Photo: Doug Gray
There has been an awful lot of fun baseball in the World Baseball Classic this weekend. Nicaragua was an out away from finding their first ever win in the event when a ground ball hit the third base bag and bounced over the third baseman to keep the game alive. Ozzie Albies then hit a walk-off 3-run homer to give Team Netherlands the win. Not quite at the same level later in the day, Eugenio Suarez got in on the fun for Team Venezuela as they took on Team Israel in their second game of the tournament.
Suarez did not play in the first game for Venezuela but he was in as the team’s designated hitter for their game on Saturday evening. His club was already up 2-0 when he came to the plate. Facing off against Ben Simon with Salvador Perez at first base, Suarez battled for seven pitches before he saw a hanging slider that landed dead red in the middle of the zone and he did what you’re supposed to do with those and hit it into the stands for a 2-run homer.
As the Venezeulan’s continued to pile on runs, Suarez would keep the line moving. He would draw a walk and pick up a single later in the game. He finished 2-4 with a walk and his 2-run home run.
In the later games on the day there were two other Reds players that got on the field. Ivan Johnson once again started at third base for Team Great Britain. He’s 0-2 as I type this in the game against Team USA. Edwin Arroyo came off of the bench as a pinch runner for Team Puerto Rico, who would win the game in extra-innings on a walk-off home run by Darrell Hernaiz. Fun fact: The World Baseball Classic had never had a walk-off home run before today. There were two of them today.