Against All Odds Puerto Rico Beats Mighty Japan

Posted by: Julio Pabón on March 18, 2013 in Baseball, Featured, World Baseball Classic 2013

Puerto Rico beat all the odds and defeated the two-time World Baseball Champions Japan by a score of 3-1 to secure themselves a spot in the finals. By defeating Japan, Puerto Rico is already classified as no less than #2 worldwide. Not bad for a team that was not supposed to have gone beyond the first round.

The experts predicted that the two teams advancing from the first round played in San Juan, Puerto Rico was going to be Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Puerto Rico sent Venezuela home and advanced to the second round in Miami.

The Experts predicted that the second round finalist to advance to the semi-finals and finals was going to be the Dominican Republic and the USA. Again, the underdog Puerto Rico sent the USA home and secured their spot in the semi-finals in San Francisco. By losing the game to the Dominican Republic for a position in the finals they were seated against the champions and mighty Japanese team.

Again, the experts had Puerto Rico as the serious underdog against Japan. However, someone forgot to tell Puerto Rico as they came to the game with a winning momentum as they took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Mike Aviles single off Japanese starter Kenta Maeda. Puerto Rico scored again when Alex Rios homered deep to left after Aviles singled to open the seventh off reliever Atsushi Nohmi.

By defeating Japan they have positioned themselves as one of the top baseball teams in the world. No matter what happened between the Netherlands and Dominican Republic Puerto Rico is already #2 in World Baseball. This is the highest ranking Puerto Rico has ever achieved in world team competition. They were classified 4^th in World Basketball in the Tokyo games in 1964.

William Gerena Rochet

It’s amazing. Puerto Rico had the fewest home runs of all the top competing teams and look at where they are at (New York Yankees may be opting more for this kind of team — look also at San Francisco Giants last year). If DR wins tonight against the team that sent them home 4 years ago, they will be undefeated going into the showdown with Puerto Rico on Tuesday night. Then, will Puerto Rico give this powerhouse team their the first defeat of the Classic “Season?” Wow this calls for a Baseball night hanging out with a group of Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in the same living room with — to make it neutral: some Coronas instead of Presidentes ( Unless we had some Medallas).