In electrifying give and take, Colombia defeats Mexico in the World Baseball Classic

of the writing

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday March 12, 2023, p. a10

For the fifth consecutive World Baseball Classic, Mexico lost the first game, now against Colombia, 5-4 in 10 episodes at Chase Field in Phoenix, packed with Mexican fans and sold out for tonight, where the ninth tricolor their qualification is at stake against the host United States.

A ground ball by Gustavo Campero that shortstop Luis Urías could not control in the tenth inning, put an end to the give and take with which Colombia and Mexico began their participation in the contest yesterday, which the ninth national team arrived with high expectations, with the largest roster of major leaguers in its history.

Campero’s hit and Urías’ blunder allowed Jorge Alfaro to score the difference-taking run in this Group C game.

Mexico opened the scoring in the electrifying matchup with an RBI single by Isaac Paredes in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Colombia tied it at 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning, and took a 3-1 lead thanks to a two-run home run by Reynaldo Rodríguez.

The ninth tricolor responded with a two-run home run by Randy Arozarena in the bottom of the seventh, to level the game again (3-3).

Arozarena, a Cuban naturalized Mexican baseball player, was the one who stood out the most. He went with two hits in four at-bats, with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

In the fateful seventh inning, Rodríguez hit an infield single to the pitcher, driving Alfaro home and giving the coffee growers a 4-3 lead.

In that same episode, Alex Verdugo, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, breathed new life into the Tri by hitting a single to center field that catapulted Alek Thomas to tie the score again 4-4.

But the ninth Mexican team missed the fact that there were two men left on base (Verdugo and Austin Barnes), when Joey Meneses missed with a fly ball. foul to first base.

The confrontation went to the extras innings tied 4-4. In the tenth, Campero hit the ground ball that Urías couldn’t control and Alfaro escaped to the plate.

Guillermo Zúñiga retired the Mexican batters in order in the bottom of the tenth inning to ensure the victory. Isaac Paredes’ strikeout of the Tampa Bay Rays ended the game.

Julio Urías, on whom a large part of the responsibility rested, opened the duel for Mexico and left without a decision after pitching five innings.

The Sinaloan, star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, received three hits and three runs, struck out six and did not issue a walk, leaving an ERA of 5.40. He faced 18 batters, threw 62 pitches, 43 of which were strikes.

He culichi He was relieved in the sixth by Luis Cessa from Veracruz, who pitched a couple of innings and received a run; Jake Sánchez followed him, hanging zero in the eighth, the same as Giovanny Gallegos and Jesús Cruz in the ninth, who took the loss.

All the players are hurt. If you lose 1-0 or 30-0 it’s the same. In this type of tournament, any defeat leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.said Mexico’s manager, Benjamín Gil.

Julio in the first four innings was untouchable. And then there were some adjustments on their part.

Although the fall is painful for Mexicans, there is little room for regret. This Sunday they face the United States in their second match.

A defeat, although it has not knocked them out, does leave the desire to advance to the second round quite compromised.

At the end of the day this is frustrating, but you don’t have to go undefeated to advance. This game is over, but now we think of AmericaGil added. We are going to win the next game and we will see what follows.

With information from Ap