Just as the games and matchups were getting great in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the action will cease as there are no games slated for the remainder of Monday's schedule. Following the weekend's amazing matchups and Monday's nail biter between the Netherlands and Cuba, the action commences on Tuesday.
In case you missed the action from the weekend's schedule, the U.S. rallied back to win their final games finishing atop of Pool D. Though Team USA's success in the WBC controlled headlines, the real highlight, though coming from a low point in the tournament, was the Canada/Mexico brawl that saw seven players ejected from the game, but neither team had players suspended.
Canada won the game, eliminating Mexico, but couldn't beat Team USA to advance to the second round on Sunday.
The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico dominated their schedule and bracket defeating both Venezuela and Spain in their first two games. The Dominicans proved dominant after sweeping Pool C after defeating Puerto Rico in a close 4-2 ball game Sunday night.
In Pool 1 featuring Japan, Chinese Taipei, Cuba and the Netherlands, Japan destroyed the competition sneaking by Chinese Taipei before trumping the Netherlands 16-4. Cuba looked dominant against Chinese Taipei, but they couldn't get past the Dutch squad as the underdogs.
Japan and the Netherlands will play in the sudden death round, also known as the championship round, which will be played in San Francisco at AT&T Park, home of the Giants, the 2012 World Series champs.
As for Pool 2, which is composed of teams from Pool C and D, the action will take off on Tuesday. The Dominican Republic, Italy, USA and Puerto Rico will be battling for a spot in the championship round. First team to lose two is eliminated while the first to win twice will await an opponent in the semifinals.
Without a doubt, the level of competition has been raised and though the Dominican Republic, Japan and USA go into their respective rounds as the favorite, they will have to show up and play. The Netherlands and Italy are hungry and will defeat anybody in their paths.
Come back tomorrow as we will bring you the entire schedule for Tuesday's action. Japan and the Netherlands will begin the action at 6 a.m. ET/7 p.m. Local Time.
