(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
         BB Americas Qual.: USA qualifies for Olympics; Ch. Taipei withdraws
Nederlands
  PORT ST. LUCIE / WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (USA) -
The USA became the fifth team to qualify for the Olympic Games after winning 4-2 against Venezuela on Saturday-evening (June 5).
With the win, the USA remained unbeaten to finish in first place of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier.
In the afternoon, the Dominican Republic came from behind twice and nipped Canada 6-5.
With the loss, Canada was eliminated for the top-three and with that also for the Olympics.
Canada participated in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008.
Back in 2004, Canada was also led by Ernie Whitt.
The former Major League-catcher returned as Manager this time.
With the win, the Dominicans kept their chances alive to finish in first place in the Super Round, but they had to await the result from the evening-game.
But because of the American victory, everything was decided.
The USA qualified for the Olympics, while the Dominican Republic and Venezuela now will travel to Mexico to participate in the WBSC Baseball Final Qualfier that begins on June 22.
Also participating in that tournament are Australia and the Netherlands.
Initially, Chinese Taipei (number 4 on the World Ranking) also was to participate, but the country officially withdrew on Friday.
In a statement, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association said:
,,The newly implemented pandemic prevention policies prohibits the gathering of teams for practices has made our preparations next to impossible.
We can conclude that this pandemic has finally given us a fatal blow and ended our Olympic dream''.
The Final Qualifier initially was to be played in Taiwan, but was moved to Mexico on May 20, due to stronger COVID-19 countermeasures and restrictions in the island-country.
Dominican Republic vs. Canada
The lead in the game between the Dominican Republic and Canada went back and forth.
It was finally decided in the eighth inning.
Canada took an early lead by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, thanks to a runscoring single by Connor Panas and a 2-run homerun by Daniel Pinero.
But the team was then held scoreless in the next four innings.
In the meantime, the Dominicans not only came alongside, but took the lead.
In the second inning, the first run was scored on a single by Jeison Guzmán.
A 2-run single by Juan Francisco then tied the score in the third.
The Dominican team then took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Charlie Valerio homered.
In the top of the sixth, Daniel Pinero hit his second homerun for Canada to make it a 4-4 score.
This time, the Dominicans were held scoreless and Canada re-took the lead in the top of the eighth on a single by Pinero.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Dominican Republic struck and decided the game with two outs.
After Luis Liberato led off with a single, Scott Mathieson took over the Canadian pitching.
He got a force play-grounder from Charlie Valerio, then struckout the next batter.
With two outs, Valerio advanced on passed ball, then scored the tying run on a single by Gustavo Núńez, who moved into second base on an outfield-error.
Mathieson then walked Melky Cabrera and was relieved by John Axford.
He was greeted with an RBI-single by Julio Rodríguez that gave the Dominicans a 6-5 lead.
Another outfield-error resulted in runners on second and third base.
But the inning ended when former Major Leaguer José Bautista lined out.
Veteran pitcher Jairo Asencio then struckout the side in the top of the ninth to close the game and secure the minimal lead.
Asencio, who last week (May 30) turned 38, played in the Major League for four teams (2009, 2011-2013) and in South Korea (2014).
After a brief period in the Minor League with Chicago White Sox in 2015, Asencio played in Mexico since 2017.
USA vs. Venezuela
After two scoreless innings, Venezuela opened the score in the top of the third inning when Hernán Pérez led off with a homerun off of 21-year old USA-starter Matthew Liberatore.
The lefthander plays professionally since 2018.
This year, he is in Triple-A with St. Louis Cardinals.
The USA left a runner behind on second base in the first and second inning, then was retired in order in the third by starter Anibal Sánchez.
But in the bottom of the fourth, the American scored twice.
Todd Frazier led off with a single, then scored when next batter Eric Filia homered.
Sánchez is a 37-year old Free Agent, who pitched in the Major League for fifteen seasons for four clubs, the first seven of them with Miami Marlins.
He last pitched in the Majors for Washington Nationals last year.
The American squad added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
After the first two batters struckout, Luke Williams and Jarren Duran both singled.
With runners on first and third base, Anibal Sánchez was relieved by Danny Rondón, but he gave up an RBI-double to Todd Frazier.
Another pitching change followed.
This time, Oddanier Eduardo Mosqueda Hernandez took over with runners on second and third base.
He got a comeback-grounder, but the USA now led 3-1.
Venezuela answered with a run in the top of the sixth off of Brandon Dixon, who had taken over the American pitching with two outs in the fifth inning.
With two outs in the sixth, Diego Rincones and Ramon Flores hit back-to-back doubles to make it a 3-2 score.
A pop-fly ended the at bat.
In the top of the seventh, off of new pitcher Edwin Jackson, Jr., Venezuela got its first batter on base, as Yonny Hernández was hit by a pitch.
Next batter Hernán Pérez hit a line drive, but that ended in a double play.
The USA then added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh off of reliever Erick Alejandro Leal Plaza when Todd Frazier homered with two outs.
Enmanuel De Jesús then was inserted as new pitcher, but he gave up a double to Eric Filia and a single to Triston Casas.
With runners on first and third base, another pitching change followed.
Harold Chirinos took the mound and he got the bases loaded when he walked Eddy Alvarez, but he then closed with a strikeout.
David Robertson pitched the ninth inning for the USA.
He struckout the firs two batters, but then walked Luis Castro, who moved into scoring position on fielder's indifference.
Hereafter, pinch-hitter Alexander Palma grounded out the end the inning, the game and the tournament.
(June 5)
Related Articles:
 WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier opens in Florida; No-Hitter Canada. (May 31)
WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier: First win Nicaragua; Cuba eliminated. (June 1)
WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier: Teams set for Super Round. (June 2)
WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier: Final game Opening Round rains out again. (June 3)
WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier: USA, Dominicans open Super Round with big win. (June 4)
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