MIAMI — Baseball looked more like America’s national pastime Sunday night.
Team USA avoided elimination from the World Baseball Classic, beating the Netherlands 9-3 to ease the sting of a drubbing endured against Puerto Rico the night before.
Jimmy Rollins drove in four runs with a homer, a triple and a sacrifice fly, and Team USA newcomer Brian Roberts went 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs and two RBIs. Roy Oswalt pitched four scoreless innings, and six relievers completed a 12-hitter.
“We didn’t want to go home quite yet,” manager Davey Johnson said.
Even with a six-run lead in the eighth, the Americans remained combative. Matt Lindstrom gave up a leadoff homer to Bryan Engelhardt, who took a long look at his prodigious drive before jogging around the bases. Lindstrom’s next pitch sailed behind Vince Rooi, and the pitcher conceded he was trying to send a message after Engelhardt’s homer.
“I thought he took a little bit too long watching it,” Lindstrom said.
When Lindstrom barely missed hitting Rooi, Dutch players took several steps onto the field as they yelled angrily at the pitcher.
The shouting was in English, said Netherlands catcher Sidney de Jong.
“When you yell stuff like that, you want somebody to hear you,” he said. “We had no doubt that was intentional.”
“Classless,” Dutch manager Rod Delmonico said.
Lindstrom retired Rooi, faced three more batters and left the game with a stiff pitching shoulder. He was scheduled for an MRI exam today.
Few fans were on hand to witness the Americans’ turnaround. With a crowd of 11,059, the game had the atmosphere of a matchup between the Marlins and Nationals.
Still one loss from elimination, the U.S. will play Tuesday night against the loser of tonight’s game between Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Japan 6, Cuba 0
SAN DIEGO — Pitching in the same ballpark where he led his country to the inaugural WBC title three years ago, Boston Red Sox ace Daisuke Matsuzaka was brilliant Sunday in silencing Cuba’s previously undefeated big boppers as Japan opened the second round with a win.
How OK is Dice-K with the WBC? Try 5-0 in five starts. He’s 2-0 in this edition after going 3-0 in 2006, when he was selected MVP after leading Japan to a 10-6 victory over Cuba in the championship game at Petco Park.
On Sunday, he held Cuba to five singles in six innings while striking out eight and walking none.
The Associated Press
