00:005.12am UTC PHOENIX, on paper, every iteration of Team USA's lineup looks potent.
00:09In practice, the Americans bore that hypothesis out Saturday night,
00:13cruising to a 6-2 victory over Great Britain to open Pool C play at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
00:22The top eight hitters in the lineup all reached base at least once,
00:26with the team amassing 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
00:33There was no frame in which they were retired in order.
00:37Great Britain, had a base open with Mookie, Betts, up, you can't walk him to get to, Mike, Trout, manager Mark DeRosa said.
00:48They had a base open with Mike up, you can't walk him to get to Goldie.
00:56It's just a relentless lineup. I expect the offense to ramp up even more.
01:04After near misses that landed on the warning track from Betts and Trout early on,
01:08Kyle Schwarber brought Chase Field to its collective feet in the fourth.
01:12When Schwarber dropped the bat head on a two-strike changeup, there was a hush.
01:20Then, as the ball sailed past the pool beyond the right center field fence, there was an eruption of sound.
01:26Finally, as he crossed home plate and high-fived Trout and Paul Goldschmidt, a, USA, USA, chant filled the yard.
01:37I thought it was probably the most exciting game I've pitched in a long time, honestly, starter Adam Wainwright said.
01:44I mean, it was so fun. Crowd was rocking early, we had the, USA, chant going. Parading through the stands were numerous U.S. fans dressed up as George Washington or Ben Franklin.
01:59American flags hung down like old-school bunting and every hard-hit ball put into play by the home squad was cause for jubilation.
02:09While Schwarber delivered the big blow, Nolan Arenado, one of two players to return from the 2017 title-winning club, was the straw that stirred the drink, collecting three hits and two RBIs, including getting the club on the board in the third with the first of his pair of RBI doubles.
02:30Of course, Arenado's trademark defense made the trip as well, even as the team's pre-game warm-ups were thrown into disarray by Colombia's extra inning, 5-4 win over Mexico earlier in the day.
02:47The 10-time gold glove and 6-time platinum glove winner reverted to taking infield practice on the outfield grass. I try not to break character.
03:00I try to stay really focused and locked in while I'm playing and he makes me laugh sometimes, with how good he is.
03:07Wainwright said of Arenado's multifaceted skill set.
Be the first to comment