Team Canada whipping up on Team USA?

[Gizzmonic]

Leading 8-2 in the 5th.  Pitchers Willis, Leiter, and Majewski were pretty damn ineffective.  Canada barely squeaked by South Africa, yet the are all set to beat the US?

Also, Matt Holiday appeared to half-ass a ball that went for an inside-the-park HR...at first it looked like he pulled up lame, but he stayed in the game so I guess that's not the case.  CF Griffey was nowhere near the ball in the gap when it hit off the wall.  I'm not sure that the Americans are quite as serious about this thing.

[astro pete]

Quote:

Also, Matt Holiday appeared to half-ass a ball that went for an inside-the-park HR...at first it looked like he pulled up lame, but he stayed in the game so I guess that's not the case.  CF Griffey was nowhere near the ball in the gap when it hit off the wall.  I'm not sure that the Americans are quite as serious about this thing.

Well, the ball was hit down the left field line, then ricochetted hard off the angled fence into left center.  I pinned that one on the peculiar angles of the park, and gave Griffey a free pass.

I echo your sentiments regarding Holliday, who also dogged a pop fly in foul territory on the next hitter.

[astro pete]

8-6 now...

[Gizzmonic]

Well, Jason Varitek just made this headline slightly inaccurate.  2 out granny makes the score 8-6.

[toddthebod]

Al Leiter?  What the fuck were they thinking?

[Golden Sombrero]

We have a good game in Phoenix.  Did anyone catch the Cuba-Panama thriller?  It went to the 11th (I belive), ended up 8-6 Cuba.  About 7 hit batters.

[MusicMan]

Quote:
Al Leiter?  What the fuck were they thinking?

Apparently Charlie Hough was unavailable.

[Golden Sombrero]

Team USA has settled down again.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
We have a good game in Phoenix.  Did anyone catch the Cuba-Panama thriller?  It went to the 11th (I belive), ended up 8-6 Cuba.  About 7 hit batters.

Yup, watched the whole game.  Sounds about right on the hit batsmen.  Cuba was standing literally right over the plate up and down the lineup.  One kid for the Cubans is just an outstanding hitter.  He plays second base and has an extremely quick bat.  You can't crowd him inside because he'll turn on it, pitch him away and he'll go with it because he waits on pitches well with his quick hands.  Just a great looking hitter to me.

The rest of the lineup is good, but manageable.  They crowd the plate too, but they don't scare anybody.  Panama's starter Bruce Chen handled them correctly, coming up and in on them when necessary and then busting them outside with breaking balls and some well spotted sinkers.  When the harder throwing Panama pitchers came in from the 6th inning on, the Cubans licked their chops and waited for the fastball middle in.  After the kiddie corps hard throwers on Panama's team got rocked a little, they decided to push back and that is when Cubans started to get dotted.

And deservedly so.

[astro pete]

Quote:
Team USA has settled down again.

Still down 8-6 with two on, two out in the bottom of the eighth.  Chase Utley crushes one to center, pauses in the box to admire his work, drops the bat, puts his arms up in the air,then watches as the ball is caught on the track.

Stupid Philly.

[Golden Sombrero]

That was a great catch by the Candian CF to hang on as his back hit the wall.  Team USA batters, esp. Texiera, look really impatient at the plate.

[Golden Sombrero]

Yeah, that Cuba guy was awesome, both on the field and at the plate.  #10.  I don't recall his name.  I hope he defects.  There was an armed escort of the Cuban team, though, and I don't think they were there for protection.

And Canada wins it.

[David in Jackson]

When I saw the name of the Canadian pitcher (Green) who got the save, I instantly rembered Jason Green, who pitched a few games for Houston in 98 or 99.  Wasn't he Canadian?

(Anyway, this is a different Green)

[David in Jackson]

Found it:
The Link

[Tralfaz]

Quote:

Quote:
We have a good game in Phoenix.  Did anyone catch the Cuba-Panama thriller?  It went to the 11th (I belive), ended up 8-6 Cuba.  About 7 hit batters.

Yup, watched the whole game.  Sounds about right on the hit batsmen.  Cuba was standing literally right over the plate up and down the lineup.  One kid for the Cubans is just an outstanding hitter.  He plays second base and has an extremely quick bat.  You can't crowd him inside because he'll turn on it, pitch him away and he'll go with it because he waits on pitches well with his quick hands.  Just a great looking hitter to me.

The rest of the lineup is good, but manageable.  They crowd the plate too, but they don't scare anybody.  Panama's starter Bruce Chen handled them correctly, coming up and in on them when necessary and then busting them outside with breaking balls and some well spotted sinkers.  When the harder throwing Panama pitchers came in from the 6th inning on, the Cubans licked their chops and waited for the fastball middle in.  After the kiddie corps hard throwers on Panama's team got rocked a little, they decided to push back and that is when Cubans started to get dotted.

And deservedly so.

Ditto's.  The inside pitch that Cuba's #10 jacked was something to see.  What is it called, inside out hitting?  Where he got his hands through the zone so quick it was even hard to see in slo-mo.  Good stuff, that game.