Looking back at a few highlights in an eventful Baseball and Softball year 2009

The greatly anticipated 38th IBAF Baseball World Cup in September was the biggest Baseball tournament, which was organized in European history. Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Croatia and San Marino were host for 22 teams to determine the new world champion through 106 games. Highlighted by the 38,000 in Regensburg a total of 126,799 or 1,196 per game were in attendance to watch the prime event of the International Baseball Federation.

Team USA, besides blowing a big lead in their opener against Venezuela (probably the best game in the BWC), dominated throughout the tournament at ease and defended their title from Taiwan 2007 with a 10-5 win over Cuba in the championship game (see highlight clip). These two teams demonstrated their leading roles in the tournament and had a combined 20-2 record against the rest of the world. Justin Smoak took home the elusive MVP trophy. He was one of many players in the BWC with Major or Minor League experience, the most in the history of the event.

The European teams played a mixed role in the BWC. The Netherlands lost just to Cuba in round two and had a shot at the championship game going into the final round, but had to settle for sixth place in the end. Spain (2-5 in round two) also impressed, handing Venezuela their first loss in the event with a lopsided 8-1 win in round two. Italy (2-5) as host and Great Britain (0-7) also reached the second round. Germany (1-2), Sweden (0-3), Czech Republic (0-3) and Croatia (0-3) were eliminated in the first round.

Final Standings
Complete Results and Stats
Official Website
YouTube Channel

Baseballeurope.com points us to a section of the travel website www.virtualtravel.cz, where you can visit the ballpark of the Prague Eagles virtually. Besides hosting Extraleague games, the stadium also saw the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup and the ISF Softball Youth World Cup this year.

Positives

• The Baseball World Cup started with crowded ballparks in round one, highlighted by the 38,000 people, who watched the six games in Regensburg, Germany. But also the interest in Prague, Sundbyberg, Barcelona and Zagreb was nice to see.
• While many games of the 2007 Baseball World Cup were shown on stadeo.tv and local television in Taiwan, the coverage in 2009 was still impressive in comparison to other international baseball events. Eurosport2 broadcasted the bulk of the games. European TV stations in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic also showed the Baseball World Cup, as well as many other around the World. The IBAF noted that 150 million people were able to see games. Even MLB Network picked up three games in the tournament.
• One of the highlights also was the live play by play, which was much better than two years ago in Taiwan. CBS Sports’ Gametracker was a great tool for people, who were not able to watch the games live.
• After not much news before the start of the tournament, the official website 2009BaseballWorldCup.com picked up the pace later on and had updates mostly just minutes after the games ended. They also offered live streams of the games. However there is always room for improvement. In the end IBAF.org and 2009BaseballWorldCup.com saw as many visitors during the three weeks than ever before.
• All 24 venues of the 2009 Baseball World Cup saw renovations of the fields and ballparks to get the approval to host professional players. Sweden built a completely new ballpark in Sundbyberg. Regensburg’s Armin Wolf Arena also saw major renovations and now is one of the best parks in Europe. Even though there were differences how much work actually was done, all used ballparks got better thanks to the World Cup.
• Never before the Baseball World Cup had that many Major League experienced players in the tournament. Only players from active big league rosters were not allowed to play. Especially the teams from North, Central and South America stacked their teams with professional players and the quality of play was probably better than ever before.
• The format of the third round certainly had its flaws, but in the end the two best teams in the tournament reached the finals, as luck didn’t play that much of a role thanks to the longer schedule. The first tiebreaker ‘runs allowed’ probably is not that fair, but it is much easier to understand for the public.
• The Netherlands once again proved to be the best team in Europe and this by far. They finished the second round with an impressive 6-1 record despite might playing in the tougher pool. They even had a shot to reach the championship game going to Italy, but Australia, Canada and the US beat them with the finals on the line. But the Dutch team wasn’t the lone European participant in round two. Spain handed Venezuela the first loss in the tournament in round number two and made a good impression. Great Britain also showed promising signs despite not having the best available roster on hand. Italy had its share of problems in the second round, but still managed wins against Japan and the Netherlands Antilles.

Things, which didn’t went well

• We already talked in length about the poor attendance in round two and three of the Baseball World Cup. One new point to this subject though: The local organizers in Italy and the Netherlands apparently even handed out free tickets to fill the ballparks. Baseball.it reports that they gave out 400 tickets each for the games in Nettuno on September 24th and 25th.
• Italy decided to use a combined 16 ballparks in round two and three to host the games. This was way too much. While these venues probably all profit from the Baseball World Cup, the tournament itself was too much scattered due to this. Teams and the few non-Italian visitors had to fight with travel problems; an example is described by Marco Stoovelaar on his website. BWC in Italy probably felt like a long road trip for the players. Not much of a green event after all.
• The third-round format might have lifted the two best teams into the finals, but the excitement level was pretty low due to the round robin, creating lots of meaningless games in the end. A single- or even a double-elimination third-round would be much better.
• Given the circumstances of seven countries hosting the Baseball World Cup, it was clear that the field had to be expanded. But 22 teams were too much. The first round featured eleven lopsided games, which ended due to mercy rule, three even because of the 15-run rule after five, respective six innings. The difference between the good and not so good teams was pretty big in the first phase. However with the start of the second round this problem was solved with the elimination of six teams.
• In the months prior the start of the Baseball World Cup in Europe, little information was available. Most of the organizers made a good job to promote the event locally, but outside of the Baseball community probably not many knew that there will be a World Baseball championship in Europe in September. The IBAF also didn’t offer enough information regarding the format and several other detailed aspects of the tournament. The venue situation in Moscow and the replacement Zagreb should have been solved several months earlier and not just in July. And the back and forth of a potential championship game in Rome also wasn’t the best way to get attention for the BWC, especially since this project never was realistic.
• While the ‘official’ coverage of the Baseball World Cup was ok, it was a pity that the major news outlets around the world mostly ignored the tournament. The fact that the World Baseball Classic was played in the same year took away some of the importance of the BWC and probably didn’t help.

Do we miss a point? Feel free to add your impressions in the comment section.

Official Gallery on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

BWC in Prague on www.wc2009.baseball.cz

BWC in Barcelona Galleries by Diego Lazaro

BWC in Regensburg Galleries by Walter Keller, Gregor Eisenhuth and others

BWC in Netherlands on Honkbalsite.com

BWC in Netherlands on Official Website

BWC in Italy on FIBS.it

BWC in Italy by Christophe Elise

(if you would like to use these pictures, please contact the photographer and respect the copyright)

Point two was no longer significant this September, as the Executive Committee of the IOC decided to reduce the field of candidates for the Olympic program from seven to two sports in August and chose Golf and Rugby Seven over Baseball.

Nonetheless even with the Olympics out of the picture the Baseball World Cup in Europe was important for the sport. It was a big tournament with lots of travel and a new format, which we will discuss in a different review later this week. Today we want to take a look at the attendance numbers, which started promising, but kind of disappointed in round two and three.

Round 1

The Baseball World Cup started quite well attendance wise, which would be understating. Led by the great success of 38,000 people at six games in Regensburg, the first round had solid numbers throughout all five venues.

In Pool A at the Eagles ballpark in Prague a total of 8,700 people watched the Czech Republic squaring off against Mexico, Australia and Taiwan with sell-out crowds of 2,500 on Saturday in both games.

Pool B in Montjuic, Barcelona began with a mere of 350 people watching Spain taking on South Africa. But the stadium was packed with 1,500 people at the classic between Puerto Rico and Cuba, and when Spain faced these two opponents. Overall 5,500 people were in attendance for all six games.

Pool C was played at the newly built ballpark in Sundbyberg, Sweden and featured at least 1,200 people in the stands for five of the six games. Only Canada against South Korea was not that well visited with 662 on a Thursday evening. The highlight was the encounter between Sweden and Canada in front of 2,091 people on a Saturday afternoon. A total of 8,413 people went to the six games in Sweden.

Pool D in Zagreb had the most difficult job of promoting the event, as they got the nod for hosting a Baseball World Cup pool in July, just two months before the start of the competition. Overall 2,160 people saw the six games on three days in Croatia with the match between Croatia and Great Britain drawing 600 as the high-water mark.

The attendance highlight of round one and the whole tournament was obviously Pool E in Regensburg. Not since the infamous Olympic demonstration game in 1936 Baseball attracted that many people in Germany. Over the six games at the renovated Armin Wolf Arena, which had a temporary capacity of 10,000 during the four days of competition, a total of 38,000 people came to the ballpark to see Germany, the USA, Venezuela and China. The “low” number was 4,200 during the USA-Venezuela classic on a Thursday evening. The high mark was the near-sellout of 9,600 for the Germany-USA face off one day later.

Overall 62,773 people came to the 30 first-round games (2,092 per game).

Round 2

The second round was hosted by the Netherlands and Italy, where Baseball has roots since plenty of years. Both countries didn’t organize a Baseball World Cup for the first time. The Netherlands were host in 1986 and 2005, while Italy got the nod in 1988 and 1998. So both Federations should be experienced enough to shoulder such an event.

The second round started with a shock for many Baseball fans throughout Europe. Everybody expected packed ballparks. But we got disappointed, as only a few games were well attended. In the Netherlands second-round venues were in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Haarlem. Unsurprisingly, games with Dutch participation had high attendance numbers. They drew 3,500 people in the opener against South Korea, 2,041 against Puerto Rico, 2,500 against Spain, 3,117 against Venezuela, 2,225 against Great Britain, 3,000 against Nicaragua and 4,000 against Cuba.

But besides these great numbers in the three ballparks, which have capacities of 4,000, respective 3,500 people, overall numbers weren’t that good. In matchups without the Dutch national team, only four more games had four-digit figures (PUR-GBR, PUR-CUB, KOR-CUB, VEN-PUR). The other 17 games in this round saw attendance numbers range between an embarrassing 61 to 800 people. Overall just 31,032 people came to see the 28 games in this round. This is an average of 1,108 per game. Taking away the 20,383 people, which saw the Dutch games (2,912 per game), only an average of 507 people showed up for the other 21 games of Pool F at the Baseball World Cup.

In Italy the numbers were even lower. Granted the twelve used venues in round two didn’t have nearly the same capacities like the ballparks in the Netherlands or in Regensburg, ranging between an estimated 500 (in Vicenza) to 4,000 (Bologna). Only in seven games the 1,000 mark was cracked with the maximum being the match between Team USA and Japan on September 15 in Macerata with 1,900 people in the stands. USA-Taiwan, Italy-Japan and Italy-USA in Torino, respective Novara also should count as sellouts with 1,000 guests.

Overall just 17,769 people came to the second round games in Italy, which is an average of 635 per game. While the numbers in the smaller cities even were respectable in comparison to the capacity, the crowds in a “big market” like Bologna for example were really disappointing. Especially since Fortitudo Bologna just won the Italian Baseball championship.  But in four games, only 1,600 showed up for such matchups like Italy against Mexico and the USA taking on Australia, though the latter was a make-up game on a Monday afternoon.

Round 3

The third round was hosted solely by Italy with ballparks in Grosseto (capacity 5,000), Nettuno (8,000), Firenze (3,000), Messina (2,500) and Chieti (estimated 500). The numbers didn’t get better, even though the decisive phase with the top eight teams in the world took place. Attendance numbers varied between 104 and 2,000 people in the third round, and between 110 and 5,000 during the classification phase. The championship game and the round-robin encounter between Team USA and Cuba drew a combined 8,000 people. Just three more games, including the bronze medal match, saw four-digit crowds. Overall 7,704 people showed up for the third round, which is an average of 482 per game. For the four classification games another 6,400 people total came.

Reasons

126,799 people saw the 106 games at the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Europe. This is an average of 1,196 per game, which isn’t pretty, but not that bad in comparison to the “normal” attendance numbers at European Baseball games. However for such a top-notch tournament it is disappointing. Especially when you consider that 38,000 people alone visited the six games in Regensburg. Taking away this bulk, the overall numbers shrink to 88,799, which is an average of 888 per game.

What were the reasons for the low numbers? Certainly the poor weather in round two and three didn’t help, as several games were delayed or even postponed. Another argument we heard the past days was the format. Nobody knew exactly, who is going to play where and when in the latter two rounds. Others say ticket prices were too high. But how do you explain that Regensburg drew such crowds, even though prices there were on the upper end of the spectrum? This brings us to another point: The start of the ticket sale. While tickets went on sale for Pool E in January, the other venues were lacking behind, starting several months later, maybe too late.

What do the readers of Mister-Baseball think about the attendance at the Baseball World Cup? Why did you go to the games and why not?

Overview

Round 1:
30 Games, 62,773

Round 2:
Netherlands: 28 Games, 31,032
Italy: 28 Games, 17,769

Round 3:
16 Games, 7,704

Classification Round:
4 Games, 6,400

Top 10 Crowds

1. 9/11 Regensburg: USA vs. Germany 9,600
2. 9/12 Regensburg: Germany vs. Venezuela 6,900
3. 9/11 Regensburg: Venezuela vs. China 6,100
4. 9/12 Regensburg: China vs. USA 5,900
5. 9/9 Regensburg: Germany vs. China 5,300
6. 9/27 Nettuno: Cuba vs. USA 5,000
7. 9/10 Regensburg: USA vs. Venezuela 4,200
8. 9/20 Rotterdam: Netherlands vs. Cuba 4,000
9. 9/13 Amsterdam: Netherlands vs. South Korea 3,500
10. 9/17 Haarlem: Netherlands vs. Venezuela 3,117

Bottom 5 Crowds

1. 9/14 Amsterdam: Spain vs. Venezuela 61
2. 9/14 Amsterdam: South Korea vs. Great Britain 91
3. 9/24 Firenze: Venezuela vs. Australia 104
4. 9/17 Amsterdam: Spain vs. Cuba 108
5. 9/26 Firenze: Venezuela vs. Taiwan 110

(Official numbers according to box scores, check Wikipedia for an overview)

LARGEST TELEVISION AUDIENCE EVER FOR THE WORLD CUP: Sunday’s final was broadcast on the MLB Network in the United States, Eurosport2 across Europe, ICRT in Cuba, RAI Sport in Italy and on tape delay on ESPN STAR Asia, making it the most widely broadcast final in the World Cup’s 71 year history.  In addition to the final, World Cup country-specific games were shown live or on tape delay on NOS in the Netherlands, TVES in Venezuela,  VIASAT in Sweden,  TV4 in Nicaragua, CzechTV in the Czech Republic, WIPR in Puerto Rico and on NBC Universal’s Spanish language channel in the United States, WAPA TV, giving the event its largest broadcast footprint.

WORLD CUP BRINGS RECORD TRAFFIC TO IBAF.ORG : The IBAF’s official site, Ibaf.org attracted over 750,000 visitors and over 12 million page views through the World Cup, coming from over 170 countries, an increase of over 70% from during its last heavy visit period, which was the Beijing Olympics.

ATTENDANCE MARKS: Further evidence of baseball’s growth in Europe was seen throughout the tournament. Leading the way was Regensburg, Germany, which saw crowds in excess of 5,000 for almost all of the three days of competition in the first round, highlighted by a Friday night crowd of almost 10,000 fans for USA-Germany… at other first round sites, Sweden had a capacity crowd of over 2,100 for Saturday’s final day and strong crowds approaching 1,500 on the others…Spain had overflow crowds on both Friday and Saturday in excess of the 1,500 seating capacity for their games with Puerto Rico and Cuba…and Prague had an overflow of 2,500 for Saturday and crowds in excess of 1,500 for Friday, all positive signs of growth…the Netherlands drew crowds of over 3,000 for their home games, capped by a near-capacity of 4,000 in Rotterdam for their game with Cuba…the Gold Medal game in Nettuno, Italy drew a sellout of 4,600.

FUTURE STARS ALIGN: Over 120 players from 17 countries under contract with Major League teams participated in the three weeks of the World Cup, the largest professional international tournament in the history of the sport.  Also there were 25 players with Major League experience who participated in this year’s World Cup. Both the numbers of prospects and veterans were records for the event.

CUBA MEDALS AGAIN: Despite their loss in the final. Cuba continued their consecutive run of medals in the World Cup…they have taken Gold in 25 of the 29 World Cups in which they have played, and have taken two silvers and two bronze medals in the other four…they had won all three of the World Cups held in Italy (1978, 1988, 1998) prior to Sunday’s loss

CANADA, AUSTRALIA LAND BEST-EVER FINISHES: Canada’s 6-2 win Saturday over Puerto Rico gave them the Bronze medal, their best-ever finish, while Australia’s 4-1 win over the Netherlands on Saturday gave them a fifth place finish, their best ever…Canada’s previous best was fifth on three different occasions, while Australia’s previous best was sixth in 2007… Kansas City Royals prospect Tim Smith (.414  2 HR 10 RBI), Future’s Game MVP, Eastern League All-Star and Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni (.357 3 HR 16 RBI) and  Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Adam Stern (.333 1 HR 9 RBI) led the hitting,  while pitchers Matt Kniginyzky (2-0, 0.00 ERA in 18 innings), a Kansas City Royals prospect,  Toronto Blue Jays prospect Trystan Magnuson,  and Brewers prospect Nick Bucci (0.00 ERA in 14 innings) led the pitching staff.

PUERTO RICO USES MIX OF YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE TO TAKE FOURTH: Puerto Rico used a mix of veterans and prospects to finish fourth, matching their best overall performance since 1976 (they also finished fourth in 1990). Baltimore Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu was an All-World Cup selection, leading the team in hitting at .380, while Toronto Blue Jays prospect Angel Sanchez (.333) finished second and was named top Defensive Player.  Puerto Rico had a tournament high NINE players with Major League experience on their roster in addition to their rising stars.

NETHERLANDS CONTINUES AS EUROPE’S ELITE: The Netherlands continued their spot as Europe’s top country, finishing sixth, after taking fourth in each of the last two World Cups. San Francisco Giants prospect Sharlon Schoop hit .364, while Los Angeles Angles prospect Hainley Statia (.333) took all tournament honors, along with leading hitter and veteran Sidney deJong.

GEOGRAPHIC DOMINANCE A RARITY: The top four finishers…USA, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Canada…all came from the same geographic region, something which had not happened in World Cup competition since 1974, when the USA, Nicaragua, Colombia and the Dominican Republic finished 1 through 4.

ASIAN NATIONS MISS OUT: With Chinese Taipei finishing eighth, it marked the first time since 1974 that no Asian team medaled at the World Cup…Korea (9) and Japan (10), two traditional baseball powers, had their lowest-ever finishes…Korea had never finished lower than eighth (1988) while Japan had never finished lower than fifth (1998 and 2005)…

RECORD BREAKERS: The World Cup thus saw several team and overall records be tied or fall.  They include:

• Cuba’s Alfredo Despaigne set the World Cup record with 11 home runs.
• The USA’s Chris Smoak set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs.
• Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez struck out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
• Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
• USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
• USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in a win over Chinese Taipei

CLOSE SHAVES: Australia (2-4) and Mexico (1-2) had the most one run games.

JAPAN STRIKES EM OUT: Despite the low finish, Japanese pitchers finished with the second-highest strikeout total (122), and struck out 12.2 batters per game…Japan was also third overall in fielding (.986)…

SPAIN’S TWINS, ORIOLES PROSPECTS LED THE WAY: Spain went 3-7 in their 10 games, but made marked progress, as three of those were narrow losses to Puerto Rico (5-3), Cuba (5-4) and South Korea (2-1)…the twin brother combination of Orioles prospects Paco Figueroa (.500 1 HR 8 RBI 10 runs, four stolen bases) and Daniel Figueroa (.278, 9 runs) led Spain’s play. Padres prospect Eric Gonzalez went 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his three starts.

NICARAGUA’S GONZALEZ AMONG TOP HITTERS: Nicaragua got off to a 3-0 start before dropping five of its last seven, but veteran Jimmy Gonzalez remained among one of the event’s premier hitters, with a .410 average and 5 HR and 14 RBI…Nicaragua (5-5) was one of only two countries with a .500 record not to make the final round.

MEXICO JUST MISSES: The other country at .500 that did not make the final round was Mexico, which also finished at 5-5, losing two of their final three games by one run…6-5 to Australia and 1-0 to Chinese Taipei…Mexico’s 3.68 ERA was the lowest among teams not to make the final round

MINNESOTA TWINS PROSPECTS, DRAFTEES PLAY BIG ROLES: Many of the MLB organization-high 14 players under contract to the Minnesota Twins played prominent roles in the World Cup. They included Puerto Rico’s Nelvin Fuentes (1.42 ERA), the USA’s  Trevor Plouffe  (.287 3 HR 7 RBI), leading Canadian hitter Rene Tosoni (.357 3 HR 16 RBI), the Netherlands top pitcher Tom Stuifbergan (1.80 ERA) , leading Australia hitter Luke Hughes (.286 4 HR 12 RBI),  and pitchers Liam Hendriks (2.57 ERA) and Matthew Williams (2-0). The Twins had 23 total players who originally signed with or currently under contract with the Twins, play in the World Cup.

NEW YORK METS PROSPECTS AND VETS ALSO MAKE AN IMPACT: Besides the Twins prospects in the World Cup, the New York Mets organization was represented by 13 players, eight current and five former players…Canadian infielder Shawn Bowman was selected to the All-World Cup team (.275 3 HR, 15 RBI), while Team USA first baseman Ike Davis, the club’s 2008 first round pick and organization Player of the Year in 2009, hit .308 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Canada’s Jonathan Malo hit .263, while Aussie infielder Stefan Welch hit .259 with 3 HR 11 RBI. Puerto Rico’s roster had five former Mets players not currently signed to an MLB team, including Jose Santiago, Raul Casanova, Luis Matos, Jose Valentin and Juan Padilla.  Valentin led the team with 10 RBI.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES SIGNEES PLAY ROLES AS WELL: Australia’s Tim Kennelly and Joel Naughton, two Phillies Prospects, were key in the Aussie’s best-ever finish. Kennelly hit for average (.273) and power (three home runs, nine RBI), while Naughton (.464, eight RBI) was key as well.  USA’s All-World Cup pick Terry Tiffee (.357 4 HR 20 RBI), who spent the season with Lehigh Valley, also had a solid tournament.

PIRATES FUTURE CHIMES IN: A group of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects also made an impact in the World Cup, including USA’s  Pedro Alvarez, a New York native who set the record with three home runs in one game (3), and pitcher Brad Lincoln, who went 2-0 in four appearances with a 2.70 ERA.  Australia’s Christopher Snelling, who spent the season at AAA Indianapolis, also hit .240 as a key starter in their best-ever finish.  There are also six current Pittsburgh Pirates who helped USA win the Gold in 2007.

D-BACKS SIGN FIRST EUROPEAN PROSPECT: The Arizona Diamondbacks last week signed pitcher Andrea Pizziconi of Italy, their first ever European player signing.  Pizziconi is the cousin of Cincinnati Reds prospect Matteo Pizziconi, who went 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA for the Reds Rookie League team this past summer

MLB INTERNATIONAL OPENS CHINA ACADEMY: Another example of baseball’s growing global footprint was announced last week, as Major League Baseball International announced the opening of a baseball development center in Wuxi , China.  The new academy will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school-aged students within an academic setting.  This is the latest and boldest step in the development of baseball in China. An initiative which began in 2001 continued through the Beijing Olympics and will grow into the future.

RANKINGS UP NEXT: Following the World Cup, the new country-by-country rankings will be announced in the next week.

For everybody who might have missed the championship final between Team USA and Cuba at the 2009 Baseball World Cup, the IBAF already uploaded the highlight reel to YouTube. You can find clips to several other BWC games at 2009BaseballWorldCup.com. For our European audience, Eurosport2 will replay the final on Monday at 5pm CET, on Tuesday at 2.30pm CET and on Thursday at 2pm CET.

Final Standings 2009 Baseball World Cup:

1. USA
2. Cuba
3. Canada
4. Puerto Rico
5. Australia
6. Netherlands
7. Venezuela
8. Taiwan
9. South Korea
10. Japan
11. Mexico
12. Spain
13. Nicaragua
14. Italy
15. Great Britain
16. Netherlands Antilles
17. Germany
18. Croatia
19. Sweden
20. Czech Republic
21. South Africa
22. China

Complete Results, Standings and Stats

Awards:
MVP: Justin Smoak (USA)
Best Pitcher: Matt Kniginyzky (CAN)
Best Hitter: Paco Figueroa (ESP)
Best Defender: Angel Sanchez (PUE)
Most Wins: Todd Redmond (USA)
Most Homeruns: Alfredo Despaigne (CUB)
Most RBI: Rene Reyes (VEN)
Most Runs scored: Rene Tosoni (CAN)

All-Star-Team:
Starting Pitcher: Norge Vera (CUB)
Reliever: Trystan Magnuson (CAN)
Catcher: Sidney de Jong (NED)
Infielders: Justin Smoak (USA), Hector Olivera (CUB), Shawn Bowman (CAN), Hainley Statia (NED)
Outfielders: Jon Weber (USA), Jose Abreu (CUB), Alfredo Despaigne (CUB)
Designated Hitter: Terry Tiffee (USA)

Baseball World Cup Championship Game, Nettuno:

Cuba – USA 5-10

USA 030 010 600  10  9 0
CUB 000 202 010   5 12 3

Box score

Team USA defeated Cuba on Sunday in Nettuno in front of 5,000 people at the Steno Borghese ballpark with 10-5 and won the title at the Baseball World Cup for the fourth time in history. They also captured the championship two years ago in Taiwan, ending the Cuban streak of nine titles in a row.

The squad of head coach Eddie Rodriguez, who was born in Havana, got off to a perfect start, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to a three-run homerun by Lucas May, who edged out Jason Castro as starting catcher in the championship game. Cuba needed until the fourth to get on the board. They loaded the bases with no outs, but only Michel Enriquez and Alfredo Despaigne crossed the plate on a sac fly by Yulieski Gourriel and a single by Ariel Pestano.

The Americans countered with a solo homerun by Tug Hulett in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-2. However just one frame later it looked like that the momentum of the game would move to the record champion. Ariel Borrero tied the contest with a two-run homerun at 4-4.

But the USA had the right answer. After two quick outs in the top of the seventh the next eight batters reached on a walk, six hits and an error, plating six runs and blowing the match wide open. Despaigne hit his eleventh homerun of the tournament in the eighth to cut the deficit to 5-10. But it was not enough to spark a late rally. In the ninth Cuba loaded the bases with two outs, but Despaigne flied out to deep left to end the game.

Cory Luebke (USA) got the starting nod and allowed two runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven. Brad Lincoln (W) replaced him and picked up the win after 4 1/3 innings of relief. Nate Field threw one pitch for the final out, receiving the save. Norge Vera (L) struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings, issuing four hits, six runs (3 ER) and a walk for the loss. Cuba sent four pitchers to the mound in the decisive seventh inning until Freddy Alvarez finally registered the third out.

Photo by FIBS/Ratti

GOLD MEDAL PREVIEW:  USA VS. CUBA, SUNDAY AT 15:00, NETTUNO, ITALY

The United States of America and Cuba will meet in an International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Baseball World Cup final for the second time in a row, Sunday, at 15:00 (9:00 am EDT)  in Nettuno, Italy.  The U.S. enters the game at 7-0 (13-1 overall), and Cuba, 5-2 (12-2 overall) in third round play. The USA’s only loss was their first game, 13-9 in 11 innings to Venezuela on 10 September. Cuba has lost to Puerto Rico 5-2 on 18 September and to the USA 5-3 on Thursday.

The game will be seen on the MLB Network in the United States, Eurosport2 across Europe, ICRT in Cuba, RAI Sport in Italy and on tape delay on ESPN STAR Asia, making it the most widely-broadcast final since World Cup play began in 1938.

The final game will be a rematch of the 2007 IBAF Baseball World Cup, held in Chinese Taipei.  The United States won that match-up, 6-3, ending Cuba’s run of nine-straight World Cup titles. Although the USA has seen the most recent success in the event, Cuba has historically dominated World Cup play.  The current No. 1 in the world, Cuba has won a staggering 25 titles out of the 29 World Cups in which it has competed.  Of the 25 wins, three of them have come in World Cups held in Italy (1978, 1988, 1998), and in the four tournaments it has not placed first, it has never finished outside of the top-3.

Team USA – current world No. 4 – will make its 12th appearance in a World Cup gold medal game, the USA is looking to take back-to-back titles for only the second time ever, the last time being in 1973-’74. The U.S. has won the World Cup three times in 1973, 1974 and 2007.  Overall, this will be the seventh time Cuba and the USA have played for World Cup gold, with Cuba holding a 6-1 lead. The last time two nations met in consecutive World Cup Finals was in 1994 and 1998, with Cuba defeating Korea both times to win the gold.

They met for the gold medal twice before in Italy, in both 1978 and 1988.  Sunday’s final will take place in Nettuno, which is referred to throughout Italy as the country’s foremost baseball town.  Stadio “Steno Borghese” will play host to the two world baseball powers, providing a dramatic backdrop for the IBAF’s crown jewel event.

Both Cuba and the United States have seen balanced offensive and pitching performances throughout the World Cup, but it is hard to ignore the prolific power numbers put up thus far by Cuba’s Alfredo Despaigne and the USA’s Justin Smoak.

Despaigne homered on Friday to break the Cuban and World Cup record for home runs in one event, with 10. Not to be outdone, Smoak, a Texas Rangers (MLB) prospect, already holds the U.S. Record in this World Cup with nine home runs.  His 21 RBIs also lead the club.

Cuba continues to dominate in the pitching categories as well, leading all nations with a 1.70 ERA. It has three pitchers now at 3-0, Norge Vera, Miguel and Yulieski Gonzalez, while reliever Pedro Lazo has three saves and has yet to allow a run.

On the U.S. side, Terry Tiffee (.353 4 HR 19 RBI) sits two RBIs behind Smoak for the team lead, while Jon Weber leads the team in hitting (.435 3 HR 12 RBI). The U.S. pitching staff, which has been key in the squad’s current 13-game winning streak, boasts a 1.93 ERA and is led by 3-0 Lucas Harrell (no runs allowed in 10 innings in relief) and a five-man starting rotation which has allowed a total of 12 earned runs in 83 innings.

Puerto Rico – Canada 2-6

CAN 300 000 012  6 9 1
PUE 020 000 000  2 7 3

Box score

Canada held down Puerto Rico 6-2 on Saturday evening in Grosseto to pick up third place at the Baseball World Cup. 1,000 saw the game at the Jannella ballpark in Tuscany. Canada took a fast 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to RBI singles by Shawn Bowman and Tim Smith and a sac fly by Jimmy van Ostrand. Puerto Rico was able to cut the deficit to a run in the second on a two-run shot by Jose Valentin. But they couldn’t bring a runner home afterwards.

The maple leafs on the other hand extended the gap at the end of the match. Jonathan Malo added RBI triple in the eighth and Van Ostrand a two-run homerun in the ninth. Jamie Richmond (CAN) gave up three hits, two runs and a walk in four innings. Trystan Magnuson once again picked up a win in relief, his fourth overall in the tournament. Melvin Pizarro didn’t register one single out and took the loss after giving up three runs on two hits.

Netherlands – Australia 1-4

AUS 100 000 210  4 6 0
NED 001 000 000  1 8 1

Box score

Australia is finishing in fifth place at the 2009 Baseball World Cup. They defeated the Netherlands 4-1 on Saturday evening in Messina in front of just 300 people in the stands. The Aussies scored three runs in the seventh and the eighth to decide the outcome. The Dutch team dropped the last four games of the tournament and has to settle for sixth.

Australia took a fast 1-0 lead in the opening frame on a RBI single by Luke Hughes. But the squad of Rod Delmonico tied the game in the third on a RBI single by Los Angeles Angels prospect Hainley Statia. Both teams exchanged zeros over the next three innings, before Australia struck again.

A RBI single by James Beresford in combination with an error helped Australia to regain the lead in the top of the seventh. A RBI groundout by Nicholas Kimpton extended the advantage even further. Stefan Welch sealed the win with a solo homerun in the eighth.

David Welch (W 1-0) picked up the win on the mound, allowing just six hits, a run and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Dushan Ruzic, who is well known by many of the Dutch players due to his two years with DOOR Neptunus, closed it out with three two-hit, one-walk innings of relief. Leon Boyd (NED) received the starting nod for the Netherlands. He pitched four innings and gave up two hits, a run and two walks. Arschwin Asjes (L 0-2) took the loss.

Venezuela – Taiwan 6-3

TPE 001 010 001  3  7 0
VEN 000 002 13X  6 11 1

Box score

In a rematch of Friday’s third-round match Venezuela beat Taiwan 6-3 on Saturday in Firenze to finish in seventh place at the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Only a disappointing crowd of 110 people followed the game at the Cerreti ballpark.

Taiwan struck first and took a 2-0 lead through five innings thanks to RBI singles by Tai-Yung Kuo and Kun-Sheng Lin. Venezuela came back in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single by Dirimo Chavez to tie the game. One inning later Jonathan Sivira drove in Wuilliams Vazquez with a sac fly for the lead. Rene Reyes highlighted a three-run rally with a two-run single in the eighth, which sealed the win. Taiwan scored another run in the ninth on a double play ground ball, but it was not enough.

Willy Guedez (VEN) issued four hits and two runs in five innings. Wen-Yang Liao (TPE) gave up five hits, two runs and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Johan Lopez (W 1-0) picked up the win. Yu-Ching Lin (L 3-1) took the loss.

DESPAIGNE BREAKS HOME RUN RECORD: Cuba’s Alfredo Despaigne’ homered on Saturday to break the Cuban and World Cup record for home runs in one event, with ten. Cuba also continues to dominate on the pitching side, leading all nations with a 1.70 ERA.  Cuba has three pitchers now at 3-0, Norge Vera, and Miguel and Yulieski Gonzalez, while reliever Pedro Lazo has three saves and has yet to allow a run.

…WHILE SMOAK SETS THE USA MARK TOO: Not to be outdone, USA’s Justin Smoak, a Texas Rangers prospect, already holds the USA record with nine home runs.  Smoak’s 21 RBI also lead the club, two ahead of Philadelphia Phillies prospect Terry Tiffee (.353 4 HR 19 RBI).  Tampa Ray’s prospect Jon Weber leads the team in hitting (.435 3 HR 12 RBI), while the pitching staff, which has been key in the 13 game winning streak, boasts a 1.93 ERA and is led by 3-0 Chicago White Sox prospect Lucas Harrell (no runs in ten innings in relief) and a five man starting rotation which has allowed a total of 12 earned runs in 83 innings.

USA, CUBA REMATCH FOR GOLD ON SUNDAY: The USA will have a rematch with Cuba for the Gold Medal Sunday in Nettuno. The USA ended Cuba’s nine straight World Cup titles with a 6-3 win in the Gold Medal game in Chinese Taipei in 2007, and will be looking to win back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time since 1973-74.  Cuba, the USA and Venezuela (1944-’45) are the only nations to ever win back to back titles.  The Cubans are hoping that Italy brings them luck again, as they have won all three of the World Cup title games played in Italy. This will be the seventh time Cuba and the USA have played for World Cup Gold, with Cuba holding  a 6-1 lead.  They met for the Gold Medal twice before in Italy, in both 1978 and 1988

TV ADDS ESPN STAR TV ASIA TO LINEUP: The International Baseball Federation added ESPN STAR TV for coverage of the final games of the 2009 Baseball World Cup.  ESPN STAR will broadcast Sunday’s Gold Medal game, on tape delay. Thes addition comes after the IBAF added the MLB Network for today’s USA vs. Cuba Gold Medal game from Nettuno, Italy  on Sunday 27 September, as well as additional broadcasts by NOS in the Netherlands for the remaining games with the Dutch National Team.  This latest addition is on top of the already announced local broadcasts in Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, as well as on Eurosport2 across Europe, giving the event a footprint of over 150 million homes worldwide for the three weeks, the largest broadcast audience in the history of the event.

EXTRA INNING RULE : The IBAF’s Extra Inning Rule, designed to control the length of games, took effect for the second time Monday in the Australia-Canada game.  For extra innings, each team starts their half of the inning with runners on first and second and no out.  Each subsequent inning starts the same until a winner is determined.  A version of the rule, starting in the 11th inning, was implemented during the Beijing Olympics and was used five times, with only one game going an additional inning before being decided. The World Baseball Classic adapted the rule, starting in the 14th inning, but it was never put into effect. The rule has been used six times during the World Cup, with only one game (Venezuela 13 USA 9 on 10 September) going into the 11th inning…Chinese Taipei (2-1) and Australia (1-1) were the only teams with multiple extra inning games thus far.

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF’s official site, Ibaf.org has attracted over 350,000 visitors and several million page views through Wednesday  of the World Cup, coming from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period which was the Beijing Olympics.

CLOSE SHAVES: Australia (2-4) and Mexico (1-2) have had the most one run games…

With the final weekend of the three week, 22 Pan-European World Cup now upon us, here is a look at some key facts from the event.

With Chinese Taipei now out of medal contention, this will be the first time since 1974 that no Asian team will medal at the World Cup…Korea (9) and Japan (10), two traditional baseball powers, had their lowest-even finishes…Korea had never finised lower that eighth (1988) while Japan had never finished had never finished lower than fifth (1998 and 2005)…despite the low finish, Japanese pitchers remain with the second-highest strikeout total (122), and struck out 12.2 batters per game…Japan was also third overall in fielding (.986)…

SPAIN’S TWINS, ORIOLES PROSPECTS LED THE WAY: Spain went 3-7 in their 10 games, but made marked progress, as three of those were narrow losses to Puerto Rico (5-3), Cuba (5-4) and South Korea (2-1)…the twin brother combination of  Baltimore Orioles prospects Paco Figueroa (.500 1 HR 8 RBI 10 runs, four stolen bases) and Daniel Figueroa (.278, 9 runs) led Spain’s play and Paco remains the tournament’s leading hitter going into the weekend…Padres prospect Eric Gonzalez went 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his three starts.

NICARAGUA’S GONZALEZ AMONG TOP HITTERS: Nicaragua got off to a 3-0 start before dropping five of its last seven, but veteran Jimmy Gonzalez remained among one of the event’s premier hitters, with a .410 average and 5 HR and 14 RBI…Nicaragua (5-5) was one of only two countries with a .500 record not to make the final round.

MEXICO JUST MISSES: The other country at .500 that did not make the final round was Mexico, which also finished at 5-5, losing two of their final three games by one run…6-5 to Australia and 1-0 to Chinese Taipei…Mexico’s 3.68 ERA was the lowest among teams not to make the final round

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played…it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica…it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976…the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in ’94 and ’98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year…two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938…Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998…Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup….

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup…Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States…other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005…other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most.  Each of the three North American countries…the United States (’74) , Mexico (’51) and Canada (’90) have hosted the event once…Japan (’80), Korea (’82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and ’07) have been Asian hosts…Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy’s failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times…Cuba (’52, ’71,’73, ’84,’03) Colombia (’65), USA (’74), and Korea (’82)…Cuba’s win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

RECORDBREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall.  They include:

• The USA’s Justin Smoak has set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs thus far.
• Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
• Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
• USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
• USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday’s win over Chinese Taipei

Results:
Friday, September 25:
Cuba – Canada 5-1
Venezuela – Taiwan 6-4
Australia – Puerto Rico 2-4
Netherlands – USA 2-8

Final Standings 3rd Round:
Pool F:

1. Cuba 5-2
2. Puerto Rico 4-3
3. Netherlands 3-4
4. Venezuela 2-5

Pool G:

1. USA 7-0
2. Canada 4-3
3. Australia 2-5
4. Taiwan 1-6

Schedule Classification Games:
Saturday, September 26:
7th Place: 20:00 Venezuela – Taiwan (in Firenze)
5th Place: 20:00 Netherlands – Australia (in Messina)
3rd Place: 20:00 Puerto Rico – Canada (in Grosseto) (live Eurosport2)
Sunday, September 27:
Championship Game:
15:00 Cuba – USA (in Nettuno) (live Eurosport2 and MLB Network)

Complete Schedule and Live Play by Play

Live streams, more information and video highlights on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

Venezuela – Taiwan 6-4

TPE 100 000 003  4 11 3
VEN 400 002 00X  6 12 1

Box score

Only 200 people wanted to see the preview for Saturday’s game for seventh place at the Baseball World Cup, as Venezuela beat Taiwan 6-4. The lone remaining Asian team in the tournament got off to a better start, taking a 1-0 lead on a solo homerun by Po-Yu Lo in the first.

But Venezuela answered right away in the bottom of the same frame. Rene Reyes tied the contest with a RBI single. Wuilliams Vazquez followed with a three-run homerun for a 4-1 advantage. A RBI single by Michael Sandoval and an error put two more runs on the board in the sixth. Taiwan started a late rally in the ninth. But the three runs were too little too late.

Junior Guerra (W 2-2) issued five hits, one run and four walks in five innings. Chih-Lung Huang (L 1-2) gave up ten hits, six runs (4 ER) and three bb in 5 2/3 innings.

Cuba – Canada 5-1

CAN 000 010 000  1 2 1
CUB 010 030 10X  5 8 0

Box score

Cuba clinched the finals berth on the last day of round three at the Baseball World Cup with a 5-1 victory over Canada. 1,100 people watched in Firenze, as Cuba had the better start, taking a 1-0 lead on the tenth homerun by Alfredo Despaigne in the bottom of the second. But the Maple Leafs made things interesting in the fifth, when Adam Stern went deep to tie the game.

However the joy lasted only for a few minutes. Cuba loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame with no outs. Hector Olivera came through and regained the advantage with a two-run single to center. Leonys Martin later scored on wild pitch. Olivera’s RBI double in the seventh even extended the gap to four runs. Canada had a last chance in the ninth, when the first two batters reached against closer Pedro Lazo. But he struck out the next three to seal the win.

Yulieski Gonzalez (W 3-0) struck out ten in eight innings, allowing just two hits, a run and four bb. 71 of his 118 pitches were strikes. Chris Begg (CAN) received the starting nod from Ernie Whitt and surrendered three hits, a run and a walk in four innings. Vince Perkins (L 0-1) took the loss.

Cuba is off on Saturday and will face Team USA in the championship game in Nettuno on Sunday afternoon. Canada plays for third against Puerto Rico tomorrow evening. Both games will be shown live on Eurosport2.

Australia – Puerto Rico 2-4

PUE 004 000 000  4 10 0
AUS 020 000 000  2  3 0

Box score

Puerto Rico defeated Australia 4-2 in front of 500 people in Chieti and secured second place in Pool F of the 2009 Baseball World Cup. They will play against Canada on Saturday for third place in the tournament. Australia takes on the Netherlands in the game for fifth.

Australia had the better start, taking a fast 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on back-to-back solo homeruns by Stefan Welch and Timothy Kennelly. But it didn’t last for long, as Puerto Rico came right back. They loaded the bases for Carlos Rivera in the top of the third and he cleaned up with a grand slam for a 4-2 advantage.

It was all Puerto Rico needed to win the game, as neither team was able to put anything on the board afterwards. Alexander Woodson (PUE) started, but lasted only two innings, allowing two hits, two runs and a walk. Orlando Roman replaced him and shut the door with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 brilliant relief innings. He conceded just one hit and a pair of walks during his outing. Drew Naylor (L 2-1) issued five hits, four runs and two bb in two-plus innings.

Netherlands – USA 2-8

USA 010 006 010  8 13 3
NED 000 000 200  2  5 1

Box score

Team USA concluded the third round with an 8-2 victory against the Netherlands. It was their 13th consecutive win at the 2009 Baseball World Cup. The Dutch team dropped to 3-4 and third place in Pool G. They will play the game for fifth place in Messina against Australia.

Ike Davis put the USA in front with a solo homerun in the top of the second. The Dutch team stayed close until the sixth, when six American runs blew the game wide open. Buck Coats and Justin Smoak each hit two-run singles. Hainley Statia had a RBI double and Yurendell de Caster a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to avoid the shutout against the Netherlands.

Kasey Kiker (W 1-0) allowed just one hit and two walks in six scoreless innings, striking out six. Diegomar Markwell (L 1-1) gave up ten hits, seven runs (6 ER) and four bb in 5 2/3 innings. David Bergman and Nick Veltkamp also pitched for the Dutch team.

1,000 people watched the game in Nettuno. Team USA is off on Saturday before facing Cuba in the championship game on Sunday at the same ballpark.

The USA won the showdown against Cuba and extended their winning streak at the 2009 Baseball World Cup to twelve games. On Friday the third phase will end, as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands still have hopes for a final berth against the Americans. Cuba needs to win against Canada, while Puerto Rico and the Dutch team hope for victories against Australia, respective the US boys. They also need a loss by Cuba to stay alive.

Results:
Thursday, September 24:
USA – Cuba 5-3
Taiwan – Puerto Rico 2-8
Canada – Netherlands 11-5
Venezuela – Australia 9-4

Standings:

Pool F:

1. Cuba 4-2
2. Netherlands 3-3
3. Puerto Rico 3-3
4. Venezuela 1-5

Pool G:

1. USA 6-0
2. Canada 4-2
3. Australia 2-4
4. Taiwan 1-5

Schedule:
Friday, September 25:
19:00 Cuba – Canada (in Firenze)
19:00 Venezuela – Taiwan (in Grosseto)
19:00 Australia – Puerto Rico (in Chieti)
19:00 Netherlands – USA (in Nettuno) (live on Eurosport2)

Complete Schedule and Live Play by Play

Live streams, more information and video highlights on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

Venezuela – Australia 9-4

AUS 012 100 000  4  9 2
VEN 002 100 33X  9 13 3

Box score

Venezuela picked up their first win in the third round, defeating Australia 9-4, thanks to three runs apiece in the seventh and the eighth. Rene Reyes capped the win with a three-run homerun. Yosnel Garcia and Dirimo Chavez combined for five RBI. Australia had taken a fast 3-0 lead midway through the third, but couldn’t get much going after. Chris Snelling drove in two.

Adam Blackley (AUS), who pitched for the Dutch club L&D Amsterdam Pirates this year, gave up five hits, three runs and a walk in three-plus innings. Jacobo Sequera (VEN) issued six hits, four runs and two bb in four innings. Jose Rodriguez (W 1-0) received the win. Brendan Wise (L 0-1) took the loss.

Just an embarrassing crowd of 104 people showed up at the ballpark in Firenze to watch the game. Venezuela closes out the third round with a game against Taiwan in Grosseto, possible a preview for the classification match on Saturday. Australia travels to Chieti for a matchup with Puerto Rico. Both are scheduled to start at 7pm CET.

USA – Cuba 5-3

CUB 000 000 300  3 5 2
USA 103 000 01X  5 8 1

Box score

Team USA won the highly anticipated duel against Cuba on Thursday in Nettuno by a final score of 5-3. The Americans already were qualified for the championship game. Cuba needs to beat Canada on Friday to clinch the second berth. The USA had a perfect start into the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening period, as Trevor Plouffe reached on a fielding error and scored all the way from first on a double by Ike Davis. They added three more runs in the third on a two-run homerun by Terry Tiffee and a RBI single by Jason Castro.

Cuba was very aggressive at the plate early on and didn’t get things going. In the seventh they finally threatened to turn the score into their favor. Michel Enriquez opened the frame with a solo shot to end the shutout bid. Yulieski Gourriel with a RBI double and Yovany Peraza with a double play groundball plated two more runs for the record champion. But a flyout by Jose Abreu with Gourriel on third ended the inning. They couldn’t score again. Team USA added an insurance run in the eighth on a RBI single by Buck Coats to seal the win.

20-year-old left-hander Trevor Reckling started for the team of head coach Eddie Rodriguez, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes later in the game. Reckling pitched a fast 1-2-3 inning, but didn’t come back for the second, as he was replaced on the mound due to an undisclosed shoulder injury. Lucas Harrell (W 3-0) came in and issued just one hit and a walk in four scoreless relief innings. Maikel Folch (L 2-1) gave up three hits, three runs (2 ER) and two bb in 2 2/3 innings.

For the first time in the third round we saw the attendance to climb into the four-digit range. 2,000 people came to the ballpark in Nettuno to watch the game between the baseball heavyweights. Team USA finishes the third round on Friday with a matchup against the Netherlands, live on Eurosport2. Cuba takes on Canada. Both games start at 7pm CET.

Taiwan – Puerto Rico 2-8

PUE 201 320 000  8 15 1
TPE 000 011 000  2  7 1

Box score

Ruben Gotay homered and drove in four to lead Puerto Rico to an 8-2 victory over Taiwan. The Major-League-proven second baseman went two-for-five. Thanks to the loss by Cuba against Team USA, the title game hopes for the squad remain alive. Jose Valentin also hit a homerun, as they scored in four of the first five innings to decide things early. Tai-Yung Kuo hit a solo shot for the Asian team.

Luis Atilano (W 3-0) collected win number three in the 2009 Baseball World Cup, allowing just two runs (1 ER) on seven hits, going the distance. He struck out four and threw 75 of his 103 pitches for strikes. Yen-Feng Lin (L 1-1) surrendered four hits, three runs (2 ER) and three bb in three innings to take the loss.

The attendance numbers in Chieti for the game on Thursday evening also were too low for such a high-caliber tournament, as only 250 people showed up. Puerto Rico will conclude the third round on Friday against Australia. Taiwan will battle with Venezuela.

Canada – Netherlands 11-5

NED 040 010 000   5  8 1
CAN 002 002 25X  11 14 0

Box score

Canada overcame a 0-4 deficit against the Netherlands and won 11-5 to solidify second place in Pool G. They also nearly ended all Dutch hopes for the championship game. With a win in their last third-round game on Friday against Team USA they would need to get into a three-way tie to stay alive. Canada secured a spot in the bronze medal game on Saturday.

The lone remaining European participant in the Baseball World Cup had a perfect start into the match with four runs in the second. The rally was highlighted by a two-run double of Hainley Statia. Canada cut the deficit in a half with a two-run homerun by Jonathan Malo in the third. The Dutch team extended the lead with a RBI groundout by Sidney de Jong in the fifth.

Unfortunately it was the last time they would cross the plate. Canada on the other hand continued to reduce the gap with two more runs in the sixth thanks to a two-run single by Adam Loewen. One frame later they completed the comeback, as Shawn Bowman sent a pitch over the left field fence for a two-run homerun and a 6-5 lead. Five more runs in the eighth sealed the win and blew things wide open.

Rob Cordemans (NED) gave up nine hits, four runs and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six. Brooks McNiven (CAN) issued six hits, five runs and a bb in four-plus innings. Trystan Magnuson (W 3-0) picked up the win. Arschwin Asjes (L 0-1) took the loss.

Again attendance at the Jannella ballpark in Grosseto was disappointing. Only 250 people wanted to see the match. As already mentioned the Netherlands will take on Team USA on Friday evening in Nettuno. Eurosport2 will broadcast the match live, starting at 7pm CET. Canada will face Cuba in Firenze.

INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL FEDERATION ADDS ESPN STAR TV IN ASIA TO ITS BROADCAST PARTNERS FOR FINAL DAYS OF THE 2009 BASEBALL WORLD CUP

Final Games of World Championship To Be Seen In Over 150 million homes worldwide

September 24, 2009- The International Baseball Federation today announced that it has added ESPN STAR TV for coverage of the the final games of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, currently taking place in Italy.  ESPN STAR will broadcast Chinese Taipei’s games against Cuba and Venezuela to select markets, as well as Sunday’s Gold Medal game, on tape delay. Today’s addition comes after the IBAF added the MLB Network for today’s USA vs. Cuba game (2:00 EDT) and the Gold Medal game from Nettuno, Italy  on Sunday 27 September, as well as additional broadcasts by NOS in the Netherlands for the remaining games with the Dutch National Team.  This latest addition is on top of the already announced local broadcasts in Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, as well as on Eurosport2 across Europe, giving the event a footprint of over 150 million homes worldwide for the three weeks, the largest broadcast audience in the history of the event.

U.S. CLINCHES A SPOT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, AWAITS THE WINNER FROM POOL 1

TWO TIED FOR THE HOME RUN LEAD: With his two home runs tonight against Chinese Taipei, Alfredo Despaigne has tied the Cuban record of 9 for a single World Cup. Orestes Kindelan also had 9 in Italy in 1990.  Despaigne is also now tied with the United States Justin Smoak for the tournament lead.

TV COVERAGE EXPANDS AGAIN: The International Baseball Federation today announced additional game coverage for the final games of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, currently taking place in Italy.  In the United States, the MLB Network will add the USA vs. Cuba game on Thursday 24 September at 2:00 p.m. EDT, as well as the championship game from Nettuno, Italy on Sunday 27 September at 9:00 a.m. EDT. NOS in the Netherlands will add three additional games involving the Dutch team, including today’s game against Australia, tomorrow’s game against Canada and Friday’s game against the USA.  This television coverage is in addition to already announced local broadcasts in Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, as well as on Eurosport2 across Europe.

FIRST GAME IN CHIETI: The Canada-Venezuela game marked the first time that a 2009 Baseball World Cup game was played in Chieti.  Chieti is also scheduled to host the Chinese Taipei – Puerto Rico match tomorrow and the Australia – Puerto Rico game on Friday.

MLB INTERNATIONAL OPENS CHINA ACADEMY: Another example of baseball’s growing global footprint was announced today, as Major League Baseball International announced the opening of a baseball development center in Wuxi, China. The new academy will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school-aged students within an academic setting. This is the latest and boldest step in the development of baseball in China.  An initiative which began in 2001, continued through the Beijing Olympics and will grow into the future.

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF’s official site, www.ibaf.org, has attracted over 250,000 visitors and several million page views during the first two weeks of the World Cup.  These viewers have come from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period, which was the Beijing Olympics.

WINNERS REMAINING IN THE FIELD: Of the eight teams advancing to the final round, four have won at least one of the 38 previous World Cups.  Cuba is the leader with 25, followed by the United States (3), Venezuela (3) and Puerto Rico (1).  The last European country to win was also the first, Great Britain in 1938.  The last Asian team to win was Korea in 1982 and Australia’s best finish was sixth in 2007.

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played…it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica…it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976…the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in ’94 and ’98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year…two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938…Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998…Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup….

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup…Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States…other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005…other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most. Each of the three North American countries…the United States (’74) , Mexico (’51) and Canada (’90) have hosted the event once…Japan (’80), Korea (’82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and ’07) have been Asian hosts…Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy’s failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times…Cuba (’52, ’71,’73, ’84,’03) Colombia (’65), USA (’74), and Korea (’82)…Cuba’s win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

RECORD-BREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall. They include:

• The USA’s Justin Smoak has set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs thus far.
• Alfredo Despaigne has tied the Cuban World record with nine home runs.
• Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
• Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
• USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
• USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday’s win over Chinese Taipei

Results:
Wednesday, September 23:
Canada – Venezuela 9-2
Australia – Netherlands 5-2
Puerto Rico – USA 0-3
Taiwan – Cuba 0-8

Standings:

Pool F:

1. Cuba 4-1
2. Netherlands 3-2
3. Puerto Rico 2-3
4. Venezuela 0-5

Pool G:

1. USA 5-0
2. Canada 3-2
3. Australia 2-3
4. Taiwan 1-4

Schedule:
Thursday, September 24:
20:00 USA – Cuba (in Nettuno) (live on Eurosport2 and MLB Network)
20:00 Taiwan – Puerto Rico (in Chieti)
20:00 Canada – Netherlands (in Grosseto)
20:00 Venezuela – Australia (in Firenze)

Complete Schedule and Live Play by Play

Live streams, more information and video highlights on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

Taiwan – Cuba 0-8

CUB 310 120 100  8 10 0
TPE 000 000 000  0  5 2

Box score

With the earlier loss by the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, Cuba moved closer to a final berth on Wednesday with an 8-0 shutout over Taiwan in Nettuno (attendance: 500). They didn’t waste any time to decide the outcome, scoring four runs in the first two frames. They are now 4-1, solidifying first in Pool F.

Cuba used four homeruns to beat the lone remaining Asian team in the Baseball World Cup. Alfredo Despaigne went deep twice and now has nine long balls in the tournament, tied for the lead with Justin Smoak of Team USA. Frederich Cepeda and Ariel Borrero also homered.

On the mound Miguel Gonzalez (W 3-0) issued only three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings for his third win. He struck out eight batters. Jonder Martinez completed the shutout. Chia-Chun Tang (L 0-1) gave up eight hits, five runs and a walk in 3 1/3 innings for the loss.

Cuba will face Team USA in Nettuno on Thursday (live at Eurosport2 and MLB Network), possible a preview for Sunday’s championship game at the same place. Taiwan hosts Puerto Rico in Chieti.

Canada – Venezuela 9-2

VEN 000 000 200  2  6 1
CAN 041 102 01X  9 12 0

Box score

Canada crushed Venezuela 9-2 in front of 300 people in Chieti, but still will miss out on a chance to play in the championship game on Sunday, as Team USA improved to 5-0. However the maple leafs are now the front runners to make it to the bronze medal game out of Pool G with a 3-2 record.

Canada used a fielder’s choice, an infield single, a hit batter and a walk to plate four runs in the second and to take a fast lead. Shawn Bowman and pitcher-turned-outfielder Adam Loewen later added solo homeruns to extend the gap. Rene Tosoni continued his strong performance with two hits, two runs and two RBI. Venezuela only managed two runs on a homerun by Rene Reyes in the top of the seventh.

Matt Kniginyzky (W 2-0) gave up only four hits and a walk in six scoreless innings to pick up his second win in the tournament. He struck out three and threw 46 of his 71 pitches for strikes. Orlando Perdomo (L 1-1) surrendered two hits, four runs and three bb in 1 2/3 innings.

Canada will play against the Netherlands on Thursday. Venezuela hopes for their first win in round three against Australia.

Australia – Netherlands 5-2

NED 000 000 110  2 6 2
AUS 000 002 03X  5 4 2

Box score

The dream for a Dutch final berth could be over soon. They lost 2-5 to Australia on Wednesday in Grosseto (attendance: 250) and dropped to 3-2 in the Pool F standings. The Aussies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to decide the outcome, just moments after the Netherlands had evened the score.

Australia had struck first, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Luke Hughes two-run homerun over the left field fence. The lone remaining European squad in the tournament fought right back, cutting the deficit to a run in the seventh thanks to an error. One frame later they tied it on a RBI single by Randall Simon.

But it was not enough. After Australia regained the lead when Brad Harman scored on a wild pitch, Hughes found his power stroke again and sent a 1-1 pitch again over the left field wall for a two-run homerun. In the ninth Bryan Engelhardt tried to initiate a rally with a one-out single. But Sharlon Schoop grounded into a double play to end the game.

Liam Hendricks (AUS) and Tom Stuifbergen (NED) were locked into a pitcher’s duel early on. Hendricks allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings, striking out four. Stuifbergen gave up only two hits and two bb in five innings. He had two strikeouts. Matthew Williams (W 2-0) picked up the win, Dennis Neuman (L 1-1) the loss.

Australia squares off with Venezuela on Thursday, while the team of Rod Delmonico takes on Canada.

Puerto Rico – USA 0-3

USA 010 010 010  3 8 1
PUE 000 000 000  0 4 0

Box score

Just 130 people saw Team USA clinching a berth for the championship game at the Baseball World Cup on Wednesday. Three homeruns helped them to beat Puerto Rico 3-0 and to improve to 5-0 in the third round. They have games left against Cuba and the Netherlands. Puerto Rico still has an outsider chance to make the title game too.

The USA took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, when New York Mets prospect Ike Davis went deep. Buck Coats and Jon Weber extended the gap to three runs with solo shots in the fifth and the eighth. Coats reached base five times, going three-for-three with two walks.

On the mound Todd Redmond (W 3-0) was dealing again, allowing just four hits and a bb in 8 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out four. Jason Childers retired the last two batters in the ninth for his first save in the tournament. Efrain Nieves (L 1-1) took the loss, issuing three hits, two runs and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Team USA faces Cuba on Thursday evening (live on Eurosport2 and MLB Network), starting at 8pm CET in Nettuno. Puerto Rico will battle with Taiwan in Chieti.

INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL FEDERATION ADDS TWO MORE GAMES ON MLB NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES AND ADDITIONAL GAMES ON NOS IN THE NETHERLANDS AS 2009 BASEBALL WORLD CUP REACHES ITS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 23, 2009- The International Baseball Federation today announced additional game coverage for the final games of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, currently taking place in Italy.  In the United States, the MLB Network will add the USA vs. Cuba game on Thursday 24 September at 2:00 p.m. EDT, as well as the championship game from Nettuno, Italy on Sunday 27 September at 9:00 AM EDT. NOS in the Netherlands will add three additional games involving the Dutch team, including today’s game against Australia, tomorrow’s game against Canada and Friday’s game against the USA.  This television coverage is in addition to already announced local broadcasts in Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, as well as on Eurosport2 across Europe.

WEDNESDAYS POOL GAMES: Canada-Venezuela (Chieti), Australia-Netherlands (Grosetto), Puerto Rico-USA (Firenze), Chinese Taipei-Cuba (Nettuno)

MLB INTERNATIONAL OPENS CHINA ACADEMY: Another example of baseball’s growing global footprint was announced today, as Major League Baseball International announced the opening of a baseball development center in Wuxi, China.  The new academy will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school-aged students within an academic setting.  This is the latest and boldest step in the development of baseball in China. An initiative which began in 2001 continued through the Beijing Olympics and will grow into the future.

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF’s official site, Ibaf.org has attracted over 250,000 visitors and several million page views in the first two weeks of the world cup, coming from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period which was the Beijing Olympics.

WINNERS REMAINING IN THE FIELD: Of the eight teams advancing to the final round, four have won at least one of the 38 previous World Cups…Cuba is the leader with 25, followed by the United States (3), Venezuela (3) and Puerto Rico (1)…the last European country to win was also the first…Great Britain in 1938…the last Asian team to win was Korea in 1982…Australia’s best finish was sixth in 2007…

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played…it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica…it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976…the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in ’94 and ’98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year…two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938…Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998…Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup….

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup…Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States…other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005…other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most.  Each of the three North American countries…the United States (’74) , Mexico (’51) and Canada (’90) have hosted the event once…Japan (’80), Korea (’82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and ’07) have been Asian hosts…Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy’s failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times…Cuba (’52, ’71,’73, ’84,’03) Colombia (’65), USA (’74), and Korea (’82)…Cuba’s win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

RECORDBREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall.  They include:

• The USA’s Chris Smoak has set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs thus far.
• Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
• Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
• USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
• USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday’s win over Chinese Taipei

Results:
Tuesday, September 22:
Cuba – Australia 2-1
Puerto Rico – Canada 0-3
USA – Venezuela 6-3
Netherlands – Taiwan 11-2

Standings Round 3:
Pool F:

1. Cuba 3-1
2. Netherlands 3-1
3. Puerto Rico 2-2
4. Venezuela 0-4

Pool G:

1. USA 4-0
2. Canada 2-2
3. Taiwan 1-3
4. Australia 1-3

Schedule:
Wednesday, September 23:
20:00 Canada – Venezuela (in Chieti)
20:00 Australia – Netherlands (in Grosseto)
20:00 Puerto Rico – USA (in Firenze)
20:00 Taiwan – Cuba (in Nettuno) Eurosport2 live

Complete Schedule and Live Play by Play

Live streams, more information and video highlights on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

Puerto Rico – Canada 0-3

CAN 000 000 003  3 7 0
PUE 000 000 00X  0 1 0

Box score

Nick Bucci and three relievers combined to allow just one hit against Puerto Rico in a 3-0 win by Canada in Nettuno. 500 people were watching when Brett Lawrie put the maple leafs up in front in the top of the ninth with a solo homerun. Rene Tosoni added two more runs with a double a few batters later.

Bucci started and gave up only three walks in five innings, striking out two. After throwing 72 pitches he was replaced by Trystan Magnuson, who conceded the lone Puerto Rican hit of the night to former big leaguer Jose Valentin leading off the seventh.  Dustin Molleken (W 1-0) and Jimmy Henderson (S 1) completed the one-hit shutout with scoreless frames.

Puerto Rican pitching matched the effort by the Canadians until Orlando Roman (L 0-1) and Melvin Pizarro couldn’t come through. Mario Santiago started and issued two hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Puerto Rico (2-2) will take on long-time rival USA on Wednesday. Canada (2-2) faces Venezuela (0-4).

Netherlands – Taiwan 11-2

TPE 010 000 100   2  7 1
NED 130 070 00X  11 15 1

Box score

350 people watched the Netherlands crush Taiwan 11-2 in their third-round opener in Messina on Tuesday. After already leading 4-1, a seven-run rally in the fifth blew things wide open for the squad of Rod Delmonico. The Dutch team improved to 3-1 and continues to march in the tournament. Taiwan is now 1-3 in round number three of the Baseball World Cup.

Veterans Randall Simon and Sharnol Adriana each collected three RBI. Sidney de Jong drove in two. Nine players scored for the lone remaining European participant in the BWC. Hung-Yu Lin hit his fourth homerun for Taiwan, accounting for one of the two runs by his team.

Alexander Smit issued only four hits, one run and two bb in six innings. He struck out six. Leon Boyd and Nick Veltkamp closed it out easily. Wen-Yang Liao took the loss, allowing five hits, four runs and five walks in four innings.

The Netherlands will face Australia on Wednesday. Taiwan has to take on the tough task Cuba.

USA – Venezuela 6-3

VEN 000 001 110  3 9 2
USA 004 101 00X  6 9 2

Box score

Team USA got some payback for their lone loss in the 2009 Baseball World Cup so far, beating Venezuela on Tuesday in Firenze by a score of 6-3. Both squads already met during the first round in Regensburg, Germany, where Venezuela came back in the seventh to tie the contest and to win it 13-9 in extra innings in front of 4,200 people at the Armin Wolf Arena.

In the third round in Italy in front of just 170 people the team of Eddie Rodriguez took the lead with a four-run rally in the third, which was capped by a two-run single by Terry Tiffee. The fifth homerun by Pedro Alvarez in the tournament extended the lead to five runs in the fourth. Rene Reyes put Venezuela on the board in the sixth with a solo shot. But a RBI single by Trevor Plouffe regained the five-run advantage in the bottom of the frame.

Venezuela tried to come back, cutting the deficit to three runs with a RBI single by Reyes in the seventh and solo homerun by Luis Landaeta in the eighth. In the ninth Nate Field walked Dirimo Chavez and Lino Connell with no outs. Reyes stepped to the plate with the chance to tie the game with one swing. But he flied out. Michael Sandoval and Landaeta also couldn’t get anything out of their at-bats and Team USA won.

Brad Lincoln picked up the win, giving up six hits, two runs and three bb in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three and threw 72 of his 103 pitches for strikes. Cedrick Bowers, Nate Field and Geno Espineli closed it out. Junior Guerra took the loss after 2 2/3 innings, two hits, four runs (1 ER) and four bb.

Team USA (4-0) will square off against Puerto Rico (2-2) on Wednesday. Venezuela (0-4) is going to battle with Canada (2-2).

Cuba – Australia 2-1

AUS 001 000 000  1 6 1
CUB 200 000 00X  2 3 1

Box score

An early two-run homerun by Alfredo Despaigne in the bottom of the first was all Cuba needed to defeat Australia 2-1 in their first game in round three of the 2009 Baseball World Cup. The Aussies cut the deficit to a run in the top of the first when Nicholas Kimpton crossed the plate on a RBI fielder’s choice by James Beresford. The throw to first by shortstop Luis Nava went wide, trying to complete the double play.

Both teams couldn’t score again afterwards, though Australia had some opportunities with two outs and runners in scoring position. Norge Vera (W 3-0) picked up his third win of the competition, going 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three hits, a run and two walks, while striking out seven. Pedro Lazo closed it out with four K’s in 2 1/3 scoreless frames.

Dushan Ruzic (L 1-1) of the Dutch champion DOOR Neptunus got the start for Australia and impressed after the early homerun. He issued just two unearned runs on three hits and no walks in eight innings. 61 of his 84 pitches in front of only 300 people in the stands in Grosseto were strikes.

Cuba improved to 3-1 with the win and will face Taiwan on Wednesday. Australia dropped to 1-3 and will square off with the Netherlands. The game on Tuesday was delayed for 30 minutes in the bottom of the eighth due to light problems.

2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup Final Round Team Capsules

POOL F

(SECOND ROUND RECORD VS. REMAINING TEAMS IN PARENTHESIS)

#1 NETHERLANDS (2-1)
How it got here: #1 seed in Pool F. . .faces Chinese Taipei (1-2, #4 Pool G) in Messina on Tuesday. . .finished tied atop Pool F at 6-1 with Cuba and Puerto Rico, finished tied with Puerto Rico in the runs-allowed-to-tied-teams tie-break criterion (seven each, Cuba was eliminated with eight runs allowed), then won the head-to-head tie-breaker against Puerto Rico, having defeated it 5-2 in Round 2. . .enters final round with a 2-1 record (record against other three teams from Pool F to advance). . .received a bye to the second round as a host nation.
Current world rank: 6
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 4th place (two times – 2005, 2007)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (4th place)

#2 PUERTO RICO (2-1)
How it got here: #2 seed in Pool F. . .faces the Canada (1-2, #3 Pool G) in Nettuno on Tuesday. . .finished tied atop Pool F at 6-1 with Cuba and the Netherlands, finished tied with the Netherlands in the runs-allowed-to-tied-teams tie-break criterion (seven each, Cuba was eliminated with eight runs allowed), then lost the head-to-head tie-breaker against the Netherlands, having been defeated by the host nation 5-2 in Round 2. . .enters final round with a 2-1 record (record against other three teams from Pool F to advance). . .finished #2 in Round 1 Pool B in Barcelona at 2-1.
Current world rank: 10
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 1st place (1951)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (8th place)

#3 CUBA (2-1)
How it got here: #3 seed in Pool F. . .faces Australia (1-2, #2 Pool G) in Grosseto on Tuesday. . .finished tied atop Pool F at 6-1 with the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, but lost in the runs-allowed-to-tied-teams tie-break criterion (eight runs, against the Netherlands’ and Puerto Rico’s seven each). . .enters final round with a 2-1 record (record against other three teams from Pool F to advance). . .finished a perfect 3-0 in opening round Pool B competition in Barcelona.
Current world rank: 1
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 1st place (25 times – 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (2nd place)

#4 VENEZUELA (0-3)
How it got here: #4 seed in Pool F. . .faces the United States (3-0, #1 Pool G) in Firenze on Tuesday. . .finished tied with Korea for the #4 seed, but won the head-to-head tie-breaker, having defeated the 2008 Olympic champions, 4-1, in Round 2. . .enters final round with a 0-3 record (record against other three teams from Pool F to advance). . .was the #1 in Pool E after going a perfect 3-0 in Round 1 action in Regensburg, Germany.
Current world rank: 9
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 1st place (three times – 1941, 1944, 1945)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (12th place)

POOL G

#1 UNITED STATES (3-0)
How it got here: #1 seed in Pool G. . .faces Venezuela (0-3, #4 Pool F) in Firenze on Tuesday. . .finished the second round at 7-0. . .enters final round with a 3-0 record (record against other three teams from Pool G to advance. . .was the #2 seed at 2-1 coming out of opening round Pool E in Regensburg, Germany.
Current world rank: 4
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 1st place (three times – 1973, 1974, 2007)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (1st place)

#2 AUSTRALIA (1-2)
How it got here: #2 seed in Pool G. . .faces Cuba (2-1, #3 Pool F) in Grosseto on Tuesday. . .finished the second round at 5-2. . .enters final round with a 1-2 record (record against other three teams from Pool G to advance). . .was second in Round 1 Pool A in Prague at 2-1.
Current world rank: 11
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 6th place (2007)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (6th place)

#3 CANADA (1-2)
How it got here: #3 seed in Pool G. . .faces Puerto Rico (2-1, #2 Pool F) in Nettuno on Tuesday. . .finished the second round at 5-2. . .enters final round with a 1-2 record (record against other three teams from Pool G to advance). . .dominated Pool C in the first round in Sundyberg ( Stockholm), Sweden, going 3-0.
Current world rank: 8
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 5th place (four times – 1974, 1980, 1982, 1988)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (9th place)

#4 CHINESE TAIPEI (1-2)
How it got here: #4 seed in Pool G. . .faces the Netherlands (2-1, #1 Pool F) in Messina on Tuesday. . .finished the second round at 5-2. . . enters final round with 1-2 record (record against other three teams from Pool G to advance). . .came into Round 2 at 1-2 after qualifying in Prague as one of the four-best Round 1 #3 seeds.
Current world rank: 5
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 2nd place (1984)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (8th place)

Follow the 2009 Baseball World Cup via live stream on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com or on Eurosport2

TEAM USA WALKS OFF WITH NUMBER ONE SEED IN POOL G, FINAL PAIRINGS NOW SET FOR BASEBALL WORLD CUP FINAL EIGHT WITH PLAY BEGINNING TUESDAY IN ITALY

THE FINAL EIGHT: Monday’s play completed the eight nation field that will move on to the final round…those eight nations are The United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Chinese Taipei.

TUESDAYS POOL PLAY GAMES: Australia-Cuba (Grosseto), USA-Venezuela (Firenze), Chinese Taipei-Netherlands (Messina) and Canada-Puerto Rico (Nettuno)

WINNERS REMAINING IN THE FIELD: Of the eight teams advancing to the final round, four have won at least one of the 38 previous World Cups…Cuba is the leader with 25, followed by the United States (3), Venezuela (3) and Puerto Rico (1)…the last European country to win was also the first…Great Britain in 1938…the last Asian team to win was Korea in 1982…Australia’s best finish was sixth in 2007

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played…it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica…it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976…the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in ’94 and ’98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year…two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938…Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998…Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup.

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup…Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States…other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005…other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most.  Each of the three North American countries…the United States (’74) , Mexico (’51) and Canada (’90) have hosted the event once…Japan (’80), Korea (’82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and ’07) have been Asian hosts…Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy’s failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times…Cuba (’52, ’71,’73, ’84,’03) Colombia (’65), USA (’74), and Korea (’82)…Cuba’s win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF’s official site, Ibaf.org has attracted over 250,000 visitors and several million page views in the first two weeks of the World Cup, coming from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period which was the Beijing Olympics.

MAJOR EXPERIENCE IN PLAY: Over 110 players currently under contract to MLB teams, from 17 nations, have participated in the World Cup thus far.  Among the eight nations in the final round, six have players with MLB experience, with the two exceptions being Cuba (whose players cannot particpate in MLB) and Chinese Taipei (whose roster is comprised of players from their professional league).  There are 22 players with Major League experience playing in the final round.

USA SMOAK’S ITS WAY INTO THE HOME RUN RECORD BOOK: Texas Rangers prospect Justin Smoak had his ninth home run on Monday, including three separate two run homer games, giving him a World Cup best nine home runs thus far, to go along with a .400 average and a team best 19 RBI and 13 runs scored.  Smoak’s teammate, Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez, set the overall team record with three home runs in a game against Chinese Taipei and has four overall, while Team USA has set the pace as a team in homers with 30.

CUBA STILL SETTING THE PITCHING PACE: Cuba’s quest to regain the World Cup continues to be led by its Tournament-leading pitching staff, which has compiled a 1.76 ERA during its 9-1 run thus far. The Cuban staff has amassed 103 strikeouts thought the first two rounds (second only to Japan’s total of 120) and given up only 22 walks and three home runs.   Cuban pitcher Norge Vera is 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 14 innings, while his teammate Freddy Alvarez is 2-0 and has allowed one earned run in 15 innings. Miguel Gonzalez struck out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.

AUSSIE HITTING SHOES STAY ON: Australia enters the final round leading all teams with a .328 average, and third in runs scored with 80.  Philadelphia Phillies  prospect Joel Naughton continues to set the hitting pace for Australia with  a .478 mark (11-23), with Minnesota Twins prospect James Bereford hitting .343 (12-35) and two other teammates hitting .333, Phillies prospect Timothy Kennelly and Pirates Christopher Snelling.

…AND GET CUT IN CLOSE SHAVES: Monday’s loss to USA was Australia’s third, with all three coming by one run. Their two losses previous had been to Mexico (10-9) and Chinese Taipei (5-4), both of which they have avenged.

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Final Standings 2nd Round:
Pool F:

1. Netherlands 6-1
2. Puerto Rico 6-1
3. Cuba 6-1
4. Venezuela 3-4
5. South Korea 3-4
6. Nicaragua 2-5
7. Spain 2-5
8. Great Britain 0-7

Pool G:

1. USA 7-0
2. Australia 5-2
3. Canada 5-2
4. Taiwan 5-2
5. Italy 2-5
6. Japan 2-5
7. Mexico 2-5
8. Netherlands Antilles 0-7

Standings 3rd Round:
Pool F:

1. Netherlands 2-1
2. Puerto Rico 2-1
3. Cuba 2-1
4. Venezuela 0-3

Pool G:

1. USA 3-0
2. Australia 1-2
3. Canada 1-2
4. Taiwan 1-2

(Teams carry only records against respective advancing teams into 3rd round)

Schedule 3rd Round:
Tuesday, September 22:
20:00 Cuba – Australia (in Grosseto)
20:00 Puerto Rico – Canada (in Nettuno)
20:00 USA – Venezuela (in Firenze)
20:00 Netherlands – Taiwan (in Messina)

Complete Schedule, Live Play by Play

Live streams, Highlights on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com

Italy – Netherlands Antilles 7-6

AHO 002 101 020  6 12 1
ITA 020 010 202  7 12 4

Box score

In a game which went back and forth and saw six lead changes, Italy had the better end and improved to fifth in Pool G of the 2009 Baseball World Cup with the 7-6 victory over Netherlands Antilles on Monday in Vicenza. It was a make-up game of last week’s rainout. Both teams already were eliminated from the tournament before the start of the match.

A sac fly by Juan Carlos Infante in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Azzurri to the win. Mario Chiarini had tied the contest with a RBI double moments earlier. The Caribbeans led since the top of the eighth, when they had crossed the plate on a wild pitch and an error by the catcher. Ardley Jansen and Lorvin Louisa homered for the Antilles. Chiarini and Jairo Ramos combined for four Italian RBIs. Leonardo Zileri went three-for-three with a walk and a RBI.

Orsendo Clemencia (AHO) surrendered six hits, three runs and four bb in 4 1/3 innings. Matteo D’Angelo (ITA) gave up four hits, two runs and three walks in three innings. Yovany D’Amico (W 2-0) picked up his second win of the Baseball World Cup; Johannes Gregorius Sr. (L 0-3) took the loss.

USA – Australia 4-3

AUS 010 000 200  3 6 2
USA 000 002 101  4 9 1

Box score

In the duel for the number one seed in Pool G of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, Trevor Plouffe decided the outcome in the bottom of the ninth. He sent a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence at the stadium in Bologna to lead Team USA to a 4-3 victory over Australia. With the victory they improved to 7-0 in the second round and will take three wins into third round, which starts on Tuesday. Australia advances with a 5-2 record.

The defending world champion had to overcome deficits of 0-1 and 2-3 to hold down the Aussies. The silver medalist of the 2004 Olympics took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, when Timothy Kennelly was caught stealing between first and second and Luke Hughes crossed the plate. The Americans came back in the sixth, tying the contest on a solo shot by Justin Smoak, his ninth homerun of the tournament. Three batters later Josh Kroeger scored on a RBI fielder’s choice by Jon Weber to make it 2-1.

In the top of the seventh Australia regained the lead thanks to a throwing error by third baseman Pedro Alvarez and a sac fly by Daniel Berg. But it lasted only for a few minutes, as Plouffe evened the score with a RBI groundout in the bottom of the same frame. Two innings later he ended the match with his big hit.

David Welch (AUS) gave up six hits, two runs (1 ER) and two walks in six innings, while striking out five. Cory Luebke (USA) issued five hits, three runs (1 ER) and a bb in six-plus innings. Ehren Wasserman (W 1-0) picked up the win, Timothy Cox (L 0-1) took the loss.

FINAL ROUND SEEDINGS TO BE FINALIZED FOLLOWING MONDAYS PLAY: The rain-effected second schedule will be concluded with two games on Monday in Italy, including a crucial USA-Australia makeup matchup which will determine seeding for the final round of the right top remaining nations in the 2009 World Cup.  The pairings, seedings and sites will be announced immediately following Australia-USA.

THE FINAL EIGHT: Sunday’s play finalized the eight nations that will move on to the final round…those eight nations are The United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Chinese Taipei.

ON TO THE FINAL ROUND: Following Monday’s makeup games, the final round of the 2009 Baseball World Cup will begin with four games on Tuesday in Grosseto, Nettuno, Firenze and Messina.  The final round will continue all week, with the Gold Medal game being played Sunday, 27 September in Nettuno, Italy.

NO UNBEATEN TEAM LEFT: Sunday’s win by Cuba over the Netherlands knocked the final country from the ranks of the unbeaten…entering Monday’s makeup games the Unites States now owns the longest current win streak in the World Cup at seven games, after losing their tournament opener to Venezuela in Regensburg, Germany 13-9 in 11 innings. Canada and Puerto Rico own the second longest winning streak at five, with both having completed their second round play.

USA SMOAK’S ITS WAY INTO THE HOME RUN RECORD BOOK: Texas Rangers prospect Justin Smoak had his record third two home run game on Sunday vs. Italy, giving him a World Cup best eight home runs thus far.  Smoak’s teammate, Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez, set the overall team record with three home runs in a game against Chinese Taipei and has four overall, while Team USA has set the pace as a team in homers with 28 heading into Monday.

CUBA STILL SETTING THE PITCHING PACE: Cuba’s quest to regain the World Cup continues to be led by its Tournament-leading pitching staff, which has compiled a 1.76 ERA during its 9-1 run thus far. The Cuban staff has amassed 103 strikeouts thought the first two rounds (second only to Japan’s total of 120) and given up only 22 walks and three home runs.   Cuban pitcher Norge Vera is 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 14 innings, while his teammate Freddy Alvarez is 2-0 and has allowed one earned run in 15 innings. Miguel Gonzalez struck out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.

DUTCH FINISH IMPRESSIVE ROUND AT 6-1 HOME TURF: The Netherlands continued their emergence on the international baseball scene, going 6-1 with a lone loss to Cuba in Round Two. The Dutch are second only to Australia in team batting average .325 and are led by  San Francisco Giants prospect Sharlon Schoop, who is hitting .464 (13-28), while Los Angeles Angels prospect Hainley Statia (10-24, .417) and former Baltimore Oriole Eugene Kingsale is hitting at a .368 pace.

AUSSIE HITTING SHOES STAY ON: Australia enters Monday’s game with the USA leading all teams with a .328 average, and third in runs scored with 77.  Australia’s only two losses thus far have been by one run to Mexico (10-9) and Chinese Taipei (5-4), both of which they have avenged.  Philadelphia Phillies  prospect Joel Naughton continues to set the hitting pace for Australia with  a .478 mark (11-23), with Minnesota Twins prospect James Bereford hitting .343 (12-35) and two other teammates hitting .333, Phillies prospect Timothy Kennelly and Pirates Christopher Snelling.

WOW CANADA: The team leading all nations in runs scored through two rounds is Canada. The Canadians have scored 9.3 rpg in their 8-2 run thus far, and are led by Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni .390 3 HR, 11 RBI

PUERTO RICO  COMING ON STRONG: Puerto Rico remains one of the tournaments hottest teams, using a balance of veterans and prospects on their way to an 8-2 mark The team is led by Toronto Blue Jays prospect Angel Sanchez (.435) and Baltimore Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu, their second leading hitter at .405 (15hits) and a team best 9 runs scored. Puerto Rico has a tournament high NINE players with Major League experience on their roster in addition to their rising stars.

RECORDBREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall. They include:

• Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
• Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
• USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
• USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday’s win over Chinese Taipei.

Italy – USA 3-12

USA 003 230 301  12 17 2
ITA 001 200 000   3  3 0

Box score

Justin Smoak extended his homerun lead in the 2009 Baseball World Cup with two more long balls on Sunday evening in Torino. He went deep in the third and the fifth to lead Team USA to an easy 12-3 win over host Italy. Buck Coats and Trevor Plouffe also homered. All nine players in the starting lineup at least got one hit. Italy was able to cut the deficit to 3-5 after four innings, but they couldn’t score again afterwards. Kasey Kiker walked seven batters in three-plus innings. Lucas Harrell picked up the win. Sandy Patrone took the loss after three hits, three runs and three bb in 2 2/3 innings. Both teams will conclude the second round on Monday with make-up games after rainouts in the past week. Team USA faces Australia in a battle for first place in Pool G. Italy will play against the Netherlands Antilles, hoping for their second victory in the tournament.

Australia – Mexico 6-5

MEX 010 200 002  5 10 0
AUS 000 030 21X  6 10 1

Box score

In a meaningless matchup – Mexico is already eliminated, Australia advances anyway – the Aussies won by a final score of 6-5. They improved their record to 5-1, but won’t carry the win over into the third round. Mexico had the better start taking a 3-0 lead through four innings. But Australia tied the contest in the fifth thanks to Brad Harman’s three-run homerun. They took the lead in the seventh and added an important insurance run in the eighth to seal the win. Mexico tried to rally in the ninth, but couldn’t get the tying run over the plate. Abel Martinez and Mario Valenzuela hit homeruns for the Central American team. Australia used eight pitchers in the game with Paul Mildren picking up the win. Francisco Cordoba took the loss.

Canada – Taiwan 5-3 (7)

TPE 001 020 0  3 7 1
CAN 000 122 X  5 6 0

Box score

Adam Loewen and Cole Armstrong drove in two Canadian runs in the bottom of the sixth, leading their team to a 5-3 win over Taiwan, which was cut short due to rain in the seventh. With the victory Canada moved past Sunday’s opponent into third place in Pool G. The maple leafs had tied the game one frame earlier on RBIs by Armstrong and Shawn Bowman. Rene Tosoni hit a solo homerun. Taiwan had taken the lead in the top of the fifth on a solo homerun by Tai-Yung Kuo and a RBI double by Chung-Chun Wu. Taiwan will advance as the lone Asian team to the third round.

Japan – Netherlands Antilles 1-10

AHO 000 100 000   1  5 2
JPN 103 123 00X  10 12 0

Box score

Japan scored in five of the first six innings en route to a 10-1 win against Netherlands Antilles and concluded the Baseball World Cup 2009 with a 2-5 record in round two and the elimination. Motoki Higa (W 2-0) struck out ten in five innings, allowing two hits, a run and a walk. Ikuhiro Kiyota and Kenichi Yokoyama homered and combined for five RBI. Simon Pantoflet (L 1-1) surrendered nine hits, ten runs (8 ER) and five bb in five-plus innings.