The rain hindered play quite a bit at the competition site in Beijing, leading to a few delays and a postponement of a game. In the morning Team USA recovered from the dramatic loss to Korea on Wednesday with a dominating shutout against the Netherlands. Stephen Strasburg didn’t disappoint with eleven strikeouts in seven one-hit innings. The Dutch team only threatened in the ninth, but this frame didn’t count, as rain stopped play and the game.
Cuba needed two homeruns by Alex Malleta and Alfredo Despaigne in the sixth to defeat the Canadian one-man show Nick Weglarz 7-6. Japan got its first win versus Taiwan. The match between South Korea and China was first delayed and then stopped due to rain. No team scored in the six innings. They rescheduled the match for Sunday, August 17.
On Friday the tournament resumes with a first showdown between Team USA and the Cubans. The Netherlands have another favorite before their eyes with Japan.
Results, Thursday, August 14:
Netherlands – USA 0-7 (8) Recap
Cuba – Canada 7-6 Recap
Taiwan – Japan 1-6 Recap
Schedule, Friday, August 15:
10:30 China – Taiwan
11:30 USA – Cuba
18:00 Canada – South Korea
19:00 Japan – Netherlands
Complete Schedule, incl. live scoring