Baseball World Cup

[Mattymo]

“WBO Announces 2012 World Cup Pairings”
1/31/2012

Uncasville, CT- The second Baseball World Cup is set.
With play beginning in February of 2012 in Miami (Florida), Toronto (Canada), Tokyo (Japan) and Caracas (Venezuela), the World Cup will have a very different look than in 2009.

“We’ve decided 24 teams in pool play, as opposed to 16, and to have each pool play in a different city to create excitement in different parts of the world,” said Commissioner Matt Mauro.

The four host cities are the top four finishers from 2009, when every game was played in Honolulu. Miami will also host the “Final Four”, since the United States won the 2009 Cup.

“We’re really excited for the 2012 World Cup, especially since we’ve made such growth since 2009,” said Mauro, “We expect to see more teams competitive this year, which is why we expanded to include more teams in pool play.”

The top two finishers in each pool will move onto the quarterfinals.
Play will begin February 1st, with the championship game set for Bacardi Ballpark, new home of the Florida Marlins, on February 10th.

In 2009 the United States defeated Japan 8-6 in the Title Game.

[Mattymo]

A quick look at the 2009 World Cup:

Final Pool Standings
Pool A
United States 3-0
Cuba 1-2 (cum score 19-23)
Columbia 1-2 (16-22)
South Korea 1-2 (7-14)

Pool B
Dominican Republic 3-0
Mexico 2-1
Taiwan 1-2
Guatemala 0-3

Pool C
Venezuela 3-0
Japan 2-1
Aruba 1-2
Italy 0-3

Pool D
Canada 2-1 (22-8)
Nicaragua 2-1 (17-13)
Puerto Rico 2-1 (15-14)
Costa Rica 0-3

Quarters
U.S. 11, Nicaragua 1
Canada 4, Cuba 1
Japan 8, Dominican Republic 7
Venezuela 6, Mexico 3

Semis
U.S. 5, Canada 4
Japan 6, Venezuela 5

Finals
U.S. 8, Japan 6

[Mattymo]

2012 World Cup

Miami Pool
Argentina
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Panama
United States
Taiwan

Toronto Pool
Canada
Columbia
Cuba
Netherlands
Nicaragua
South Africa

Tokyo Pool
Aruba
Australia
Brazil
Italy
Japan
Mexico

Caracas Pool
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Puerto Rico
South Korea
Venezuela

-Round Robin play: each team plays each other in each pool, 5 games total. Top 2 teams in each pool advance

-26 man maximum rosters

-Finals are in Miami

[Mattymo]

Day 1

Miami Pool

United States 16, Panama 0 (Ben Sheets, SP, USA: CG SHO (1-0), 3 H, 1 BB, 13 K)

Dominican Republic 7, Guatemala 0 (Francisco Liriano, SP, DR: W (1-0), 8.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 15 K)

Taiwan 6, Argentina 5 (Sun-wei Lu, SS, TAI: 1-4, 3-run HR (1))

Toronto Pool

Canada 5, Cuba 4 (Hector Murillo, SP, CUBA: ND (0-0), 6.1 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K)

Nicaragua 13, South Africa 3 (Armando Angel, CF, NIC: 2-3, 2 HR (2), 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB)

Columbia 3, Netherlands 2 (Emiliano Fruto, SP, COL: W (1-0), 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K)

Tokyo Pool

Japan 13, Italy 2 (Hideaki Maeda, CF, JAP: 5-6, 2-run HR (1), 4 R, 2 RBI)

Mexico 10, Brazil 1 (Cristian Mendoza, SP, MEX: CG W (1-0), 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 9 K)

Australia 8, Aruba 7 (Kelvin Franks, 1B, AUS: 4-5, 2-run HR (1), 7 RBI, R)

Caracas Pool

Puerto Rico 5, South Korea 1 (Javier Vazquez, SP, PR: W (1-0), 7 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Venezuela 4, Chile 3 (10) (Mario Sanchez, SP, CHIL: ND (0-0), 7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K)

China 7, Costa Rica 1 (Yeow-whye Hark, SP, CHIN: W (1-0), 8.2 IP, 1 R, 8 H, 0 BB, 9 K)

[Mattymo]

Day 1

Miami Pool
Dominican Republic 1-0
United States 1-0
Taiwan 1-0
Argentina 0-1
Guatemala 0-1
Panama 0-1

Toronto Pool
Canada 1-0
Columbia1-0
Nicaragua 1-0
Cuba 0-1
Netherlands 0-1
South Africa 0-1

Tokyo Pool
Australia 1-0
Japan 1-0
Mexico 1-0
Aruba 0-1
Brazil 0-1
Italy 0-1

Caracas Pool
China 1-0
Puerto Rico 1-0
Venezuela 1-0
Chile 0-1
Costa Rica 0-1
South Korea 0-1

Day 1 Recap

-Game of the Day: Canada escaped Cuba 5-4 with an RBI single by Jeremy Woodruff (New York Yankees) in the bottom of the 9th. Canada now has a leg up in the Toronto Pool, as Cuba was expected to be their stiffest competition.

-Player of the Day: Australia's Kelvin Franks (Sacramento Lightning, 2L) hit for the cycle, driving in 7 runs in their mild upset over Aruba.

-Day 1 saw no major upsets, with all the favorites holding serve.

-Puerto Rico suffered a major blow, losing catcher Mike Rivera (Milwaukee Brewers) for the rest of the World Cup with a fractured hand.

-Australia and China won their first ever World Cup games.

[Mattymo]

Day 2

Miami Pool

United States 5, Taiwan 3 (Lance Berkman, RF, USA: 2-3, HR (1))

Dominican Republic 11, Panama 1 (Aramis Ramirez, 3B, DR: 4-5, 2 HR (2), 5 RBI, 3 R)

Guatemala 4, Argentina 3 (Javier Ortiz, 3B, GUA: 3-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R)

Toronto Pool

Canada 9, South Africa 4 (Jeff Francis, SP, CAN: W (1-0), 8 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K)

Columbia 9, Nicaragua 2 (Cesar Lopez, SP, COL: W (1-0), CG, 0 ER, 2 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K)

Cuba 17, Netherlands 0 (Raul Vargas, 2B, CUB: 5-5, 2 HR (2), 6 RBI, 3 R)

Tokyo Pool

Mexico 4, Aruba 0 (Pedro Hernandez, SP, MEX: CG SHO (1-0), 0 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K)

Japan 8, Brazil 6 (Motoki Hayashi, 1B, JAP: 1-4, GS (1))

Australia 14, Italy 6 (Kelvin Franks, 1B, AUS: 5-6, 3 R, 2 RBI)

Caracas Pool

Venezuela 3, Puerto Rico 2 (Aquiles Curopos, SP, VEN: W (1-0), 8 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K)

South Korea 4, Costa Rica 1 (Jae Weong Seo, SP, SK: W (1-0), 8 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K)

Chile 7, China 1 (Armando Soto, LF, CHL: 2-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R)

[batted balls]

This is great! Do you have rosters to post?

[Mattymo]

Originally Posted by batted balls

This is great! Do you have rosters to post?

Thanks batted balls!

I have all the rosters in an excel spreadsheet, I wouldn't know how to post that. But even if I did I don't think it would be much use because the year is 2012 so the majority of players (especially those outside the U.S. and Dominican Republic) are fictional. I will do a better job of giving background of players on teams.

Also for anyone reading my dynasty for the first time, anything in "code" will most likely be updated as I go.

[Mattymo]

Miami Pool
Dominican Republic 2-0
United States 2-0
Guatemala 1-1
Taiwan 1-1
Argentina 0-2
Panama 0-2

Toronto Pool
Canada 2-0
Columbia 2-0
Cuba 1-1
Nicaragua 1-1
Netherlands 0-2
South Africa 0-2

Tokyo Pool
Australia 2-0
Japan 2-0
Mexico 2-0
Aruba 0-2
Brazil 0-2
Italy 0-2

Caracas Pool
Venezuela 2-0
Chile 1-1
China 1-1
Puerto Rico 1-1
South Korea 1-1
Costa Rica 0-2

-Game of the Day: Venezuela took control of the Caracas Pool with a 3-2 win over Puerto Rico. Aquiles Curopos (Santo Domingo Tigres, 2L) shut down Puerto Rico and Dioner Navarro (Boston Red Sox) hit a go-ahead homer in the 8th off Ricardo Sosa (pitched with St. Louis Cardinals in 2011).

-Player of the Day: Cesar Lopez (Caracas Leones, 2L) pitched a complete game for Colombia, allowing two unearned runs in stifling Nicaragua, who advanced to the Quarterfinals in 2009. Colombia now sits at 2-0 and can really shock the world with a win over Canada on Day 3.

-The United States lost star OF Ricardo Villa (Oakland Athletics) to a concussion. He'll miss the rest of the World Cup. Fornuately the Americans are incredibly deep and shouldn't miss a beat.

-After getting knocked out by Italy in a qualifier in 2009, Australia got revenge, crushing the Italians 14-6 and are now 2-0 in Pool Play. Kelvin Franks (Sacramento Lightning, 2L) is currently 9 for 11 with 9 RBI through two games.

-Chile and Guatemala got their first ever World Cup wins.

[Mattymo]

Day 3

Miami Pool

Dominican Republic 14, Taiwan 5 (Felipe Sanchez, CF, DR: 2-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R)

United States 11, Argentina 0 (C.C. Sabathia, SP, USA: CG SHO (1-0), 0 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K)

Panama 10, Guatemala 0 (Jose Tovar, SP, PAN: W (1-0), 8.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K)

Toronto Pool

Canada 14, Colombia 5 (Jason Bay, CF, CAN: 4-5, GS (2), 5 RBI, 2 R

Nicaragua 15, Netherlands 2 (Manny Gallegos, DH, NIC: 5-6, HR (1), 4 RBI, 4 R, 2 3B)

Cuba 15, South Africa 0 (Raul Vargas, 2B, CUB: 3-4, 3-run HR (3), 5 RBI, 3 R)

Tokyo Pool

Japan 9, Mexico 1 (Kakuzo Nakagawa, SP, JAP: CG W (1-0), 1 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 10 K)

Aruba 4, Italy 2 (Virgil Beerens, SP, ARU: CG W (1-0), 2 R, 8 H, 0 BB, 4 K)

Australia 14, Brazil 8 (Esteve Quintero, LF, BRA: 4-5, 4 RBI, R)

Caracas Pool

Venezuela 8, China 1 (Carlos Zambrano, SP, VEN: W (1-0), 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 R, 7 H, 0 BB, 8 K)

Puerto Rico 3, Costa Rica 2 (Mauro Hernandez, SP, PR: W (1-0), 7.1 IP, 1 R, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K)

South Korea 6, Chile 4 (Young-hoon Nang, C, SK: 3-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI)

[Mattymo]

Day 3

Miami Pool
Dominican Republic 3-0
United States 3-0
Panama 1-2
Taiwan 1-2
Guatemala 1-2
Argentina 0-3

Toronto Pool
Canada 3-0
Cuba 2-1
Columbia 2-1
Nicaragua 2-1
Netherlands 0-3
South Africa 0-3

Tokyo Pool
Australia 3-0
Japan 3-0
Mexico 2-1
Aruba 1-2
Brazil 0-3
Italy 0-3

Caracas Pool
Venezuela 3-0
Puerto Rico 2-1
South Korea 2-1
Chile 1-2
China 1-2
Costa Rica 0-3

-Game of the Day: Japan showed it's eagerness to get back to the title game with a 9-1 shallacking of Mexico. Kakuzo Nakagawa (Seoul Bears, WL) was dominant on the mound, allowing only one round in a complete game effort. Kei Hatsutori (St. Louis Cardinals organization) drove in 3 runs from the leadoff spot. Japan has all but clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

-Player of the Day: The aforementioned Nakagawa.

-6 teams are left undefeated, with the United States and Dominican Republic set to play on Day 4.

-Australia continues to impress, making quick work of Brazil.

-Venezuela lost CF Endy Chavez (San Francisco Giants) for a week due to a tender elbow. He'll most likely miss the rest of the World Cup.

[Mattymo]

Day 4

Miami Pool

United States 5, Dominican Republic 4 (Bobby Givens, SS, USA: 2-3, 2 HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R)

Taiwan 6, Guatemala 0 (Ka-fei Lum, MR, TAI: W (1-0), 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K)

Panama 15, Argentina 1 (Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, PAN: 3-6, HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 R)

Toronto Pool

Canada 4, Nicaragua 3 (Warner Campbell, SP, CAN: W (1-0), 8 IP, 2 R, 10 H, 1 BB, 8 K)

Cuba 5, Colombia 3 (Edgar Ramirez, SP, CUB: W (1-0), 8 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K)

South Africa 15, Netherlands 2 (Brahim Al-Assel, DH, SAF: 1-4, GS (1), 5 RBI, R)

Tokyo Pool

Japan 7, Aruba 6 (Norman Goerts, 3B, ARU: 3-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R)

Mexico 6, Australia 5 (10) (Cristian Mendoza, SP, MEX: ND, 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 K)

Italy 8, Brazil 5 (Esteve Quintero, LF, BRA: 2-5, HR (1), 4 RBI, R)

Caracas Pool

Costa Rica 6, Venezuela 3 (Antonio Huerta, C, CR: 3-4, HR (1), 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R)

Puerto Rico 3, Chile 1 (Robinson Zuziela, SP, PR: ND, 7.2 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K)

South Korea 2, China 0 (Cha Seung Baek, SP, SK: W (1-0), 8 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K)

[Mattymo]

Day 4

Miami Pool
*United States 4-0
*Dominican Republic 3-1
Panama 2-2
Taiwan 2-2
Guatemala 1-3
Argentina 0-4

-United States clinched #1 seed
-Dominican Republic clinched #2 seed

Toronto Pool
*Canada 4-0
Cuba 3-1-
Columbia 2-2-
Nicaragua 2-2
South Africa 1-3
Netherlands 0-4

-Canada clinched #1 seed
-Cuba can clinch playoff spot with win over Nicaragua
-If Nicaragua beats Cuba and Colombia beats South Africa, 3-way tie will be determined by cumulative score

Tokyo Pool
Japan 4-0
Mexico 3-1
Australia 3-1
Aruba 1-3
Italy 1-3
Brazil 0-4

-Japan clinches playoff spot with win over Australia or Mexico loss to Italy
-If Australia beat Japan and Mexico beats Italy, 3-way tie will be determined by cumulative score
-Mexico can clinch playoff spot with a win over Italy
-Australia needs to beat Japan and have Italy beat Mexico to make playoffs

Caracas Pool
Venezuela 3-1
Puerto Rico 3-1
South Korea 3-1
Chile 1-3
China 1-3
Costa Rica 1-3

-Winner of Venezuela-South Korea clinches playoff spot
-Puerto Rico can clinch with win over China


Recap:
-Game of the Day: It took extra innings for Mexico to hold off Australia in the Tokyo Pool. Enrico Valentin (Buenos Aires Portenos, 2L) hit a 10th inning RBI triple to put Mexico in the driver's seat for a playoff spot. Australia scored 5 in the 8th to tie it.

-Player of the Day: Cristian Mendoza (Free Agent, pitched with Havana Industriales, 2L, last season) came back on only 2 days rest and went 7 strong in a must win for Mexico. He got a no decision but didn't allow a run and struck out 8.

-Though both teams are in, the United States' win over Dominican Republic was big, as now they avoid Canada in the Quarters. Bobby Givens (St. Louis Cardinals) hit two big homers.

-Biggest upset so far: Costa Rica earned their first ever World Cup win with a 6-3 triumph over Venezuela. The Venezuelans have really struggled so far and need to get it together against South Korea on the final day of Pool Play.

[Mattymo]

Day 5

Miami Pool

United States 12, Guatemala 3 (Tommy Norman, 3B, USA: 1-4, HR (1), 4 RBI, R)

Dominican Republic 18, Argentina 0 (Aramis Ramirez, 3B, DR: 3-6, HR (4), 5 RBI, 2 R)

Panama 9, Taiwan 1 (Martin Lopez, MR, PAN: W (1-0), 5.1 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K)

Toronto Pool

Cuba 6, Nicaragua 2 (Angel Balencia, 3B, CUB: 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI)

Netherlands 6, Canada 4 (Marko Markus, 3B, NED: 3-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R)

South Africa 5, Colombia 2 (Bilal Kiara, SS, SAF: 3-4, 2 R, RBI)

Tokyo Pool

Japan 19, Australia 4 (Masafumi Jouda, LF, JAP: 4-6, HR (2), 6 RBI, 2 R)

Mexico 6, Italy 3 (Juan Bueno, LF, MEX: 3-4, 2 RBI, R)

Aruba 8, Brazil 0 (Hector Gonzalez, 2B, ARU: 3-4, 3 RBI)

Caracas Pool

Venezuela 11, South Korea 4 (Jorge Gutierrez, SP, VEN: W (1-0), 7 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K)

China 2, Puerto Rico 0 (Kei-thing Cheng, SP, CHN: CG SHO (1-0), 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K)

Chile 6, Costa Rica 4 (Luis Antonio Mendoza, RF, CHL: 2-4, GS (1), 5 RBI, R)

[Mattymo]

Day 5

Miami Pool
*United States 5-0
*Dominican Republic 4-1
Panama 3-2
Taiwan 2-3
Guatemala 1-4
Argentina 0-5

-United States clinched #1 seed
-Dominican Republic clinched #2 seed

Toronto Pool
*Canada 4-1
*Cuba 4-1
Columbia 2-3
Nicaragua 2-3
South Africa 2-3
Netherlands 1-4

-Canada clinched #1 seed
-Cuba clinched #2 seed

Tokyo Pool
*Japan 5-0
*Mexico 4-1
Australia 3-2
Aruba 2-3
Italy 1-4
Brazil 0-5

-Japan clinched #1 seed
-Mexico clinched #2 seed

Caracas Pool
*Venezuela 4-1
*Puerto Rico 3-2
South Korea 3-2
Chile 2-3
China 2-3
Costa Rica 1-4

-Venezuela clinched #1 seed
-Puerto Rico clinched #2 seed (beat South Korea on Day 1 to win tie-breaker)

Recap:
-"Game of the Day": Venezuela beat South Korea to advance in the Caracas Pool. Jorge Gutierrez (Milwaukee Brewers) went seven strong and Juan Rivera (Philadelphia Phillies) drove in three to eliminate South Korea.

-Player of the Day: Even though the game didn't matter, Netherlands 3B Marko Markus (FA, played in Tampa Bay organization last year) drove in three as the Dutch team won their first ever WC game, over Canada nonetheless. Dutch starer Frank Kranendonk (Santo Domingo Tigres, 2L) gets co-player of the week for throwing 172 pitches in a complete game effort, rescuing an exhausted pitching staff.

-Australia's amazing run ended, but they should be proud, winning three games.

[Mattymo]

Pool MVPs

Miami Pool
Pitcher: Scott Olson (Chicago White Sox), CL, USA- 2 Saves, 2 IP, 1 H, 3 K
Batter: Aramis Ramirez (Chicago Cubs), 3B, DR- 9 for 23 (.391), 4 HR, 16 RBI

Toronto Pool
Pitcher: Mauro Mercado (Cleveland Indians org.), SP, CUB: 1-0, 9 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 K
Batter: Raul Vargas (Colorado Rockies), 2B, CUB- 14 for 21 (.667), 3 HR, 13 RBI

Tokyo Pool
Pitcher: Cristian Mendoza (FA, Havana Industriales in 2011), SP, MEX: 1-0, 2 GS, 0.56 ERA, 1 R, 6 H, 16 IP, 0 BB, 17 K
Batter: Kelvin Franks (Sacramento Lightning, 2L), 1B, AUS: 15 for 25 (.600), 3 HR, 16 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B

Caracas Pool
Pitcher: Pedro Feliciano (New York Mets), CL, PR: 2 Svs, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Batter: Carlos Guillen (New York Yankees), SS, VEN: .294, 2 HR, 5 RBI

[Mattymo]

Quarterfinal Matchups

United States vs. Cuba

United States
Top Pitchers:
SP Ben Sheets- 1-0 in Pool play, CG SHO over Panama- 19-8, 2.49 for Milwaukee Brewersin 2011, 5-time Cy Young Award Winner (2006, 2007, 2009-2011)
SP Josh Rupe- 0-0 in Pool Play, 3 R in 5.1 IP vs. Taiwan- 17-8, 2.62 for Chicago White Sox, 2-time Cy Young Award Winner (2009, 2011)
SP C.C. Sabathia- 1-0 in Pool play, CG SHO vs. Argentina- 8-16, 4.95 for Cleveland Indians, 2-time Cy Young Award Winner (2006-2007)
CL Scott Olson- 2 svs, 0 R, 2 H in 2 IP in pool play- 26 svs, 2.02 for Chicago Wihte Sox, 2nd round pick in 2006

Top Batters:
1B Ramon Sanchez- .375, 0 HR, 4 RBI in pool play- .302, 57, 135 w/St. Louis Cardinals, 2009 Rookie of the Year
C John Hendricks- .412, 1 HR, 2 RBI in pool play- .270, 30, 103 w/Philadelphia Phillies, 3-time 2L all-star
3B Tommy Norman- .278, 1 HR, 6 RBI in pool play- .335, 40, 126 w/Virginia Beach Velocity (2L), 4-time 2L All-Star

Cuba
Top Pitchers:
SP Hector Murillo- ND, 0 R, 5 H vs. Canada in pool play- 11-11, 4.22 w/New York Yankees
SP Mauro Mercado- 1-0, CG SHO vs. Netherlands in pool play- 6-4, 3.03 w/Florida Marlins AAA club, traded to Cleveland Indians in December
SP Alay Soler- 1-0, 0 R, 8 IP, 5 H vs. South Africa in pool play- 1-0, 4.09 in 7.1 IP w/New York Mets
CL Danys Baez- 0-1, 1 sv, 5.40 ERA in pool play- 8-3, 2 svs, 3.69 w/Baltimore Orioles- 3-time ML All-Star

Top Batters:
3B Angelo Balencia- .353, 1, 7 in pool play- .310, 40, 135 w/Caracas Leones (2L), 3-time 2L All-Star
CF Juan Hernandez- .300, 0, 4 in pool play- .269, 6, 54 w/Mexico City Red Devils (2L), 3-time 2L All-Star
C Brayan Pena- .364, 1, 6 in pool play- .285, 20, 52 w/Atlanta Braves

Dominican Republic vs. Canada

Canada

Top Pitchers:
SP Erik Bedard- ND, 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 R, 8 H vs. Cuba in pool play- 10-10, 4.07 w/Baltimore Orioles
SP Jeff Francis- 1-0, 8 IP, 2 R, 6 H vs. South Africa in pool play- 12-14, 2.75 w/Sacramento Lightning (2L), 2-time 2L All-Star
SP Patrice LaPlante- 1-0, 7 IP, 2 R, 4 H vs. Colombia in pool play- 13-15, 4.10 w/Tokyo Samurai (2L)
CL Charlie Farrell- 1 Sv, 3 R in 2 IP in pool play- 7-6, 3 svs, 5.72 w/New York Yankees

Tom Batters:
1B Justin Morneau- .368, 0 HR, 2 RBI in pool play- .285, 28, 99 w/Minnesota Twins, 3-time ML All-Star
CF Jason Bay- .412, 2 HR, 8 RBI in pool play- .312, 28, 71 w/Philadelphia Phillies, 4-time ML All-Star
2B Jeremy Woodruff- .304, 0 HR, 4 RBI in pool play- .262, 6, 43 w/New York Yankees, 4th round pick in 2006

Dominican Republic

Top Pitchers:
SP Francisco Liriano- 1-0, 8.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H vs. Guatemala in pool play- 13-4, 1.87 w/Minnesota Twins, 2010 Cy Young Award Winner
SP Jorge Lopez- 1-0, 9 IP, 1 R, 5 H vs. Panama in pool play- 14-12, 3.99 w/Los Angeles Angels
SP Daniel Cabrera- 1-0, 2 ER, 7 H, 5.2 IP vs. Taiwan in pool play- 8-12, 4.96 w/Los Angeles Angels
CL Jose Valverde- 1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H in pool play- 39 svs, 3.15 w/Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-time ML All-Star

Top Batters:
1B Albert Pujols- .400, 2 HR, 7 RBI in pool play- .338, 56, 152 w/Chicago White Sox, 4-time ML MVP (2005, 2006, 2010, 2011)
SS Jose Reyes- .563, 1 HR, 3 RBI in pool play- .299, 25, 85 w/St. Louis Cardinals, 4-time ML All-Star
3B Aramis Ramirez- .391, 4 HR, 16 RBI in pool play- .279, 41, 110 w/Chicago Cubs, 2-time ML All-Star

Japan vs. Puerto Rico

Japan

Top Pitchers:
SP Sukejuro Nomura- 1-0, 9 IP, 2 R, 8 H vs. Italy in pool play- 21-12, 2.43 w/Seoul Bears (2L), 2-time 2L All-Star, signed with Los Angeles Dodgers for 2012
SP Okura Kato- 1-0, 6.2 IP, 2 R, 5 H vs. Brazil in pool play- 11-7, 4.72 w/Los Angeles Angels, 2009 2L All-Star
SP Kakuzo Nakagawa- 1-0, 9 IP, 1 R, 6 H vs. Mexico in pool play- 21-10, 2.63 w/Seoul Bears (2L), 2011 2L All-Star
CL Tsugahara Murakami- 2 svs, 1.2 IP, 0 R, 4 H in pool play- 25 svs, 2.96 w/Santo Domingo Tigres (2L), 2010 2L All-Star

Top Batters:
RF Makoto Nishida- .421, 1 HR, 7 RBI in pool play- .288, 14, 75 w/St. Louis Cardinals, 2010 ML All-Star
LF Masafumi Jouda- .474 HR, 10 RBI in pool play- .291, 12, 66 w/Seoul Bears (2L), 2-time 2L All-Star
2B Kei Hatsutori- .375, 1 HR, 5 RBI in pool play- .300, 4, 71 w/St. Louis Cardinals AA club, 9th round pick in 2008

Puerto Rico

Top Pitchers:
SP Javier Vazquez- 1-0, 7 IP, 1 R, 6 H vs. South Korea in pool lay- 15-11, 3.27 w/Atlanta Braves, 2-time ML All-Star
SP Tomas Cruz- ND, 6.2 IP, 2 R, 8 H vs. Venezuela in pool play- 9-12, 6.15 w/San Francisco Giants
SP Mauro Hernandez- 1-0, 7.1 IP, 1 R, 9 H vs. Costa Rica in pool play- 15-9, 2.88 w/Caracas Leones (2L), 2-time 2L All-Star
CL Pedro Feliciano- 2 svs, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H in pool play- 29 svs, 4.06 w/New York Mets

Top Batters:
CF Carlos Beltran- .294, 0 HR, 2 RBI in pool play- .292, 37, 123 w/New York Mets, 8-time ML All-Star
SS Corbin Tomko- .263, 0 HR, 3 RBI in pool play- .274, 7, 70 w/Mexico City Red Devils (2L), 2011 2L All-Star
3B Felipe Lopez- .235, 0 HR, 0 RBI in pool play- .277, 5, 59 w/Hong Kong Long Gones (2L), 2005 ML All-Star

Venezuela vs. Mexico

Venezuela

Top Pitchers:
SP Edward Mujica- 1-0, 7 IP, 3 R, 5 H vs. Chile in pool play- 7-12, 4.18 w/Cleveland Indians, signed with Boston Red Sox
SP Aquiles Curopos- 1-0, 8 IP, 2 R, 4 H vs. Puerto Rico in pool play- 9-16, 3.44 w/Santo Domingo Tigres (2L), 2010 2L All-Star
SP Carlos Zambrano- 1-0, 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 H vs. China in pool play- 7-13, 4.39 w/Chicago Cubs, 4-time ML All-Star
CL Juan Rincon- 1 sv, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H in pool play- 5-3, 6 svs, 1.66 w/San Francisco Giants, 2006 ML All-Star

Top Batters:
3B Miguel Cabrera- .176, 0 HR, 0 RBI in pool play- .314, 24, 104 w/San Diego Padres, 8-time ML All-Star
SS Carlos Guillen- .294, 2 HR, 5 RBI in pool play- .311, 22, 109 w/New York Yankees, 5-time ML All-Star
C Dioner Navarro- .176, 1 HR, 3 RBI in pool play- .296, 14, 80 w/Boston Red Sox

Mexico

Top Pitchers:
SP Cristian Mendoza- 1-0, 0.56 ERA, 2 GS, 1 R, 6 H, 16 IP in pool play- 22-9, 2.97 w/Havana Industriales (2L), 2-time 2L All-Star
SP Pedro Hernandez- 1-0, CG, 0 R, 6 H vs. Aruba in pool play- 8-14, 4.71 w/Milwaukee Brewers, 2009 2L All-Star
SP Ramiro Paredes- 0-1, 5 R, 5 H in 2.1 IP vs. Japan in pool play- 14-12, 4.30 w/Tucson Sidewinders (2L), 2009 2L All-Star
CL Dennys Reyes- 1 Sv, 0 R, 0 H in 1 IP in pool play- 27 svs, 4.59 w/Minnesota Twins, 2011 ML All-Star

Top Batters:
2B Aurelio Leon- .294, 0 HR, 0 RBI in pool play- .253, 25, 87 w/Minnesota Twins, 2009 ML All-Star
3B Bartolo Hernandez- .267, 1 HR, 4 RBI in pool play- .261, 10, 48 w/Atlanta Braves, 2nd round pick in 2007
1B Angel Fajardo- .250, 1 HR, 1 RBI in pool play- .314, 20, 77 w/Washington Nationals AAA club, 1st round pick in 2008

[Mattymo]

Quarterfinals

Cuba 3, United States 0
W: Hector Murillo (1-0) L: Ben Sheets (1-1) S: Danys Baez (2)
HR: CUB: Angelo Balencia (2)
POG: Hector Murillo, SP, CUB: 8 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 11 K

Dominican Republic 4, Canada 2
W: Francisco Liriano (2-0) L: Erik Bedard (0-1) S: Jose Valverde (1)
HR: DR: Rafael Furcal (2)
POG: Francisco Liriano, SP, DR: 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Puerto Rico 9, Japan 4
W: Javier Vazquez (2-0) L: Sukejuro Nomura (1-1)
HR: PR: Javier Valentin (1) JAP: Kei Hatsutori (2)
POG: Angel Pagan, RF, PR: 3-5, 4 RBI

Venezuela 9, Mexico 1
W: Edward Mujica (2-0) L: Cristian Mendoza (1-1)
HR: VEN: Miguel Cabrera (1), Cesar Izturis (2)
POG: Cesar Izturis, 3B, VEN: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R

Recap:
-Game of the Day- Cuba pulled perhaps the biggest upset in the short history of the World Cup, downing the Americans who were yet to lose a game and were the defending champs. Hector Murillo was dominant for Cuba, who failed to advance in 2009.

-Player of the Day- Hector Murillo, SP, Cuba- The righty dominated the Americans, who boast perhaps the best offensive lineup ever assembled. He struck out 11 and allowed only 4 hits.

-Only Venezuela makes a repeat appearance in the semifinals after beating Mexico in the quarterfinals for the 2nd consecutive World Cup.

-Mexico's Cristian Mendoza started on 2 days rest for the 2nd time in the WC. He was obviously and understandably not up to par. You've got to question the decision to go with the ace in that spot.

-It might look like a shock that Puerto Rico beat Japan, but the Japanese don't have a lot of Major League players on their club. It was more of a shock that they made it to the finals in 2009. However they do have some young talent and will make a splash in 2016.

[Mattymo]

Semifinals

Dominican Republic 2, Cuba 1
W: Jorge Lopez (2-0) L: Mauro Mercado (1-1) S: Jose Valverde (2)
HR: DR: Albert Pujols (3)
POG: Jorge Lopez, SP, DR: 8 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Miami- Jorge Lopez went eight strong, allowing just one run, and Albert Pujols homered as the Dominicans advanced to the title game with a 2-1 win over Cuba.
Jose Valverde closed the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Cuba got a sacrifice fly from Angelo Balencia in the first but were shut down the rest of the game. Juan Hernandez had two hits for the Cubans and Mauro Mercado pitched well, allowing just 2 runs in 7.2 innings.
Esteban German added an RBI double for the Dominicans.

Venezuela 9, Puerto Rico 5
W: Aquiles Curopos (2-0) L: Tomas Cruz (0-1)
HR: VEN: Bobby Abreau 2 (2)
POG: Bobby Abreau, DH, VEN: 2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Miami- Bobby Abreau hit two homers and Aquiles Curopos threw eight shutout innings as Venezuela bombed Puerto Rico in the semifinals.
Omar Infante had three hits and three RBI for the Venezuelans.
Puerto Rican starter Tomas Cruz had a rough outing, allowing 7 earned in just 3.2 innings.
Puerto Rico scored five runs in the ninth but it was too little too late.

[Mattymo]

Finals

Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela

Starting Lineups

Dominican Republic
SS Jose Reyes (28), St. Louis Cardinals, .299, 25, 85
2B Esteban German (34), Detroit Tigers, .303, 8, 81 w/Boston Red Sox
1B Albert Pujols (32), Chicago White Sox, .338, 56, 152
3B Aramis Ramirez (33), Chicago Cubs, .279, 41, 110
DH David Ortiz (36), Boston Red Sox, .235, 33, 100
RF Jose Bautista (31), Cleveland Indians, .230, 19, 68
CF Willy Tavares (30), Free Agent, .292, 0, 1 w/Houston Astros
LF Alonso Costa (24), Free Agent, .254, 7, 31 w/Arizona Diamondbacks
C Ronny Paulino (30), Free Agent, .314, 0, 41 w/Portland Beaves (2L)

SP Daniel Cabrera (30), Los Angeles Angels, 8-12, 4.96

Venezuela
1B Victor Martinez (33), Cincinnati Reds, .260, 16, 60
2B Jose Lopez (28), Los Angeles Dodgers, .268, 10, 64
RF Miguel Cabrera (28), New York Yankees, .314, 24, 104 w/San Diego Padres
SS Carlos Guillen (36), New York Yankees, .311, 22, 109
LF Juan Rivera (33), Philadelphia Phillies, .317, 24, 77
C Dioner Navarro (28), Boston Red Sox, .296, 14, 80
CF Omar Infante (30), Panama City Zonians (2L), .245, 13, 68
DH Bobby Abreau (37), Honolulu Islanders (2L), .270, 10, 51
3B Cesar Izturis (32), Washington Nationals, .217, 10, 35

SP Carlos Zambrano (30), Chicago Cubs, 7-13, 4.39