Rosario throw nails Segura, erases DR threat
Puerto Rico escapes no-out, bases-loaded jam in 1st inning
Another World Baseball Classic game, another thrilling play at the plate.
Only this time, the Dominican Republic came up on the short end in Puerto Rico's 3-1 win.
:: 2017 World Baseball Classic ::
Puerto Rican right fielder Eddie Rosario helped wiggle starter Orlando Roman out of a massive first-inning jam by throwing out Jean Segura trying to score on a fly ball off the bat of Carlos Santana.
With the bases loaded with one out in the first, Santana lined a 1-0 fastball to Rosario, who fired a one-hop strike to catcher Yadier Molina from short right field. Molina applied a clean, easy tag to get Puerto Rico out of the inning, pumping his fist as he jogged to the dugout.
Molina then drove home the game's first run with an RBI single off Carlos Martinez in the bottom of the inning.
Nelson Cruz homered off Roman in the top of the second to tie the score.
Rosario has a history of strong throws over his first two Major League seasons, both with the Twins. His average arm strength on competitive throws from the outfield last year was 95 mph, according to Statcast™. His best throw came in an August game against the Astros, when Rosario fired a 99.5 mph toss from center field to catch Alex Bregman at the plate.