While U.S. routs Canada in WBC, Puerto Rico pitchers are perfect

Phoenix — Mike Trout hit a three-run homer, Lance Lynn threw five impressive innings and the United States used a nine-run first to cruise past Canada 12-1 on Monday night in the World Baseball Classic.

The game was called after seven innings because of the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule.

In Miami, José De León and three relievers combined on a perfect pitching performance as Puerto Rico routed Israel 10-0 in a matchup called after eight innings because of the mercy rule. Yacksel Ríos, Edwin Díaz and Duane Underwood Jr. closed out the win for Puerto Rico, which did not permit a baserunner. But it will not count as a perfect game in official WBC records because the game didn’t go a full nine innings.

That’s the standard established by the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician for Major League Baseball.

The U.S. improved to 2-1 and bounced back from an 11-5 loss to Mexico on Sunday with its best offensive performance of the tournament. Canada fell to 1-1 before a crowd of 29,621 at Chase Field.

The Americans sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning. Nolan Arenado had a tworun double to start the scoring and Trout finished it by belting a low fastball into the left-center seats.

Lynn got the win, giving up one run and two hits while saving the bullpen for the team’s final game of pool play against Colombia on Wednesday. United States manager Mark DeRosa had to use eight pitchers on Sunday in the loss to Mexico.

• Puerto Rico bounced back from a 9-6 loss to Venezuela the previous day with a dominant display in Miami.

De León tied a WBC record with 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings, earning the win. The right-hander was lifted after he fanned Spencer Horwitz on his 64th pitch, one under the tournament limit for starting pitchers in the first round. He exited to a huge ovation from the prohibitive Puerto Rico crowd of 27,813.

Afterward, he got the game ball and had it signed by his teammates.

Ríos relieved De León and struck out his only batter to end the sixth.

With his team up 9-0 in the seventh, Molina turned to Díaz, the New York Mets’ star closer, and he fanned one hitter in a 1-2-3 inning. Underwood retired Israel in order on 10 pitches in the eighth.