Cutch helps USA break through vs. Japan

LOS ANGELES -- Andrew McCutchen and the United States struck first on Tuesday in their World Baseball Classic semifinals matchup against Japan, paving the way to a 2-1 win and a spot in Wednesday's final vs. Puerto Rico (9 ET, MLB.TV and MLB Network).
Starting pitchers Tomoyuki Sugano and Tanner Roark of the Nationals were locked in a scoreless duel for three-plus frames when McCutchen put the U.S. on the board with a two-out RBI single in the fourth.
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"It's been really good, been a lot of fun," McCutchen said. "But just being in this position, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's a first, so I'm just happy to be a part of that."

The U.S. capitalized on a fielding error by Japan second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi, allowing Christian Yelich to reach second base on a single. Sugano responded by striking out the next batter, Nolan Arenado, but then issued a walk to Eric Hosmer, putting two runners aboard for McCutchen. The Pirates outfielder knocked in the run with a ground-ball single to left field, scoring Yelich.
Kikuchi would redeem himself in the sixth, when he hit a solo homer off USA reliever Nate Jones.

McCutchen hasn't found much success at the plate in the Classic. He entered the game batting just 2-for-13 through four contests. He has, however, come through with two crucial hits in back-to-back elimination games. He put the U.S. ahead Tuesday night, and he also belted a crucial double against the Dominican Republic on Saturday, providing two runs of insurance in the United States' 6-3 win.
The World Baseball Classic runs through Wednesday. In the U.S., games air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament is being distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.