[WBC 2006]The Miracle on Dirt

[TheRob]

Canada upsets USA in WBC

Canadian Press

3/8/2006 9:29:43 PM

PHOENIX (CP) - They've been spitting out the cliche of "anything can happen on any given day" like sunflower seeds out in the desert but it couldn't have been any truer in Canada's first two games at the World Baseball Classic.

In the span of about 15 hours the national team went from the distress of needing a ninth-inning rally to beat a collection of amateurs from South Africa to the elation of knocking off the powerhouse United States by an 8-6 score Wednesday afternoon.

Centre-fielder Adam Stern had a monster game with three hits, including an inside-the-park homer, four RBIs and a couple of key defensive gems. Starter Adam Loewen, all of 21 and never having thrown a pitch above single-A, gave Canada 3 2-3 clutch shutout innings and the bullpen held on after nearly blowing an eight-run lead.

Suddenly, just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger, Canada is on the verge of winning Pool B a half-day after it looked like its tournament could be over before it even started.

"We're going for the No. 1 seed. We're not going for the consolation prize," said Stern, a Boston Red Sox prospect. "We'd like to tell everyone we can play baseball, too. We're not just a hockey country."

The victory was all the more shocking, coming after Canada scored four times in the ninth to beat lowly South Africa 11-8. Avoiding disaster in that game seemed to have sharpened them for the U.S.

"That was important to have to struggle a little bit just to remind everybody that anything can happen in international baseball," said second baseman Stubby Clapp. "It's cut-throat baseball, it's the way baseball should be played.

"And if you lose you go home, that's an important factor."

Despite its 2-0 record, Canada isn't in the second round just yet.

Thursday's first-round finale against Mexico remains crucial, as a loss could potentially leave Canada in a three-way tie with the Mexicans and Americans (1-1).

Under the convoluted tiebreaker system, the only way Canada could move on with a loss is if they gave up two runs or less. The United States, considered a favourite to win it all, would be knocked out under that scenario.

If Canada allows more than two runs, they have to win to move on.

"We know what we got to do," said Stern. "We're not worried about the runs, runs against."

Colorado Rockies sophomore Jeff Francis starts against Mexico's Esteban Loaiza as the Canadians try to make sure this effort doesn't go to waste.

"To put that confidence in me to start a game like that I think builds my confidence and makes me feel good going out," said Francis. "I'm ready to go the full 65 (pitches)."

The victory is Canada's biggest over the United States in international baseball and perhaps the national team's most significant win ever. Previous highlights included a 7-6, 11-inning win over the Americans at the 1999 Pan Am Games and an 8-7 triumph over the Yanks at the 1988 Olympics. But this one came against a collection of all-stars featuring at least four probable Hall of Famers.

"I'm still smiling, it was an amazing game," said first baseman Justin Morneau. "We kind of got a little bit of a scare there at the end, it was as excited as I've ever been on the field."

The Americans beat Mexico 2-0 in their opener Tuesday and can be eliminated before they take the field for their finale against South Africa on Friday. The defeat is likely to reverberate in the U.S. the way Canada's setback to Switzerland in Olympic hockey did at home.

That's why the crowd of 16,993 at Chase Field alternated between chanting "USA, USA" and booing their team.

"One thing we have learned very quickly in this tournament is anything can happen," said U.S. manager Buck Martinez. "You put your flag on your chest you go out there and play and people get fuelled by that and you see exceptional things done by competitive people."

For a while it looked like Canada might cakewalk their through this one as they built an 8-0 lead in the first 4½ innings. But the United States scored six in the fifth, capped by Jason Varitek's 448-foot grand slam to dead centre, and it was tense to the end after that.

It nearly got away from them in the eighth, when Chase Utley drilled a ball to deep centre with two runners on. But Stern made a leaping catch against the wall in centre to end the inning and keep Canada ahead.

Veteran Detroit Tigers farmhand Steve Green was then able to close things out in the ninth, getting U.S. slugger Mark Teixeira on a grounder to first to end it.

"I knew he smoked it and I knew it was going deep," Stern said of his catch in the eighth. "I just put my head down, ran to a spot and said, `Come on baby, don't hit that facing."'

Canada opened the scoring in the first when Clapp tripled and scored on Morneau's RBI groundout.

It looked like the lead would be short-lived when the U.S. loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first but Loewen made a phenomenal pitch to Chipper Jones for an inning ending double play.

That seemed to inspire the Canadians, who picked up another run in the second on back-to-back triples by Aaron Guiel and Stern, three more in the third on Pete Laforest's RBI single and Stern's two-run single and another pair in the fourth on Matt Stairs' two-run single.

Stern added an inside-the-park-homer leading off the fifth to make it 8-0 before the Americans clawed back against the bullpen.

The U.S. was all over reliever Chris Begg to open the fifth, as Michael Young singled, Ken Griffey Jr., doubled him home and then scored on Derrek Lee's single.

Begg proceeded to load the bases before reliever Eric Cyr came on, and he fell behind Jason Varitek 3-1 before the Red Sox catcher crushed a ball making it 8-6.

Somehow the Canadians held on from there and stormed the field to celebrate after Morneau stepped on first to end things.

"Whenever you can beat a powerhouse like the U.S.A. it's a feather in Baseball Canada's history," said manager Ernie Whitt. "We can be happy right now, but we still have a task at hand and after an hour or two, we'll focus in on Mexico."

Notes: Phoenix Suns basketball star Steve Nash was in the crowd. Several Canadian players live in the Phoenix area and own Nash jerseys. ... Canada had 13 hits.

Huge win for Canadian baseball. I'm not much of a baseball fan, but I was stuck on Sportsnet all afternoon checking the score yesterday.

Anyone watching any of these games? If Canada beats the Mexicans, I think the US is out. Considering their lineup, that would be a HUGE shock.

[Dude]

For a tourney like this, Canada had a strong enough line-up to make some noise. Plus, add in long time internationals like Stubby Clapp, who'll run through a wall for the Nats, and you've got some good chemistry. I really think the players feel that now is their best opportunity to make some noise for Canadian baseball as a whole. Never have we had so many kids going down South to play college, or being drafted, never have we had so many big name players in MLB, never have we had such a strong pitching rotation. This tourney happens 5 years ago, and they probably wouldn't stand much of a chance. We'd have had Larry Walker, but not much else. But now, take some of these very serviceable players like Clapp, Orr (don't call me Bobby), LaForest, Kevin Nicholson, mix in some great prospects like Adam Lowen (great fcuking heat yesterday), Stern, and add them to a core of legitimate MLB stars such as Morneau, Stairs, Guiel, Koskie, Jeff (Franchise) Francis, Jason Bay, and you've actually got a pretty decent line-up. Consider we're still missing some big names in the line-up, too.

In a 5 or 7 game series, the US would win, but for one game, this line-up has the power, the defense, and the hustle. All comes down to the pitching.

Excited to see how Francis does today. They had yesterday marked down as a loss at the beginning of this thing, but looking like a brilliant move now to throw in the young stud, to give them a chance. Lowen deffinitely put his name out there in neon yesterday. Francis will still need to go deep today to give the team a chance, but he's the big gun, and should be able to handle Mexico.

[Balsa]

very serviceable players like Clapp, Orr (don't call me Bobby), LaForest, Kevin Nicholson

Canada has a strong core but zero depth. Players like these will not win you anything but a sportsmanship award (aka:good effort but you suck). Nicholson could not even crack the Padres for the past 7 years. A cup of tea is all he has had and will ever get. Bay is the only player that would cut any of the true power rosters in this type of tourney. Being a die hard fan of baseball I agree that it was great for Canada to beat the US......but.... they beat a very poor team by the standards that the US should have out there. The pitching is way below what they could have and using guys like Griffey Jr is funny. The US team should be much better.

Now after saying that you saw the result we had against a very strong Mexican Team. Typical Francis outing.........either unhittable or he just gets rocked. Too bad it was the latter of the two.

The Team to beat in this tourney is the DR. The US is good but should be much better.

[D13]

this tournament is a joke, and needs to be changed.
canada beats the usa, but gets knocked out because of runs for and against.
i guess you could say its canadas fault for not destroying a team they should have too, but none the less still pretty pathetic.