Cuba beat Australia to reach WBC round two
Dominican Republic open bid to retain title with 9-2 win over Canada
>> TOKYO: Outfielder Alfredo Despaigne hit a grand slam in the fifth inning yesterday as Cuba beat Australia 4-3 to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
Despaigne, who played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan the last three seasons, connected off Australia pitcher Lachlan Wells for his second homer of the tournament.
“I don’t swing to be a home run king,’’ Despaigne said. “I try to drive in runs. I’m so happy to contribute to the national team.’’
Despaigne homered three times in six games in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. His grand slam yesterday came off a 2-1 fastball Wells left in the middle of the plate.
Cuba finished Pool B with a 2-1 record and will face Israel at Tokyo Dome tomorrow. Australia has played in the WBC all four times but has never made it out of the first round.
“We outhit them, we outplayed them,’’ Australia manager Jon Deeble said. “The only place we didn’t win was the scoreboard. They [Cuba] have a knack of doing that.’’
in Miami, Jose Bautista homered and drove in four runs on Thursday as the Dominican Republic opened their bid for a second consecutive World Baseball Classic title with a 9-2 victory against Canada.
Welington Castillo hit a two-run homer for the Dominicans, who went 8-0 to win the 2013 title. Before the game, manager Tony Pena said his team looks better on paper this year.
Bautista singled home a run in the second, singled again in the fifth and hit a three-run homer in the sixth off Dustin Molleken.
The Dominicans were the home team and had the majority of support from a boisterous crowd of 27,388 at Marlins Park, with fans chanting, blowing horns and pounding drums throughout the game.
Dempster, a 16-year major league veteran who came out of retirement to pitch for the Canadians at age 39, lasted only two innings and gave up four runs. It was his first game since the 2013 World Series.
Dominican reliever Fernando Rodney had the crowd roaring during pregame introductions when he struck his customary arrow-shooting pose while holding a large plantain.
Rodney struck out two in the ninth and celebrated by again striking his pose, this time without the plantain. Jeurys Familia got the final out.
The game also had a sombre side for theDominicans,whohungjerseysintheir dugout honouring Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and former major-leaguer Andy Marte. They died in separatetrafficaccidentsonthesameJanuarymorningintheDominicanRepublic.
“A beautiful gesture from management to show the brotherhood of all Dominican players,’’ Bautista said.