Cuban players celebrate after defeating Australia in their World Baseball Classic quarter-final game, at the Tokyo Dome, on March 15.Eugene Hoshiko/The Associated Press
TOKYO – Cuba earned a 7,500-mile flight to Miami for a trip to the World Baseball Classic semi-finals for the first time since 2006.
“Cuban baseball fans are so emotional right now. They have been waiting for a long time at the moment,” manager Armando Johnson said after a 4-3 win over Australia on Wednesday night. “This is the new page, new chapter.”
Alfredo Despaigne hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and Yoelkis Guibert followed with a two-run single in three-run fifth inning.
Using current major leaguers for the first time at the WBC, Cuba plays on Sunday in Marlins Park against the winner of a quarter-final between Venezuela and the second-place team from Group C: Canada, Colombia, Mexico or the U.S.
Former Philadelphia Phillies prospect Rixon Wingrove, who led Australia with seven RBIs in the tournament, hit a go-ahead RBI single in the second and had a two-run homer in the sixth off the Chicago Cubs’ Roenis Elias. Australia got two on later in the sixth before Elias retired Milwaukee Brewers prospect Alex Hall on a flyout.
Elias pitched a perfect seventh, Livan Moinelo worked around a pair of walks in a hitless eighth by striking out Ulrich Bojarski and retiring Tim Kennelly on an inning-ending flyout. Raidel Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save, striking out Darryl George on the eighth pitch of the at-bat for the final out.
Before a crowd of 35,061 at the Tokyo Dome, Luis Robert tied the score for Cuba with a run-scoring groundout in the third.
Cuba, which lost the 2006 final to Japan, had been eliminated in the second round of the previous three WBCs. The Cubans won their third straight game in this tournament after losing their first two.
Australia advanced past the group stage for the first time.
“Basically this trip is redefining Australian baseball back home and hopefully it changes the conversation,” George said. “People don’t really expect a lot from us.”
Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox had two hits and two walks, and is hitting .421 with five RBIs. Moncada sparked the third with a one-out double off Mitch Neunborn, who had walked Roel Santos leading off.
Winner Miguel Romero, the second of five Cuban pitchers, allowed one hit in 1⅔ scoreless innings.
Santos singled leading off the fifth against loser Josh Guyer, who walked Moncada. Sam Holland walked Robert, and Cuba went ahead on the sacrifice fly by Despaigne, who is hitting .412 (7 for 17) with four RBIs and is the WBC career leader with seven homers. The 36-year-old outfielder and designated hitter is a fan favourite in Japan after playing for the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines from 2014-16 and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 2017 through last season.
Former major leaguer Yoenis Cespedes left the team before the game for unspecified personal reasons, the Cuban Baseball Federation said.
Venezuela 5, Israel 1
MIAMI – Eugenio Suarez homered, singled twice and had three RBIs and starter Jesus Luzardo struck out five in four scoreless innings to lead Venezuela, which already had clinched the Group D title and a quarter-final berth.
Ronald Acuna Jr. had two singles while Eduardo Escobar also went deep for Venezuela, which finished with 10 hits.
Venezuela burst to a three-run lead in the first against Robert Stock. Acuna broke out of a tournament-starting 1-for-11 skid with an RBI single and Suarez hit a two-run single.
Escobar’s solo shot in the fourth made it 4-0 and Suarez connected with a leadoff drive in the sixth.
Jakob Goldfarb’s RBI single in the seventh snapped a 22-inning scoreless streak for Israel.
Venezuela joined Japan as the only group winners to finish unbeaten.
Israel finished 1-3 after reaching the second round in the 2017 tournament.
Puerto Rico 5, Dominican Republic 2
MIAMI – Christian Vazquez homered in a four-run third inning as Puerto Rico advanced to the WBC quarter-finals to face the winner of Pool C on Saturday in Miami.
It’s just the second time ever that Dominican Republic didn’t make it past the first round (2009).
After Vazquez’s solo homer off starter Johnny Cueto, Vimael Machin, Martin Maldonado, Francisco Lindor and Kike Hernandez hit four straight singles to make it 3-0. MJ Melendez then grounded out on a play that allowed Lindor to score.
Cueto took the loss and was lifted before the end of the third after allowing four hits, three runs and striking out two.
Juan Soto made it 4-1 when he homered to deep centre field – 448 feet – off Puerto Rico reliever Jovani Moran for his second home run of the tournament.
Soto finished the tournament 6vforv15 with three doubles and three RBIs.
Puerto Rico capped a dominant pool round in which it blanked Israel in a perfect 10-0 win Monday night.
New York Mets star closer Edwin Diaz appeared to sustain a significant injury to his right leg after Puerto Rico’s victory.
United States 3, Columbia 2
PHOENIX – Mike Trout had three hits and three RBIs, and the United States used a stellar night from its deep bullpen to beat Colombia 3-2 and advance to the quarter-finals.
Mexico and the U.S. both finished with a 3-1 record in Group C to advance. Mexico gets the top seed because it beat the U.S. 11-5 on Sunday.
Trout singled in the third, bringing home Mookie Betts and giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Colombia bounced back quickly, taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on Gio Urshela’s sacrifice fly and an RBI double from Reynaldo Rodriguez.
Trout put the Americans ahead again in the fifth with a two-run single that scored Betts and Will Smith.
Merrill Kelly gave up two runs in three innings for the Americans. Kelly then gave way to a parade of hard throwing bullpen arms: Kendall Graveman, Daniel Bard, David Bednar, Jason Adam, Devin Williams and Ryan Pressly each threw a scoreless inning to finish the win.
Colombia started the tournament with an upset win over Mexico, but then lost three straight to Canada, Britain and the U.S.
A crowd of 29,856 at Chase Field watched the game.