Happy St. Patrick's Day! This Tuesday is also championship day for the World Baseball Classic between the United States and Venezuela. Both teams are loaded with talent and coming off impressive runs to the final stage. Either of these two teams could win the game tonight, and it should be very dramatic in front of another sold-out stadium.
The Americans took down the Dominican Republic in the semifinals on Sunday night, defeating a very good lineup and winning 2-1 in a low-scoring affair. Young stars Gunner Henderson and Roman Anthony both smashed solo home runs to give the USA the edge after the DR scored first on a homer from Junior Caminero. All three homers were over 400 ft, showcasing a ton of power in Miami, Florida.
Venezuela and Italy met on Monday night for the semifinals, and Venezuela managed to give the Italians their only loss, ending their run in the WBC. Italy took a 2-0 lead, but Venezuela scored four straight to take the lead, and in the 7th inning, they put the game away by taking a 4-2 lead. There is no doubt that Venezuela has a dangerous lineup, looking for revenge after the US defeated them in 2023.
Team USA has unveiled the lineup for this contest.
- Bobby Witt Jr. SS
- Bryce Harper 1B
- Aaron Judge RF
- Kyle Schwarber DH
- Alex Bregman 3B
- Roman Anthony LF
- Will Smith C
- Bryce Turang 2B
- Byron Buxton CF
Starting for the Americans on the mound will be the New York Mets' young star, Nolan McLean. McLean pitched very well in eight games during his rookie season. The young pitcher started against Team Italy during group play and allowed three runs in three innings on two hits and two walks. Team USA will need McLean to improve because Venezuela's lineup is much deeper. He won't have a long leash with this being the final game and having lots of depth in the bullpen.
