(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
      WBC: Puerto Rico-quartet throws Perfect Game; Australia, Venezuela advance
Nederlands
   TOKYO (Japan) / PHOENIX, Arizona / MIAMI, Florida (USA) -
For the Netherlands Team, Monday (March 13) was the day after.
A day of disappointment and a flight home, as the Orange Team was eliminated in the First Round on Sunday after losing 7-1 to Italy in Pool A of the World Baseball Classic.
With that, all five teams ended in a tie and via the runs-against-divided-by-defensive-outs-formula, the Netherlands was eliminated.
Cuba and Italy advanced to the Quarter Finals, which will be played in Tokyo (Japan).
Two teams in Pool B also advanced to the Quarter Finals.
On Monday in Tokyo, Australia won 8-3 against the Czech Republic to reach the next round, joining host Japan, which qualified on Sunday.
With this win, the Czechs and South Korea were eliminated.
In the evening, China, which already was eliminated, lost 22-2 against South Korea in a game that ended after five innings due to the international mercy-rule.
With this game, Pool B ended.
In Pool C on Monday in Phoenix (USA), Great Britain won 7-5 against Colombia.
Despite the win, the British Team was eliminated in the evening when the USA won 12-1 in 6½ inning against Canada.
In this game, Dutch Umpire Edwin Louisa was at first base in a crew with Nicaraguan Jairo Mendoza (3B) and American Major League-umpires Bill Miller (HP) and Alan Porter (2B).
Nicaragua was eliminated in Pool D in Miami (USA) on Monday after losing 6-1 to the Dominican Repulic.
In the evening, Puerto Rico shutout Israel 10-0 in eight innings.
It was in this last game that history was written, as four Puerto Rican-pitchers threw a combined Perfect Game!
This was the first No-Hitter in WBC-history since 2006 when the inaugural tournament was played.
Back then, Shairon Martis of the Netherlands threw a 7-inning No-Hitter in a 10-0 win against Panama.
Today, José De León (5 2/3 inn.), Yacksel Ríos (1/3 inn.), Edwin Díaz (one inn.) and Duane Underwoord, Jr. (one inn.) allowed no batter from Israel to reach base!
Afterwards, it was said that it was an unofficial Perfect Game as no nine innings were played.
Indeed, in the Major League, a Perfect Game and No-Hitter is not officially recognized when a pitcher (or a group of pitchers) don't throw nine complete innings.
However, this OF COURSE has to be recognized as Perfect Game, as there is a tournament-rule in the World Baseball Classic that games can end early due to the international mercy-rule (15 run-difference after or in the fifth inning or 10-run difference after or in the seventh inning).
This is the same as crediting a starting pitcher with the win despite not having thrown the required five complete innings.
In exhibition games, All-Star Games and the Classic, pitchers are limited to a pitch-count or sometimes an amount of innings, meaning most of them will not throw five complete innings.
Instead, when a starting pitcher leaves the mound with a lead and his team holds onto it and wins, he is credited with the win whatever total of innings he has pitched.
On Tuesday, in Pool C in Phoenix, Canada shutout Colombia 5-0 and Mexico nipped Great Britain, 2-1.
Dutch Umpire Edwin Louisa was at third base in the Canada vs. Colombia game with Jairo Mendoza (2B) and Major League-umpires Doug Eddings (HP) and Alan Porter (1B).
In Pool D in Miami on Tuesday, Venezuela reached the Quarter Finals after winning 4-1 against Nicaragua to stay unbeaten.
In the evening, Israel was eliminated after losing 10-0 in seven innings against the Dominican Republic.
(March 13-14)
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