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                                                                                                       SPORTS Monday 20 March 2017

















              Stanton’s homer, Jones’ leap carry U.S. into WBC semifinals




            BERNIE WILSON                                                                                                       by  Carlos  Santana.  One
             AP Sports Writer                                                                                                   run  was  unearned  due  to
            SAN  DIEGO  (AP)  —  The                                                                                            Crawford’s  throwing  er-
            United  States  is  going  to                                                                                       ror  at  shortstop.  Crawford
            the semifinals of the World                                                                                         threw  out  Nelson  Cruz  try-
            Baseball  Classic  for  the                                                                                         ing  to  score  on  Starling
            second time thanks to an-                                                                                           Marte’s grounder, though.
            other impressive home run                                                                                           The United States tied it in
            by  Giancarlo  Stanton  at                                                                                          the  third  on  Ian  Kinsler’s
            Petco Park and a spectac-                                                                                           RBI grounder and Christian
            ular catch at the fence by                                                                                          Yelich’s  run-scoring  dou-
            hometown  favorite  Adam                                                                                            ble.
            Jones.                                                                                                              The Dominicans had three
            Stanton  hit  a  go-ahead,                                                                                          more scoring chances but
            two-run shot into the third-                                                                                        failed each time.
            level balcony of the West-                                                                                          Gregory  Polanco  singled
            ern Metal Supply Co.                                                                                                and    Welington   Castillo
            Building in the left-field cor-                                                                                     doubled to open the sec-
            ner in the fourth inning and                                                                                        ond  before  Danny  Duffy
            Jones  robbed  Baltimore                                                                                            retired the side.
            Orioles  teammate  Manny                                                                                            They  threatened  again  in
            Machado  of  a  home  run                                                                                           the fifth when Machado hit
            in the seventh to help the                                                                                          a  leadoff  single  to  chase
            Americans  beat  the  Do-                                                                                           Duffy.  Cruz  hit  a  one-out
            minican  Republic  6-3  on   U.S. outfielder Adam Jones grabs a catch above the wall for the out on the Dominican Republic’s   double  off  Pat  Neshek,
            Saturday night, eliminating   Manny Machado during the seventh inning of a second-round World Baseball Classic baseball   who  then  retired  Carlos
            the defending champions.     game Saturday, March 18, 2017, in San Diego.                                           Santana on a popup and
            Team USA will face Japan                                                                           Associated Press   struck out Marte.
            on Tuesday night at Dodg-                                                                                           Neshek pumped his fists as
            er Stadium for a spot in the   The slugger’s shot was rem-    That’s  just  the  style  I  play   Earlier on Saturday, Puerto   he walked off the mound.
            championship game.           iniscent  of  his  Home  Run  with.  I  don’t  mind  running   Rico  completed  a  3-0  run   “This  was  a  very  difficult
            A  number  of  big-name      Derby victory at Petco Park  into a wall or two. I just kept   through  Pool  F  by  beat-  game,”  Dominican  Re-
            players declined to play for   on  July  11,  when  he  pep-  going after the ball.    ing Venezuela 13-2. Puerto   public manager Tony Pena
            the United States.           pered  the  far  reaches  of  “I  saw  the  replay  after   Rico  clinched  first  place   said.
            Manager  Jim  Leyland  ap-   the big downtown ballpark,  the game. It was a hell of    in  the  pool  with  a  6-5  vic-  “You  have  (eight)  players
            preciates  those  who  did   including  hitting  one  onto  catch,” he added.          tory  against  the  United   on  base  and  we  couldn’t
            sign up.                     the top of the 108-year-old  Robinson Cano then hom-      States on Friday night and   do  the  best.  I  feel  very
            “There were a lot of people   brick warehouse.            ered to left to pull the Do-  will  play  the  Netherlands   proud of each one of them.
            that  respectfully  declined   “Yeah,  it  did  kind  of  feel  minican Republic to 4-3.  in  the  semifinals  Monday   I won’t point to any one of
            and  we’re  not  going  to   like the Home Run Derby,”  Andrew  McCutchen  gave        night  at  Dodger  Stadium.   them. Simply the U.S. team
            throw  anybody  under  the   Stanton said.                Team  USA  some  breath-     The championship game is     (made) the right pitches at
            bus,” Leyland said.          Three  innings  later,  Jones  ing  room  with  a  two-run   Wednesday night.          that  particular  time  frame
            “We’re going to honor the    leaped and reached over  double  in  the  eighth,  and    Brandon  Crawford  hit  a    and that’s what cost us the
            people    that   accepted    the  fence  in  the  deepest  Luke  Gregerson  pitched  a   two-out  single  to  left-cen-  game.”
            and  are  here.  So  we’re   part  of  the  park  in  right-  perfect ninth to close it out.  ter  ahead  of  Stanton’s   Duffy  allowed  two  runs,
            moving forward and that’s    center  to  rob  Machado  This  is  the  second  time  in   homer, which was estimat-  one earned, and six hits in
            all  we’re  talking  about.  ...   of  a  home  run.  Machado  four  editions  of  the  WBC   ed at 403 feet and chased   four-plus innings. He struck
            And  right  now  that’s  the   tipped his helmet to Jones.  that  the  United  States  has   Dominican  starter  Ervin   out one and walked one.
            only  team  I  care  about.   “I’m  still  in  kind  of  shock  advanced  to  the  semifi-  Santana.The   Dominicans   Ervin Santana gave up four
            And these players that are   that I even got to that ball,”  nals. It lost to Japan in 2009.  jumped  out  to  a  2-0  lead   runs and six hits in 3 2/3 in-
            here are the only players I   said Jones, who played at  The  Dominican  players,      in the first on an RBI double   nings.  He  struck  out  two
            care about right now.”       Morse  High  about  8  miles  who  rallied  to  beat  the   by Cano and an RBI single   and walked none.q
            Those who were with Team     east of Petco. “I mean, off  United  States  one  week
            USA  certainly  put  on  a   the  bat  I’m  just  like,  ‘This  earlier  in  Miami  in  the  first
            show.                        ball’s  hit  really  far,  so  just  round,  will  disperse  back
            Stanton’s homer gave the     keep  going,  keep  going.  to big league camps. They
            United  States  a  4-2  lead   You  know  this  California  finished  1-2  in  the  second
            and put a charge into the    air’s going to slow it down  round after going 3-0 in the
            sellout crowd of 43,002.     and just never quit.’        opening round.
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