USA Beats Canada to Prepare for Exciting WBC Semifinal Against the Dominican Republic
HOUSTON — In a pivotal match, the United States secured a 5-3 victory over Canada on Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic. Key performances included a double from Aaron Judge and two-hit outings from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brice Turang.
The U.S. team rebounded from a previous 8-6 loss to Italy, which had left them in need of assistance to ensure their progression to this stage of the tournament. With this win, the Americans will face the Dominican Republic in a semifinal match on Sunday in Miami, marking their third consecutive semifinal appearance and the fourth overall.
This victory adds to a recent string of successes against Canada, echoing the U.S. hockey team’s gold medal win over Canada in the Milan Olympics last month.
In a notable moment, Canada trailed by five runs when Bo Naylor hit a two-run homer during a three-run sixth inning, narrowing the gap to 5-3. However, U.S. relievers, highlighted by Mason Miller’s striking out the side in the ninth, effectively closed out the game.
Canada made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time but ultimately fell to 1-5 against the U.S. in World Baseball Classic history.
The Americans took the lead early in the first inning when Judge’s double set up a run for Bobby Witt Jr., who scored on a groundout by Kyle Schwarber. Judge’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit of the night.
Despite Canada’s attempts to rally, including a sixth inning where they had runners on second and third with no outs, U.S. pitcher David Bednar retired the next three batters, preventing any further scoring.
U.S. starter Logan Webb contributed to the win with an impressive outing, allowing four hits, issuing one walk, and recording five strikeouts over 4⅔ innings.
As the tournament progresses, the U.S. team’s ability to swiftly bounce back is a promising sign as they move forward.
