USA holds off Canada in Classic nail-biter to reach semifinals

HOUSTON – Team USA has definitely “punched its ticket” this time. And it’s a ticket to a real heavyweight bout.

After a tumultuous couple of days emanating from a regrettable MLB Network interview segment for manager Mark DeRosa and a lamentable loss to upstart Italy, the American dream in this World Baseball Classic is still intact after a 5-3 win over Canada in the quarterfinals in front of 38,054 fans Friday night at Daikin Park.

• Box score

That sets up what will be a highly anticipated semifinals duel with the Dominican Republic on Sunday night in Miami. It’ll be Paul Skenes vs. a D.R. lineup that has taken this tournament by storm.

“I expect it to be,” said DeRosa, “one of the best games of all time.”

Such hype has been associated with this Team USA roster throughout its assembly. But the lineup Skenes is about to encounter is, with apologies to Juan Marichal, a Dominican dandy that has already cranked out a WBC record-tying 14 home runs in this tournament.

This U.S. lineup has, surprisingly, been much tamer, by comparison. Canada’s pitching staff completed the tall task of keeping it in the yard. And while Team USA was able to follow the lead of its hockey compatriots from the Olympic gold medal games (and even received a pregame pump-up video from hockey hero Jack Hughes), its lineup rife with All-Stars was kept in check by the unlikely likes of Micah Ashman and Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, Minor League relievers.

“We knew that the U.S. hadn't seen them before,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. “They haven't been able to scout them or get a real good scouting report. So that was kind of in our back pocket, using those guys.”

So no, this has not been the American juggernaut we expected. Team USA won a tight one over Mexico, couldn’t come back against Italy and had to hold on for dear life late against Canada.

And none of those teams pack the powerful pedigree of what they’re about to face on that Dominican Republic team.

“They’re young, they’re talented, one through nine in that lineup, they can all go deep, they can all hit for average,” Bryce Harper said. “It’s one of the best countries in the world for baseball, and you expect them to be great.”

Maybe this Team USA run hasn’t been as great as advertised. But all that matters is that it advanced out of Houston, as expected.

Bailed out by their Italian peers in the final game of pool play, the Americans had what DeRosa had dubbed a “new lease on life.”

Here’s what they did with it:

Team USA had two runners in scoring position against Canada starter Michael Soroka in the top of the first after Bobby Witt Jr.’s leadoff walk and Aaron Judge’s one-out double. Kyle Schwarber’s groundout to the right-hand side (the scorched ball actually bounced out of the glove of first baseman Josh Naylor and into the glove of second baseman Edouard Julien for the rare 3-4 out at first) brought Witt home and made it 1-0.

It became a 3-0 U.S. advantage in the third. With runners at first and second and two out, Alex Bregman hit a squibber that third baseman Abraham Toro charged and fielded before sailing the throw over Naylor’s head at first. Bregman reached safely, and both runners scored.

This lineup is terrifying for opposing pitchers, but those innings were evidence of the pressure it puts on defenses, too.

“If we're going to win this tournament like we all believe we’re going to, it’s going to take more than home runs,” the USA captain Judge said. “If there's times where we're not getting home runs, we've gotta play small ball, we've gotta move runners, we gotta do different things just to create some offense.”

The early offense supported starter Logan Webb, who was stretched out to 71 pitches and delivered 4 2/3 scoreless innings in which he allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out five.

With Soroka unable to make it out of the third, Canada had to go to a bullpen that was ultra-thin on big league talent. The U.S. took advantage in the sixth. Phillippe Aumont, who last pitched in the bigs in 2015, left with two aboard. Adam Macko relieved him, and Brice Turang ripped a single up the middle to score Roman Anthony. Then Pete Crow-Armstrong continued to swing a hot stick in this tournament by lining an RBI single to center to score Cal Raleigh and make it 5-0.

Canada finally got on the board via Tyler Black’s RBI single in the sixth. And after Gabe Speier replaced Brad Keller on the mound for the Americans, a big blast from Canadian catcher Bo Naylor suddenly made it a 5-3 game.

Things got really tense in the seventh, when Canada had two runners in scoring position with none out after a rare passed ball got by Raleigh behind the dish. But reliever David Bednar locked in, retiring Josh Naylor on an infield popout before striking out Tyler O’Neill and Owen Caissie in succession.

“A lot of belief in David Bednar,” DeRosa said. “He's been in that situation before. Always seems to find a way to make a pitch in a big spot.”

With Garrett Whitlock’s 1-2-3 eighth and closer Mason Miller finishing the job in the ninth, Team USA departed Daikin Park with its Houston mission accomplished and a scintillating semis tilt on tap.

They know they haven’t lived up to expectations quite yet. They’re aware of everything that was said after the Italy loss. But they also know they’ve got Skenes ready to throw in the neighborhood of 75 to 80 pitches.

“I like any game that Paul Skenes pitches,” Judge said.

That’s the ticket.