With the fourth (and hopefully not last) installment of the World Baseball Classic fast approaching, the next several scoresheets will be from the WBC. I start with this qualifier, played between favored Panama and Brazil in Panama City, with the winner qualifying for the 2013 WBC field. Panama had participated in the first two WBCs without having to qualify, but had failed to win a game (0-5). Brazil was seeking its first appearance.
It turned out to be a well-played, quick-paced, exciting game. The first scoring threat came suddenly in the top of the third; with two outs an a man at first, a muffed catch by Brazil’s second baseman allowed the runner to get to third, but he was thrown out in a rundown between third and home trying to score. In the bottom of the inning, Brazil used four straight singles to station-to-station home a run. In the thick of it were the two recognizable names on the Brazilian team, Paulo Orlando and Yan Gomes. Panama wouldn’t threaten again until the ninth, when they got national hero Carlos Lee to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. But Lee and former megaprospect Ruben Rivera struck out, and Brazil qualified for the WBC where they would go 0-3 against China, Cuba, and Japan.
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