During the exhibition games, Team Puerto Rico looked like a squad that wasn’t firing on all cylinders and then after Game 1 of their opening round of the World Baseball Classic, they arrived.
Now Puerto Rico will faceoff against a Venezuelan team that is coming off a thrilling 5-1 victory on Saturday night over a Dominican Republic team, who were predicted to win the whole classic.
Puerto Rico defeated Team Nicaragua 9-1 on Saturday, led by Marcus Stroman‘s 4.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits and he struck out two. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was 2 for 4, with two runs scored and an RBI. Javier Baez, Christian Vazquez and Martin Maldonado also recorded two hits a piece in the lopsided victory.
Venezuela received an amazing performance from Houston Astros starter Luis Garcia, as he tossed three innings in relief, with no hits or runs and recorded seven strikeouts. Venezuela overcame a 1-0 deficit in the first inning and scored five runs over a span of eight inning, to win 5-1 and knock off the powerhouse DR team.
Both Puerto Rico and Venezuela are tied at the top of Pool D along with Israel, as they are all 1-0.
For Puerto Rico, Toronto Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios will take the mound against Venezuelan and Minnesota Twins starter Pablo Lopez.
Both teams have powerhouse lineups, and both are coming off big victories, but which team will have the upper hand?
One thing for sure, the stadium will be rocking as fans from both countries will be dancing in the stands and expecting a huge game.
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