Looking all around me, what do I see? Lots of changing faces and lots of things to be. But I'm happy just to be part of all I see...as I turn round to look at you, and you look back at me.
Depending on Sunday's results, Americans could be one of three Pool C teams tied at 2-1 or 1-2
By Andrew Simon / MLB.com | March 11th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT
When the Dominican Republic rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a dramatic 7-5 victory over the United States on Saturday night at Marlins Park, it thrust the Americans into a pair of possible tiebreaker scenarios as they try to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
Now 1-1, the U.S. is tied with Colombia for second place in Pool C, behind the Dominican Republic (2-0) but ahead of Canada (0-2). The Classic schedule for the pool will continue Sunday, with the Dominicans facing the Colombians at 12:30 p.m. ET, before the Americans and Canadians square off at 7 p.m. Both games will air live on MLB Network and on MLB.TV in the U.S.
Depending on the outcomes of those two games, the U.S. could be one of three squads tied at either 2-1 or 1-2.
If Colombia upsets the Dominican Republic and the U.S. defeats Canada, the first three would be 2-1, with Canada eliminated. The tiebreaker rules would determine which team would head to San Diego for the second round -- beginning next Tuesday -- and which two would battle it out in a tiebreaker game on Monday at 6 p.m. ET in Miami.
However, if the D.R. wins and the U.S. loses, the Dominicans would advance at 3-0. In that case, the tiebreaker rules would determine which 1-2 teams would get to play the tiebreaker game to advance, while the third would be eliminated.
In either situation, the rules used to determine the ranking of the three squads in question would be the same:
• The first tiebreaker considers each team's runs allowed per inning of defense played (including partial innings), only in games against the other two teams that are tied. In other words, if the U.S. ends up tied with Colombia and Canada at 1-2, its two runs allowed in 10 innings in its win over Colombia would count, but its seven runs allowed to the D.R. would not.
• If necessary, the second tiebreaker is the same as the first, except only earned runs are counted.
• If there is still a tie, the relevant teams then would be ranked in order of highest batting average -- again considering only contests played against each other.
• Finally, the last resort would be a drawing of lots, conducted by World Baseball Classic, Inc.
With that said, a three-team tiebreaker situation is not a sure thing.
If the D.R. and U.S. both win on Sunday, they would advance at 3-0 and 2-1, respectively. On the other hand, if Colombia and Canada win, the D.R. and Colombia both would move on at 2-1. In the latter situation, Colombia would take the higher seed in the second round by beating the D.R. head to head.
The World Baseball Classic runs through March 22. In the U.S., games air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament is being distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for games at Marlins Park, Tokyo Dome, Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, Petco Park, as well as the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.
players get far more excited in the WBC than they do when they play for their money
I forget who it was, but someone on the DR said winning last time was the greatest thrill of their career. And he had won a World Series ring, too. The foreign guys have a love of their home Country. Meanwhile, Mike Trout can't be bothered to break up his golf schedule to play for the US.
players get far more excited in the WBC than they do when they play for their money
I forget who it was, but someone on the DR said winning last time was the greatest thrill of their career. And he had won a World Series ring, too. The foreign guys have a love of their home Country. Meanwhile, Mike Trout can't be bothered to break up his golf schedule to play for the US.
yep
I love Duffy, but there is no way he should be there if the US sent their best
