Scottsdale, Ariz. – The question was meant as a joke. The nervous laughter that followed underscored its frightening importance.
As Team Canada manager Ernie Whitt sat in front of a live audience, a foreign reporter deadpanned: “Ernie, does it concern you that by beating the United States, and potentially eliminating them, you will be responsible for why there will never be another World Baseball Classic?”
Whitt smiled, paused, then delivered a politically correct cliché. Truth is, the WBC faced potential extinction if the United States hadn’t stumbled into the second round, courtesy of Canada’s meltdown against Mexico.
If Mexico’s bats hadn’t gone nuts, Buck Martinez’s crew would have been the biggest U.S. bust since Bode Miller.
“Scares like that I don’t relish,” Martinez said. “There would have been a lot of explanations, a lot of finger-pointing, if we weren’t around.”
The 24 first-round games drew 326,629 fans, an average crowd of 13,610. However, ticket sales have been sluggish for quarterfinals in Anaheim, and walk-ups probably would have evaporated had the Americans not advanced to meet Japan today at 2 p.m.
Jake Peavy, who threw three scoreless innings in the Americans’ WBC opener, will face Japan’s Koji Uehara, a previous winner against China.
“Peavy is not the most powerful pitcher, but he has some serious control,” Japanese infielder Michihiro Ogasawara said. “He knows where the ball is going.”
Dontrelle Willis and Roger Clemens will follow in the American rotation. Ken Griffey Jr., who has produced six consecutive hits, leads a U.S. lineup that finally appears awake after disappointing performances against Mexico and Canada.
“We are going to be a little more focused,” Griffey Jr. said. “The intensity is going to pick up since guys are now a week into training together.”
