#457---Cuba v. Netherlands, 3/7/2023 (World Baseball Classic)

Cuba had just one hit through five innings, but it was a RBI double that allowed them to stay tied 1-1 with the Netherlands as the teams played in the opening round of the WBC in Taiwan. The Dutch took control of the game in the sixth with a three-spot off three singles and a walk, all coming from current or former big leaguers (Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, Josh Palacios, Chadwick Tromp). Cuba got a run back in the seventh but saw their last scoring opportunity go up in smoke on terrible baserunning by Luis Robert in the eighth. He was thrown out after getting too far off second considering an advance on a would-be wild pitch (with two outs). Cuba was retired 1-2-3 in the ninth and the Netherlands won 4-2. 

#456---Puerto Rico v. Mexico, 3/11/2017 (World Baseball Classic)

Each of Puerto Rico’s middle infielders knocked in three runs on homers (Francisco Lindor on two, Javier Baez one) to power a win over Mexico in the first round of the WBC. Baez’s shot came with two outs in the ninth off Joakim Soria to give Edwin Diaz a much more comfortable margin to work with in the ninth. After Diaz allowed two free passes and got a strikeout, the game ended on a looper back to him on which he was able to double Mexico’s Diaz off second. 

#455---Cuba v. Brazil, 3/2/2013 (World Baseball Classic)

 

Brazil made its first WBC appearance in 2013 and played competitively, ultimately losing to Japan, Cuba, and China by nearly identical scores (5-3, 5-2, 5-2). Brazil held Cuba hitless through 4 1/3, but six hits strung together with two walks and a hit batter over the next five outs would allow Cuba to plate five runs and win the game.

#454---Japan v. Korea, 3/9/2009 (World Baseball Classic)

 

The WBC employed a double-elimination format for pool rounds in 2009, which wasn’t a bad idea except that two teams advanced out of each pool, yet the final game was played for seeding purposes (and maybe for the purpose of keeping the winner’s bracket team sharp as well). Additionally, there was no crossing of teams from pools until the final round. Thus in each round, Japan and Korea finished first and second in the pools, then both advanced to the championship meaning that they played five times against each other and only four times against other countries.

This was the first meeting in Pool A, and Japan’s victory ensured their advancement while Korea would have to defeat China in the loser’s bracket final. Japan invoked the mercy rule, powered by homers from Shuichi Murata and Kenji Johjima. Ichiro had three hits and steal, while Daisuke Matsuzaka started and allowed a two-run homer in the first but nothing further.

#453---Taiwan v. China, 3/4/2006 (World Baseball Classic)

A two-out, fourth-inning grand slam put Taiwan up 5-0 and a four-run eighth salted away a 12-3 win over their mainland rivals. Hong-Chi Kuo, at this point just coming off his rookie season in the majors, struck out three in the ninth but did allow a run as a double came around on a passed ball and a wild pitch.  

#452---LA v. CHN, 3/18/2025

This was the (literal) global MLB opener for 2025, played at the Tokyo Dome and featuring two Japanese starters on each side, including the starting pitchers. Shoto Imanaga pitched four no-hit innings for the Cubs, but he walked four with just one strikeout. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was touched up for a run on a two-out Miguel Amaya double in the second, but he walked just one and fanned four over five frames, enough to earn the win as Ben Brown quickly coughed up three runs in his first inning in relief of Imanaga. Seiya Suzuki was 0-4 but Shohei Ohtani was 2-5, so it was a pretty good showing all around for the Japanese players. Matt Shaw made his MLB debut batting seventh for Chicago, going 0-4.

#451---OSU v. Nebraska, 5/21/2024 (Big Ten Tournament)

The Buckeyes got off to a great start in the Big Ten Tournament, highlighted by an eight-run fourth and a four-run fifth and winning the game by the run rule after seven. Unfortunately, it would be the last victory for OSU on the season as they would drop their next two games to be eliminated. This brought a surprising end to tenure of coach Bill Mosiello, who resigned to accept his old job as an assistant at TCU after two seasons in Columbus.

#450---ARI @ CLE, 3/5/2023

Corbin Carroll had a perfect day at the plate with three walks and a double, scoring two and driving in one to help Arizona down Cleveland 6-4 in Goodyear. Madison Bumgarner started for Arizona, allowing two runs in three innings, while Triston McKenzie allowed the same in an inning and two-thirds. Deyvison De Los Santos drew walk as a pinch-hitter for the D-Backs in the seventh; he would be plucked by Cleveland in the subsequent offseason’s Rule 5 draft.  

#449---LA @ CLE, 3/30/2022

 

The Guardians fielded a fairly representative lineup in this game, but were using some of the “B” pitchers and it blew up in the ninth, with the Dodgers first ten batters reaching base. The first two Guards pitchers of the inning, Krauth and Alvarez, each failed to record an out but Marman retired all three batters that he faced. Cleveland only managed seven baserunners for the entire contest. 

#448---LA @ COL, 4/1/2021

If you follow the progression of my scorekeeping style over time, you will see that my early scoresheets (late ‘90s/early ‘00s) have a lot more notes scrawled on the page then my later efforts. Some of this was due to my notation evolving to allow information to be recorded more effectively (for example, early scoresheets have notes indicating on what pitch events like steals or wild pitches occurred, which I later captured in the scorebox more efficiently), but in general after scoring literally thousands of games there is less that I find so noteworthy that it needs to be specially recorded. Sometimes you can’t help it though, and the Dodgers’ third is a good example. Cody Bellinger hit a fly to the warning track in left that bounced off Raimel Tapia’s glove and over the wall, but Justin Turner who had started from first and rounded second thought Tapia had caught it and ran back towards first, being passed by Bellinger in the process. The notation (Bellinger single to wall in left and out “PR4” – passed runner with putout credited to second base) and) gives some indication, but on an unusual play like this it helps to add the color that the ball bounced out of Tapia’s glove, which I have no code for, or exactly what Turner was doing on the basepaths.

The game saw German Marquez constantly in trouble; he only allowed one run (although it should have at least been two minus the confusion described above), but gave up six hits and six walks stranding two runners in each of his four innings. The Dodgers hade more luck converting baserunners to runs off the Rockies bullpen, getting four runs over five innings while stranding six, but it wasn’t enough. To add insult to injury, the last big LOB inning came in the ninth where they loaded the bases against Daniel Bard with one out (tying runs on base), but Matt Beaty struck out and the game ended on Mookie Betts’ looping liner to second. The only inning the Dodgers did not strand a runner was the sixth and a baserunner was wiped out by a double play in that frame.

Meanwhile, the Rockies put up four two-run innings, the first three spoiling Clayton Kershaw’s afternoon. Chris Owings had a big day for the Rockies, going 3-3 with a triple, walk, two steals, three runs scored, and a RBI.