Since its inception, the World Baseball Basic has been baseball’s premier worldwide match, bringing collectively the world’s greatest stars on one stage.
The WBC has given us quite a bit through the years nice performances, unforgettable comebacks and crushing heartbreaks, set the bar excessive for future iterations. We current a rating of the highest 10 video games within the historical past of the World Baseball Basic.
1) Japan beat South Korea 5-3 in 10 overs (2009 closing)
When Japan and South Korea met within the 2009 WBC closing, a crowd of 54,846 witnessed a traditional battle at Dodger Stadium. After Japan knocked Korea out of the WBC in 2006 and the 2 groups met within the semifinals on the 2008 Summer season Olympics in Beijing, it was a rubber match of kinds for the 2 international locations. Japan was one out away from the win within the backside of the ninth earlier than Bum-ho Lee singled residence the tying run off Yu Darvish, sending the sport into further innings. Nonetheless, Ichiro Suzuki was the hero for Japan within the tenth, in the end giving Japan their second straight WBC title.
2) USA beat Dominican Republic 6-3 (2017 second spherical)
In probably the most memorable sport Adam Jones’ iconic catch Robbing Manny Machado of a future homer within the backside of the seventh inning, the US defeated the Dominican Republic to eradicate the defending WBC champions. Coming off a dramatic loss to DR earlier within the match, Crew USA fell behind 2-0 within the first, tied it within the third and took a 4-2 lead within the fourth on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer. , a 117.3 mph rocket Western Metallic Provide Co. in left discipline at Petco Park. exterior his constructing. Machado led off the underside of the seventh with a deep fly ball over the wall in right-center, however Jones soared for an unforgettable catch that briefly stored the USA lead at two runs earlier than Robinson chased Cano. solo with a bang. The U.S. added some insurance coverage within the high of the eighth and continued the win, advancing to the semifinals en path to the WBC title.
3) USA beat Puerto Rico 6-5 (2009 second spherical)
Days after Puerto Rico’s mercy-rule loss to the US, the 2 groups met once more for a spot within the semifinals. Simply when PR appeared poised for an additional win, main 5-3 within the backside of the ninth, Crew USA put collectively a rousing rally that ended with a two-run residence run from David Wright, who earned the nickname “The Captain.” America” for his WBC exploits in 2009 and 2013.
4) The Netherlands beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 in 11 innings (first spherical 2009)
With a loaded roster led by MLB All-Stars like Robinson Cano, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramírez, the Dominican Republic was the crew many anticipated to win the 2009 WBC crown. out of the primary spherical. After the Netherlands defeated the DR 3-2 within the first spherical, the 2 international locations met once more in a home-or-home sport that noticed no rating within the first 10 innings. José Bautista broke a scoreless tie within the high of the eleventh, however Holland tied it within the backside of the body on Eugene Kingsale’s RBI single that DR first baseman Willy Aybar left after misplaying a pointy grounder behind the bag.
5) Israel defeated South Korea 2-1 in 10 innings (first spherical 2017)
Israel, making its World Baseball Basic debut, overcame the largest upset in WBC historical past with a dramatic win over South Korea in Seoul to open the 2017 match. Scott Burcham scored twice within the high of the tenth to place Israel forward, and Josh Zeid threw three scoreless frames to earn the win. Israel continued their magical run with wins over Chinese language Taipei and the Netherlands to advance from Group A earlier than dropping to the Netherlands and Japan after profitable their first sport within the second spherical.
6) Puerto Rico defeated the Netherlands 4-3 in 11 innings (2017 semi-finals)
As the sport went 11 innings, the turning level for Puerto Rico got here within the first. Holland jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the opening body, however with out catcher Yadier Molina, who threw out two runners on the bases, PR’s deficit might have been worse. When the primary out Molina caught Andrelton Simmons far wanting second base, a layup started that ended with Simmons getting between second and third. Jurickson Profar adopted with a single to place runners on the corners, however as he recorded the hit, Molina threw him behind him at first to seize the bag. The subsequent batter, Wladimir Balentien hit a two-run homer to get the Netherlands on the board, however Puerto Rico rapidly knotted it up. large fly by Carlos Correa beneath the primary. The 2 groups have been tied 3-3 in time beyond regulation till Eddie Rosario lifted sacrificial fly Within the eleventh, he singled to heart discipline, scoring Correa and placing Puerto Rico within the closing.
7) Dominican Republic beat USA 7-5 (2017 first spherical)
Though the stakes are increased when these two groups meet within the second spherical, this sport can be value watching. After falling behind 5-0, DR battled again to chop Crew USA’s result in two runs, capped by Nelson Cruz’s three-run homer off Andrew Miller within the backside of the eighth inning. The win, a part of an unbeaten opening run for DR, made it clear that the defending champions will likely be robust once more.
8) Dominican Republic beat Colombia 10-3 in 11 innings (First Spherical 2017)
The third sport on this record that includes the 2017 Dominican crew, this one was a lot nearer than the ultimate rating made it seem. Colombia tied the sport Jorge Alfaro’s solo homer within the eighth and was inches away from handing DR its first WBC loss because the 2009 match, however Jose Bautista’s correct throw to left discipline and Welington Castillo’s clean tag on the plate prevented Oscar Mercado from scoring the game-winning run. a sac fly that could be within the backside of the ninth. After two innings, DR erupted for seven runs to place Colombia away and declare their eleventh consecutive WBC win.
9) Italy beat Mexico 10-9 (first spherical 2017)
After an early exit from the 2013 WBC partially as a result of a first-round loss to Italy, Mexico noticed historical past repeat itself on the 2017 match, this time on residence soil. Dealing with Italy on the Estadio de Béisbol Charros de Jalisco, Mexico led 9-5 within the backside of the ninth, however could not put away its counterpart. Italy rallied for 5 runs on a two-run single from John Andreoli to stun Mexico once more.
10) Canada beat USA 8-6 (2006 first spherical)
Regardless of having a roster of largely Minor Leaguers, Canada surprised a closely favored Crew USA within the opening spherical of the primary World Baseball Basic. Canada went on an 8-0 run, 4 of which have been led by Adam Stern. homer contained in the park within the fifth inning. Jason Varitek hit a grand slam for the USA throughout a six-run fifth inning, however the comeback try fell quick after Stern made a leaping catch on the wall on Chase Utley’s deep fly ball. . It is nonetheless one of many largest upsets in match historical past.
USA beat Japan 2-1 (2017 semifinals)
Regardless of sending the defending champions off with a win over the Dominican Republic within the second spherical, Crew USA nonetheless had work to do to succeed in its first WBC closing. The subsequent place is Japan, which is undefeated within the first six video games of the match. Tanner Roark (4 scoreless innings) and 5 relievers mixed to carry Japan to at least one run on 4 hits, and the U.S. continued its march towards historical past with Adam Jones’ RBI eighth.
Venezuela beat Italy 11-10 in 10 innings (First Spherical 2017)
One sport after a exceptional comeback win in opposition to Mexico, Italy performed one other thriller, dropping to Venezuela. Venezuela overcame a 5-0 deficit and went forward for good on Martín Prado’s tenth double (his fifth hit of the day) after squandering 8-5 and 10-8 leads. Two days later, the 2 groups would play once more in a tiebreaker, and Venezuela received one other sport after the ninth inning to eradicate Italy and advance to the second spherical.
Puerto Rico beat Japan 3-1 (2013 semi-finals)
Dealing with the two-time defending champions, Puerto Rico ensured they did not have a three-peat with an in depth win over Japan within the 2013 semifinals. Alex Rios smashed a two-run homer within the high of the seventh inning, hitting large for PR.
Dominican Republic beat USA 3-1 (2013 second spherical)
After an early exit from the 2009 World Baseball Basic, DR returned with a vengeance in 2013, profitable all eight video games he performed en path to his first WBC title. The USA gave the Dominican crew certainly one of their hardest matches as the 2 sides have been tied 1-1 after eight innings on this second spherical sport. DR rallied in opposition to Craig Kimbrel within the ninth, Erick Aybar and José Reyes delivered RBI singles after Nelson Cruz doubled to steer off the body.
Dominican Republic beat Italy 5-4 (2013 second spherical)
Regardless of Italy’s greatest efforts, the Dominican crew’s unbeaten run on the 2013 WBC ended as they pulled away after trailing 4-0 within the first innings. After José Reyes and Robinson Cano hit solo homers within the third and sixth, respectively, DR took the lead in a three-run seventh on Nelson Cruz’s go-ahead single.
Cuba beat Dominican Republic 3-1 (2006 semi-final)
After narrowly defeating Puerto Rico in San Juan to advance to the semifinals, Cuba picked up one other win in opposition to the DR, scoring three objectives within the seventh and holding on for the win to advance to the championship match in opposition to Japan.
Mexico beat USA 2-1 (2006 second spherical)
Needing a win to advance to the semifinals, the star-studded U.S. lineup was held to simply three hits and an eight-run residence run, and Mexico scored the go-ahead run within the fifth after U.S. supervisor Buck Martinez known as a elevate. seven-time Cy Younger Award winner Roger Clemens in two video games and one sport. Jorge Cantu adopted with a single off reliever Scot Shields with the decisive rating.
USA beat Japan 4-3 (2006 second spherical)
After falling behind 3-0, Crew USA scored 4 unanswered runs, the final with two outs by Alex Rodriguez within the backside of the ninth. The sport was marred by controversy as Japan was despatched off the board within the eighth spherical after referee Bob Davidson ejected Tsuyoshi Nishioka for flagging too early. Japan received the final giggle when Mexico swept the US a couple of days later. Because of this, Japan, Mexico and the US received the second spherical with a rating of 1-2. Japan superior to the ultimate 4 in a tiebreaker together with South Korea, Cuba and the Dominican Republic and received their first WBC title.
