Mexico considers World Baseball Classic a win despite loss

Baseball

Published 21.03.2023

MIAMI — Randy Arozarena dazzled together with his bat, glove and elegance. It wasn’t sufficient for Mexico however received numerous followers for his adopted nation and himself.

Arozarena jumped on the 8 1/2-foot left area wall to rob Kazuma Okamoto of a house run and protect a three-run lead, then sparked a two-run rally with a leadoff double within the eighth inning of Monday night time’s World Baseball Classic semifinal.

While Japan rallied for 2 runs within the ninth off Giovanny Gallegos for an exciting 6-5 victory and a championship matchup towards the United States, the Mexican staff was happy with reaching the semifinals for the primary time and elevating the game’s profile again residence in a land the place soccer is No. 1.

“We lost a baseball game but we won many things,” Arozarena mentioned. “Mexican baseball continues to grow. This is the first step.”

Mexico had been knocked out within the second spherical of the 2006 and 2009 WBCs, then didn’t advance previous the primary spherical in 2013 and 2017.

“I think that they are not aware of what they have done for Mexico and for the Mexican boys and girls,” supervisor Benji Gil mentioned. “These two weeks are going to attract so many young players in Mexico and also Mexicans that live abroad. For that reason, I believe that this was a victory, even when we didn’t win today.”

Milwaukee’s Luis Urias put Mexico forward within the fourth inning with a three-run homer off 21-year-old sensation RÅki Sasaki, turning on a belt-high cutter from the pitcher who practically threw consecutive excellent video games in Japan final season.

Arozarena preserved the lead together with his catch, then stared straight forward for nearly 10 seconds.

That stood till the seventh when Masataka Yoshida pulled JoJo Romero’s changeup simply contained in the right-field foul pole for a tying, three-run drive.

Arozarena had entertained throughout batting apply, shagging flies in left whereas sporting a sombrero and cowboy boots. The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder signed autographs for followers behind the left-field wall throughout a pitching change.

Fans responded, chanting “M-V-P!” at him.

“I leave with much joy because of all the love I received from the fans,” Arozarena mentioned. “It was a beautiful experience for me.”

He sparked an eighth-inning rally with a leadoff double towards Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the two-time Pacific League MVP who had adopted Sasaki and thrown three hitless innings.

Alex Verdugo’s RBI double and Isaac Paredes’ run-scoring single constructed a 5-3 lead, however Hotaka Yamakawa hit a sacrifice fly within the eighth and two-time Central League MVP Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run double within the ninth that despatched Japan’s gamers sprinting onto the sector and left deflated Mexicans hanging over their dugout rail.

“In the U.S., I hope that baseball grows, but it’s not going to grow that much,” Gil mentioned. “We won’t see an extreme change. In Japan, the same, baseball is No. 1. In Mexico, there will be a radical, extreme change. I don’t know whether tomorrow, in one week, in one month, or in one year, but baseball will start growing. It will be the most important game again.”

Arozarena hit .450 with six doubles, one residence run and 9 RBIs, one other large efficiency in a giant occasion after he hit 10 residence runs with 13 RBIs for Tampa Bay within the 2020 postseason.

Now 28, he left Cuba for Mexico after the 2015 season, performed briefly for Toros de Tijuana and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was traded to the Rays after the 2019 season and have become a Mexican citizen final yr.

“His personality, he’s infectious and he’s great for the game,” Gil mentioned. “He’s a great character. I think everybody would agree that he is awesome for baseball. He’s awesome for Cuba. He’s awesome for Mexico. He’s awesome for wherever baseball’s played. Wherever this series was watched, he was awesome for that place. Wherever the game — you know, it doesn’t matter. Korea could have been watching these games and he’s a very popular player everywhere around the world.”