One day after Colombian left-hander Jose Quintana spun a stellar outing against Team USA, right-hander Julio Teheran followed it up with a gem of his own versus Team Canada in Pool C play of the World Baseball Classic.
Quintana allowed just one hit and one run over 5 2/3 innings in Friday night's difficult one-run loss to the United States. Teheran nearly matched his Colombian counterpart with five innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 win over Canada on Saturday at Marlins Park in Miami.
:: 2017 World Baseball Classic ::
Teheran ran into trouble in the first inning when he walked Justin Morneau and gave up a one-out single to Eric Wood. Teheran's Braves teammate Freddie Freeman then laced a sharp grounder through the right side of the infield to score Morneau from second base.
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After the game's first run crossed the plate, the tide began to turn for Teheran. Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro nabbed Freeman trying to steal second, and Teheran struck out Tyler O'Neill to end the inning.
"Julio struggled a bit at the beginning with his command, but since he was a veteran, he kept his cool," said manager Luis Urueta. "He made the necessary adjustments, and he gave us five solid innings to help us keep in the game. "
Teheran, a two-time All-Star for the Braves, retired the final 13 batters he faced, breezing through the Canadian lineup and departing with a 2-1 lead.
"[Teheran] made the necessary adjustments," Urueta said. "He started to have a better command of his pitching. He used his pitches well, the way he should. He mixed his pitches well, and he handled the Canadians' lineup well."
The 26-year-old Teheran allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out three batters in his first Classic appearance. Needing to win for his team to have a chance at advancing through Pool C, Teheran delivered with a sparkling debut.
The World Baseball Classic runs through March 22. 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 games at Marlins Park, Tokyo Dome, Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, Petco Park, as well as the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.