Sorry this post is a few days late. I watched the World Baseball Classic on Sunday to see current and future Pirates pitchers throw on Sunday. This is relevant to my blog because two of the starting pitchers in the games were left-handers.
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Team Canada's Jameson Taillon |
On Sunday in Phoenix, AZ, Canada and the U.S. faced off in the World Baseball Classic to decide who would move on to Round 2 in Miami and who would go home. The Canadian starting pitcher was Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect, right-hander Jameson Taillon, whose parents are Canadian even though he is from Texas. Team USA’s starter was Texas Ranger’s lefty Derek Holland.
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Team USA's Derek Holland |
The Canadian batting lineup was loaded with left-handed batters. However, the only threats in the lineup were Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto, Minnesota Twins’ first baseman/designated hitter Justin Morneau, and Seattle Mariners’ outfielder Michael Saunders.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Team USA won the game. Despite Canada’s loss, Pirates fans can be pleased that Taillon held his own against players like the Milwaukee Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun and Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips (both division rivals).
Later that night, Pirates left-handed pitcher Wandy Rodriguez started for the Dominican Republic against Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR. Rodriguez went 3 1/3 innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out two batters as the Dominicans defeated Puerto Rico 4-2.
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The Dominican Republic's Wandy Rodriguez |
Some would wonder why Rodriguez would be taken out of the game before even finishing four innings when he seemed to be pitching so well. In the first round of the WBC, there is a 65 pitch limit set for pitchers. This is to make sure that every participant gets a chance to play for his country.
This is fair especially when you take into consideration that many teams such as the U.S. and Dominican Republic have bolstered their rosters with MLB superstars. Even the teams that don’t have as many (if any) MLB players have guys that play in an MLB team’s organization, and each team wants to make sure its players get to play when they are missing the club’s Spring Training camp for it.