Chinese Taipei went back on top 2-1 on a solo home run by Tsung-Che Chen [VIDEO] who made his major league debut with the Pirates last year but is with Boston now.
Do Yeong Kim of the Kia Tigers reversed the lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning [VIDEO].
The see-saw nature of the game continued when Guardians outfielder Stuart Fairchild hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth. [VIDEO]
The struggle between these two teams wasn’t over, as Korea tied the game back up in the bottom of the eighth on a double by Do Yeong Kim [VIDEO]. The 22-year-old Kim plays for Kia and is considered by some to be the top MLB prospect in KBO.
The game went to extra innings and Chinese Taipei got the automatic runner home from second with two sacrifice bunts. Korea tried to tie the game in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice bunt which put a runner on third. But a ground ball to first by Hyeseong Kim wasn’t enough as Taiwan threw the runner out at the plate. After Do Yeong Kim flew out, Chinese Taipei completed the upset.
Chinese Taipei finishes pool play at 2-2. They still have a chance to advance to single-elimination play if Australia loses to both Japan and Korea and they get some help on tiebreakers.
The game was a scoreless tie for five innings, then the Australians pushed across a run in the top of the sixth on a throwing error by Japan’s catcher Kenya Wakatsuki after Australia’s Aaron Whitefield had stolen third base.
In the bottom of the seventh, Masataka Yoshida gave Japan the lead with a two-run homer. They extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth on a double by Teruaki Sato. Shohei Ohtani was the next hitter. Australia intentionally walked him, loading the bases.
That move backfired when Seiya Suzuki drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-1. [VIDEO]
That run turned out to be very, very important because Australia’s Alex Hall and Rixon Wingrove both hit solo homers in the ninth to make it a one-run game. But Japan’s Taisei Ota got Robbie Perkins to ground out to preserve a 4-3 win.
Japan’s victory clinched a spot for them in the quarterfinals. Australia can also advance if they defeat Korea on Monday.
Pool D (Miami):
Ozzie Albies hit the first ever walk-off home run in WBC history, as Nicaragua suffered heartbreak after being just one strike away from their first ever tournament win.
Starter Erasmo Ramírez gave Nicaragua five solid innings, giving up just one run on five hits. That one run came in the third inning when Ramírez hit Albies with the bases loaded.
Nicaragua tied the game 1-1 in the fifth inning when Rays reliever Kevin Kelly walked former Royal
Cheslor Cuthbert with the bases loaded.
Former Red Sox Jeter Downs, who played for the Softbank Hawks in NPB last year, put Nicaragua up 3-1 with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning. [VIDEO]
It looked like Nicaragua was headed to their first WBC win ever. Manager Dusty Baker summoned Ángel Orbando, who had a short career in the Yankees minor leagues in 2018 and 2019, to get the save in the ninth. Orbando struck out Drew Jones and got a fly out from Ray-Patrick Didder. Next, Orbando had Ceddanne Rafaela down 0-2 before Rafaela stuck out his bat and blooped a fastball outside of the zone into short right-center for a single. That kept the Netherlands alive.
Next up, Xander Bogaert doubled off the third base bag. That set up the heroics by Albies. [VIDEO]
Luis Arraez homered twice and Eugenio Suárez once as Venezuela had little difficulty disposing of Israel, 11-3.
Venezuela jumped all over Mets pitcher Ben Simon for four runs in the top of the first inning and they never looked back. Luis Arraez had an RBI double, Salvador Perez singled him home and then Suárez hit a two-run home run. [VIDEO]
Arraez, of all people, went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two home runs.
Here’s the first home run. [VIDEO]
And here’s the second one, which came with two men on. [VIDEO]