USA avoids disastrous first inning in semifinal game, a breakdown
What Happened
In the semifinal game of the World Baseball Classic, Team USA takes the mound with pitcher Nate Wainwright (Nate Wainwright) facing off against Cuba. The game starts with Wainwright struggling in the first inning, as he issues a soft hit to Tim Anderson (Tim Anderson), the Team USA second baseman, who is unable to make the play. This puts a runner on first base for Cuba. Wainwright continues to battle, throwing a mix of fastballs and curveballs, but Cuba manages to load the bases with a few more soft hits. With the bases loaded, Wainwright faces a critical situation, and Team USA manager Mike DeRosa (Mike DeRosa) looks concerned, knowing his pitching staff is limited for this game. Wainwright battles back, throwing a quality curveball that the Cuban hitter fouls off. On a 3-2 count, Wainwright walks in a run, giving Cuba the lead. DeRosa approaches the mound, and pitching coach Andy Pettitte (Andy Pettitte) advises Wainwright to rely more on his sharp curveball, one of the best in the game. Wainwright takes the advice, and with a mix of well-placed curveballs and fastballs, he is able to escape the inning without further damage, getting a key strikeout and inducing a ground ball double play to limit Cuba to just one run. Wainwright and the Team USA defense come together to avoid a disastrous start, preserving their chances in this crucial semifinal matchup. The importance of this moment cannot be overstated, as the World Baseball Classic rules limit the availability of relief pitchers, putting added pressure on the starters to go deep into the game. Wainwright's ability to navigate the first-inning jam and keep Team USA in the game sets the stage for their eventual 14-run outburst, securing their spot in the championship game.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentwayno taking the mound for Team USA in
the semi-final game against Cuba today's
breakdown is sponsored by manscape
Sprints out there grabs the ball DeRose
is like all right he's ready to go but
they're gonna get into trouble in the
first inning he goes two seem fastball
that's off the plate
86-85 into Tim Anderson's glove who's
playing second base is usually a
shortstop can't convert the out that was
a decently hard hit fall but look it
just hit him in the hand instead of the
glove he stays with it nicely makes the
throw but it pulls Goldie off the back
if he would have got him that would have
been awesome and he can't make the tag
so unfortunate break there's a runner on
first that doesn't get called I think
Wayne or wanted it another fastball
there's a curveball fouled away for a
strike another fastball wayna wanted it
but that's below the Zone in the zone
swings over it two and two another
curveball just kind of fouled down
fastball chop Baltimore chop off the
mound that's a tough play I've been
thinking about this one a lot I think
the only thing he should have done was
not touch it at all I don't think he's
got the speed to get there you're not
going to lay out to catch it on the Fly
already hit the ground you'd have to
really run to the spotted there he
should just hope it rolls foul but
instead he picks it up so another soft
hit and then here's another fastball oh
you got to make that I mean
I know you're you know not young he's
like oh hell cube is excited but this
one if he picks that up he's thinking
double play ball maybe he gets more
excited than he should have and now
derosa's in a bit of a pickle because
the way the World Baseball Classic works
is there's still MLB players in the MLB
teams they don't want you to use their
relief pitchers two days in a row and
they used a lot of relief pitchers in
the last game he had four available
pitchers three starters one relief
pitcher for this game he needs outs from
his guys he needs Wainer to go pretty
deep into this game and it's not looking
good right now if he's in trouble so
this is a pretty you know this is the
face of a distraught man thinking oh boy
this is not good uh oh bueno's got the
bases loaded and he's kind of pitching
away from contact here goes fastball
away curveball away the 202 seam that
finds a lot of plate that's a little
cutter off fouled away now it's three
and two DeRose is like
[Music]
please come on man we don't got many
arms out there curveball off the plate
for a walk cube is pumped up they take
the lead you want to talk to him go
tells Pettit to go talk to him and says
look man you're making good pitches you
have three balls that should have found
glove
and you had a couple balls that should
have been called a strike you got a good
curveball right throw that they haven't
hit it yet and Bueno says okay
Andy Pettit told me to throw more
curveballs do you think so he's like
well you got one of the best curveballs
in all baseball so yeah so that's a
curve for a ball that's a two seamer out
and then that's a curve cross-up things
could have gone really wrong like even
more wrong look what if this is a wild
pitch and another run scores and it gets
past Smith but he stays with it oh look
at that thumb thumb finger gun bam kind
of awkward strike call but it's there
high fastball that was big that he
chased that that really helped Wayne
around he says oh do it again what sign
did you say and he said I said two one
two one three four curveball dude
didn't you hear what Andy said throwing
curveballs 2-2 pitch curveball on the
ground Arenado comes straight home
that's and that's a premeditated play
you have to know right away you're going
home with that and Smith did a good job
keeping his foot on the back another
first pitch curveball that's a pop-up uh
oh who's got it you got it I got it I
don't play second a lot things could
have gone really wrong song in this
inning imagine that drops in a run
scores but they catch it they look at
each other Anderson says oh don't worry
I got you I gotcha now curveballs Wayne
I was like I throw good curveballs they
get outs I should just stick to the
curveballs another curveball ground out
to short that ends the inning they hold
them to one run escape the gym and then
the US team goes up and puts up 14 runs
but that was huge for wayno to get out
of that because of the pitching
constraints and because of how just kind
of poorly things were going if the
cross-up happens and the drop pop-up
happens you're looking at a disastrous
inning but they were able to clean it up
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