US rout Puerto Rico to claim Classic title

Victory ends years of frustration for American baseball

The US clobbered Puerto Rico 8- 0 on Wednesday to capture their first World Baseball Classic title, avenging an earlier loss and ending Puerto Rico’s perfect run to the championship game.

The Americans won the title in their first trip to the final, which was a rematch of a second- round game on March 17 in which the US rallied late but lost 6- 5.

Puerto Rico finished with a 7- 1 record as they were trying to become just the second team in tournament history to roll undefeated through the quadrennial global showcase of elite talent.

This was also the second loss in a row in the final for the bleachedblond haired Puerto Ricans, who were beaten by the Dominican Republic in the 2013 final.

Marcus Stroman pitched a no- hitter through six innings and Ian Kinsler belted a home run as the US carved up Puerto Rico before a crowd of 51,000 at Dodger Stadium.

Stroman, who has Puerto Rican roots, had his no- hit bid ended when left fielder Angel Pagan opened the bottom of the seventh with a double.

But the damage had already been done as Stroman set the early tone with superb pitching and Kinsler opened the scoring with a 402- foot ( 122- meter) two- run homer to center field in the third inning.

The last out of the three- hour, 30- minute contest came when Puerto Rico’s Carlos Correa grounded out to third base, touching off a wild celebration for the Americans on the field followed by a victory lap on the warning track.

Right- hander Stroman was named Most Valuable Player and, like his teammates, he played Wednesday as if he had a chip on his shoulder.

His added motivation came partly after his Puerto Rican mother was harassed on social media over his decision to compete for the Americans.

Puerto Ricans were angered because after the last tournament in 2013 he had indicated in a tweet that he might pitch for them.

Stroman, who was booed by Puerto Rican supporters as he spoke on the field during the MVP trophy presentation, allowed only one hit and struck out three batters in six innings for the US.

“Added a little fuel to the fire. They pretty much counted us out before the game started,” said Stroman of the Tshirts and Caribbean parade plans.

The victory ends years of frustration for the US on their home soil in the tournament, which has been going since 2006. The US is considered baseball’s birthplace and the nation has a worldleading 626 players in Major League Baseball – but until Wednesday its team had never played in a Classic final.