WBC Finals: Stroman Dazzles to Lead USA to First WBC Crown

Marcus Stroman dazzled the Puerto Rican lineup over six innings in the WBC Finals to lead the United States to their first championship.

Wednesday’s World Baseball Classic Final was the culmination of weeks of contests pitting the best players in the world against one another, representing their countries in a bid for baseball supremacy. The last two teams standing were the United States’ club, a team that survived the “Pool of Death” and a multiple win-or-go-home games, and the Puerto Rican squad that had run through the tournament without taking a loss.

Earlier in the tournament, Puerto Rico beat the United States, 6-5, in Pool F play. Wednesday was a different story.

Marcus Stroman, who gave up four runs in the first inning and took the loss in these two team’s previous meeting, was on the hill for the American club. His counterpart was Seth Lugo, who threw 5.2 innings and was the winning pitcher in the first meeting. The first two innings on Wednesday was a duel.

Stroman, the Toronto Blue Jays’ ace, and Lugo, a New York Mets’ hurler traded zeroes through the first two frames, but Lugo was the first to blink. American catcher Jonathan Lucroy, starting instead of Buster Posey because of an “every other day” rule imposed by manager Jim Leyland, opened the inning with a line drive single to left field. Ian Kinsler, the team’s leadoff hitter, roped a two-run home run over the fence in left-center field to put the United States on the board first.

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Even while opposite faltered, Stroman didn’t waver. He breezed through the third and fourth innings. He cruised past the fifth and sixth, and those whispers started to pop up. With a zero in the hits column for the Puerto Rican club, Stroman was three innings away from becoming only the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the WBC. Shairon Martis threw a seven-inning no-no in 2006 when the mercy rule put a stop to that game against Panama.

Those talks would be quieted with the first batter in the seventh inning. Former Giant Angel Pagan, still a free agent, roped a two-bagger down the left field line, giving Puerto Rico their first hit of the night, and first baserunner since a second-inning walk to Carlos Beltran. That would Stroman’s final batter, and he left to a hearty ovation from all in attendance.

Stroman, still just 25 years old, dazzled hitters with his various pitch deliveries and wide array of movements on his pitches. He only struck out three in six-plus innings, but was able to keep the ball away from the barrel of opposing hitter’s bats. Loud contact was few and far between against Stroman, with weak groundballs and easy pop-ups being the norm.

Offense wasn’t a problem behind Stroman. The American club added another pair of runs in the fifth inning, with Christian Yelich and Andrew McCutchen driving in one each, and broke it open in the seventh.

Giants’ shortstop Brandon Crawford beat the Puerto Rican team’s strategy, as he drove in two runs with a single against left-handed reliever J.C. Romero. The southpaw was brought in to retire the left-handed-hitting Crawford, but Crawford did something he’s done quite a bit over the past couple years and beat the specialist. A little later, Giancarlo Stanton‘s single made it 7-0 United States.

After Stroman, Texas Rangers’ closer Sam Dyson was the first American pitcher tasked with holding the lead, and he kept the runner on second from scoring with a groundball and two strikeouts. The USA added a run on an error in the eighth, and Pat Neshek responded with a quick bottom half of the frame.

Chicago White Sox closer David Robertson was tasked with getting the final three outs with an eight-run lead, and had no issues. Three batters later, Nolan Arenado threw across the diamond to get Carlos Correa, and Puerto Rico was saddled with their first loss of the tournament, while the United States’s side earned their first WBC championship.

The team gathered around a statue of a bald eagle on the mound as they celebrated the victory, and the Puerto Rican club was gracious in defeat, tipping their caps to their American counterparts. Stroman was the star of the day, and was named the WBC’s MVP following the game. The diminutive hurler threw 15.1 innings throughout the tournament, and allowed four runs, all coming in his previous start against Puerto Rico.

Crawford was also fantastic in the WBC, picking up 10 hits in 26 at-bats (.385) with six RBI while playing his typical brand of sterling defense. Baltimore Orioles’ center fielder Adam Jones was also instrumental in the team’s victory, coming up with big hit after big hit, and making the most spectacular catch of the series when he robbed his Baltimore teammate, Manny Machado, of a home run in the semifinals.

Next: Giants Notes 3/21: Injuries and New Battles

The tournament was as fun as anyone could have predicted. Each and every round delivered fun baseball from some of the best players the world has to offer, with nail-biting action at every turn. The clash of styles, with different countries all bringing a different brand of baseball, made it that much more entertaining.

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