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Canada and Mexico now need to qualify for the 2021 World Baseball Classic
Monday’s Say Hey, Baseball looks at a tough weekend for USA’s neighbors, the ruthless Rob Manfred, and the high cost of the heater.
Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images
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Canada and Mexico have had teams in every World Baseball Classic thus far, but that might not be the case in 2021 after their respective showings in this year’s tournament. While the top two teams in each pool advance and the third-place team earns an automatic qualification for the next WBC, the last-place team in each pool is dismissed entirely, and has to earn their way into the next main tournament through a qualifying round played the year before. That’s how Colombia, Australia, and one of this year’s most-significant WBC successes, Israel, made it into the 2017 tournament. And it’s how Canada and Mexico are going to have to get back to the World Baseball Classic, as they are the last-place clubs in their pools.
Mexico is out because of the way standings are calculated in a tie-breaker scenario: while they defeated Venezuela 11-9 on Sunday, the WBC uses runs allowed per defensive inning to determine who gets to play in a tiebreaker game. So, out of the three 1-2 teams in in Pool D, Mexico had the most runs allowed per defensive inning, and they’ll be the ones who have to win their way back to the WBC in 2021. Meanwhile, Italy and Venezuela will play on Monday for the right to join Puerto Rico in the next round. This won’t be Mexico’s first qualifier, either: They had to win their way into the 2017 tournament by defeating Germany, Nicaragua, and the Czech Republic, but unlike Israel, their journey stopped in round one.
As for Canada, their elimination comes amid an identity crisis. The future of Canadian baseball is bright, and yet, Team Canada’s manager, Ernie Whitt, decided relying heavily on retired MLB veteran Ryan Dempster was the way to go against a stacked Team USA lineup in a win-or-go-home affair. Canadian stars like Joey Votto didn’t participate, and while Canadian baseball players are talented in their own right, it’s harder for them to hide that kind of loss that teams like the U.S. or Dominican Republic could shrug off thanks to depth. Maybe being outright eliminated from main tournament play will be the wake up that Canadian players and coaches need to build the team that finally makes it to round two of the WBC.
- Jose Bautista’s surgically repaired shoulder seemed pretty alright on Sunday when he one-hopped a throw to Welington Castillo and kept the walk-off Colombian run from scoring. The Dominican would later win this game with seven-run 11th.
- The WBC employs different rules from the 11th inning onward to save pitchers, who are on a pitch limit in the tournament. So, Japan and then the Netherlands had two base-runners on to begin their respective halves of the 11th inning, and it was Sho Nakata and Japan that capitalized on the gift.
- While Canada and Mexico will need to win their way back to the WBC, Team USA advanced to the second round and will get another shot at the Dominican Republic.
- Ian Desmond was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning of a spring training game, and the Rockies announced preliminary tests revealed a hand fracture.
- The Mercury News recently published a feature wondering if all this high velocity is to blame for the rash of pitcher injuries.
- Michael Baumann writes that Rob Manfred is a ruthless negotiator, and that’s bad news for the players. This is a tremendous look at Manfred’s background and capabilities.
- Ken Rosenthal doesn’t want to say any two country’s fanbases should act the same, but the WBC has made him wish American fans showed a little more joy in their day to day.
- If you collected Donruss baseball cards, you might be pronouncing your childhood wrong.
- The Red Sox have rotation depth, but David Price’s recent scare and Roenis Elias’ injury are reminders things change in a hurry. Enter Hector Velazquez.
- Chris Tillman suffered a setback in his return from a shoulder problem. The Orioles have options to replace him, but none are exciting.
- It’s time for the Yankees to determine their window.
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