Netherlands vs. Puerto Rico (Semi-Final)
The Netherlands Team had a productive start in the top of the first inning off of starter Jorge Lopez.
The Orange squad scored two runs, but also saw two baserunners being eliminated on the bases, due to baserunning-blunders.
Andrelton Simmons led off with a single and Xander Bogaerts was hit by a pitch.
Moments later, Simmons was too far off second base and was picked off by catcher Yadier Molina and then caught stealing at third base.
Bogaerts moved to second base on the play and advanced when next batter Jurickson Profar singled.
However, while the throw went from rightfield to home plate and was caught by Molina, Profar still celebrated his hit, made cheering gestures to the Netherlands dug-out, jogged back to first base and then was suprised by the throw from the attentive Molina to first baseman T.J. Rivera, who tagged out Profar.
And so, there were two unnecessary and very costly outs.
Wladimir Balentien followed with a homerun to put the Orange ahead, 2-0, but who knows what could have happened when the baserunners were not eliminated.
...Netherlands Team-Pitching Coach...
...and Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven...
...throws the ceremonial first pitch...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Rick van den Hurk made his third start for the Netherlands.
The righthander also started against South Korea (First Round) and Japan (Second Round).
With one out, Van den Hurk gave up a double to Francisco Lindor and then, Carlos Correa homered to put Puerto Rico alongside.
Carlos Beltrán followed with a single, but the inning ended when Yadier Molina grounded into a double play.
In the top of the second inning, Curt Smith singled with two outs, but stranded when leftfielder Ángel Pagán made a running catch on a hit by Kalian Sams.
In the bottom of the second inning, Van den Hurk gave up a lead-off single to Javier Baez, but a double play followed.
However, T.J. Rivera then homered, putting Puerto Rico ahead, 3-2.
In the third, Xander Bogaerts walked with one out and advanced on a comeback-grounder by Jurickson Profar.
With first base open, Wladimir Balentien was walked intentionally.
That brought in new pitcher Hector Santiago, who then closed the inning by striking out Jonathan Schoop.
Jair Jurrjens took over the Dutch pitching in the bottom of the third inning.
The righthander gave up a 2-out single to Carlos Correa, but he stranded on first base.
With one out in the top of the fourth inning, Yurendell de Caster lined the ball into deep centerfield, but it was caught by Reymond Fuentes.
Hereafter, Curt Smith walked and Kalian Sams singled towards second base.
The ball was then thrown to second base, where a close play followed, but Smith was ruled safe.
An umpire review followed and that confirmed the call.
Andrelton Simmons then went after the first pitch and grounded into a force out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth another umpire review followed.
Yadier Molina and Javier Baez led off with singles.
Molina was then forced out at third base on a bunt by Eddie Rosario.
After Molina was eliminated, third baseman Xander Bogaerts threw the ball to second base where Baez also appeared to be out, but he was ruled safe.
Moments later, Baez stole third base, but a nice throw by catcher Shawn Zarraga followed to Bogaerts, who made a great play.
In a close play, he tagged Baez, who was called out by 3B Umpire Eric Cooper, which appeared to be the correct call, but led to the next umpire review.
The call was overturned and so, Baez reached third base with a stolen base.
When the game continued, Rosario stole second base, but the two runners would strand on second and third base.
...Tom Stuifbergen screams during...
...one of his two successful innings...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the top of the fifth inning, Wladimir Balentien drove the ball into deep leftfield with two outs.
He barely missed another homerun, as the ball hit the top of the wall and so, Balentien had to settle for a double.
Jonathan Schoop was then walked intentionally to set up a force play.
Hereafter, it was Shawn Zarraga, who drilled the ball on the warning track in leftfield for a double.
That brought in Balentien with the tying run.
Schoop was also waved home, but he was eliminated in a close play at the plate where he was tagged by catcher Yadier Molina (742).
While it appeared that Schoop might be safe, Major League Home Plate Umpire Lance Barksdale briefly hesitated and called Schoop out.
Another umpire review followed to be sure of the call.
That was indeed a correct one, meaning the call was upheld and so the inning ended.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ángel Pagán led off with a single and was forced out on a following grounder by Francisco Lindor.
Another umpire review followed to check whether or not Pagán had violated the 'slide interference rule'.
That wasn't the case and so, Pagán stayed at second base.
When next batter Carlos Correa walked, Manager Hensley Meulens brought in new pitcher Shairon Martis.
He struckout Carlos Beltrán, then Yadier Molina flied out.
The Orange squad got some runner again in the top of the seventh inning.
New pitcher Joe Jimenez was greeted with a lead-off single by Xander Bogaerts.
When Jimenez got an 1-1 count on next batter Jurickson Profar, he was replaced by Alex Claudio.
He saw Profar ground into a double play, but then gave up a single to Wladimir Balentien, who was left behind.
Tom Stuifbergen took the mound for the Dutch in the bottom of the seventh and began with a strikeout.
He gave up a 2-out single to Francisco Lindor, but he stranded on first base.
With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Yurendell de Caster singled, which led to another Puerto Rican pitching change.
Joseph Cólon took over and saw Curt Smith hit into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the eighth, Stuifbergen gave up a lead-off single to Carlos Beltrán, who was then replaced by pinch-runner Enrique Hernandez.
Yadier Molina then attempted to move Hernandez to second base with a bunt, but the ball popped up and was caught by catcher Shawn Zarraga.
Next batter Javier Baez then hit a long foul-ball into rightfield, where Wladimir Balentien went after and injured his foot.
On the next pitch, Baez hit a foul-ball of the mask of Zarraga.
Both Balentien and Zarraga were able to continue.
Stuifbergen then struckout the player of the Chicago Cubs and a line-out to centerfield ended the at bat.
In the top of the ninth, with one out, Andrelton Simmons singled, but was eliminated when Xander Bogaerts grounded into a double play.
In the bottom of the ninth, Kenley Jansen became the new pitcher for the Netherlands.
The closer of the Los Angeles Dodgers was added to the team after completion of the Second Round.
On the roster, he took the spot of Orlando Yntema, who stayed with the team, but of course wasn't eligible anymore to pitch.
The righthander struckout T.J. Rivera and pinch-hitter Mike Aviles, then Ángel Pagán grounded out.
And with that, the game went into extra innings.
...Carlos Correa scores the winning run in the 11th inning...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
For Jansen, this was his first appearance in the Netherlands Team since he pitched during the World Championship in 2009.
Earlier that year, Jansen was a catcher in the Orange squad during the second World Baseball Classic.
Jansen also was added to the team for the Semi-Final of the WBC in 2013, but then didn't pitch.
Puerto Rican closer Edwin Diaz took the mound in the top of the 10th inning.
The righthander began with a strikeout for Jurickson Profar and then, with an 0-2 count, threw a high inside pitch to Wladimir Balentien.
This led to some heated reactions from the Dutch bench and resulted in warnings for both teams.
Diaz struckout Balentien and also struckout Jonathan Schoop to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Loek van Mil took over from Jansen and gave up a lead-off single to Francisco Lindor.
But hereafter, Carlos Correa grounded into a double play.
Enrique Hernandez flied out and so, the eleventh inning followed and the tie-break rule came into effect.
In the 11th, tie-break runners Wladimir Balentien and Jonathan Schoop advanced on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Stijn van der Meer, who bunted foul on the first two pitches.
To set up a force play, next batter Yurendell de Caster was walked intentionally.
Next batter Curt Smith then went after the first pitch he saw and grounded into a double play!
Loek van Mil returned to the mound in the bottom of the 11th and faced Yadier Molina with Enrique Hernandez (1st base) and Carlos Correa (2nd base) on the bases.
The two advanced on a sac-bunt by Molina.
Hereafter, a force play was also created by walking Javier Baez intentionally.
With the bases loaded, Eddie Rosario (just like Smith) went after the first pitch.
He hit the ball into centerfield, where it was caught by Jurickson Profar.
But it became a walk-off sacrifice fly, as Correa scored the winning run!
The following players got into action:
Andrelton Simmons (SS, 2-for-5, strikeout), Xander Bogaerts (3B, 1-for-3, run, walk), Jurickson Profar (CF, 1-for-5, strikeout), Wladimir Balentien (RF, 3-for-4, double, homerun, 2 runs, 2 RBI's, walk, strikeout), Jonathan Schoop (2B, 0-for-4, walk, 2 strikeouts), Shawn Zarraga (C, 1-for-4, double, RBI, strikeout), Stijn van der Meer (PH, 0-for-0), Dashenko Ricardo (C, 0-for-0), Yurendell de Caster (1B, 1-for-4, strikeout), Curt Smith (DH, 1-for-4, walk, strikeout), Kalian Sams (LF, 1-for-3, walk).
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Netherlands eliminated by Puerto Rico in 11-inning thriller
LOS ANGELES, California (USA) -
The Netherlands Kingdom Team lost 4-3 in an 11-inning thriller of four hours and 19 minutes against Puerto Rico on Monday-evening (March 20) in the Semi-Final of the World Baseball Classic played at the beautiful and immense Dodger Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With this, the Netherlands was eliminated, while Puerto Rico reached the Final, which will be played on Wednesday.
Both teams scored in the first inning on a homerun, then Puerto Rico took a 3-2 lead in the second at bat, but the Netherlands came alongside in the fifth.
Puerto Rico eventually won on a sacrifice in the eleventh inning.
In the top of the first, two Dutch baserunners were eliminated on the bases, then Wladimir Balentien belted a 2-run homerun.
How costly this was, we will never know.
26th game in history of the Netherlands against Puerto Rico.