(no subject)
Oliver Perez and seven relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter Thursday night as Mexico beat the Rocket and the United States 2-1, giving Japan another shot at Korea in the WBC semifinals.
The outcome was a stunner, considering Team USA fielded a lineup loaded with All-Stars even without Derrek Lee and Johnny Damon, sidelined with sore left shoulders.
South Korea had a 3-0 second-round record in Group One, with Team USA, Japan and Mexico all going 1-2. Japan earned the second semifinal berth from the group by allowing the fewest runs in games between the tied teams.
Japan, which has already lost twice to South Korea in the Classic, faces its archrival in Saturday's opening semifinal game at Petco Park in San Diego, with the Dominican Republic meeting Cuba on Saturday night. The winners play Monday night for the championship.
Clemens, who has won 341 games and struck out 4,502 batters in his big league career, has said he's leaning toward retirement after the Classic. He wasn't at his best against Mexico, allowing six hits and two runs in 4 1-3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches - seven below the maximum for the second round.
Perez allowed only one hit in three scoreless innings, and the Mexican bullpen later retired 12 straight batters until Chipper Jones drew a one-out walk off Jorge De La Rosa in the ninth. Luis Ayala then walked Alex Rodriguez, but David Cortes needed only one pitch, getting Vernon Wells to ground into a game-ending double play.
The outcome was a stunner, considering Team USA fielded a lineup loaded with All-Stars even without Derrek Lee and Johnny Damon, sidelined with sore left shoulders.
South Korea had a 3-0 second-round record in Group One, with Team USA, Japan and Mexico all going 1-2. Japan earned the second semifinal berth from the group by allowing the fewest runs in games between the tied teams.
Japan, which has already lost twice to South Korea in the Classic, faces its archrival in Saturday's opening semifinal game at Petco Park in San Diego, with the Dominican Republic meeting Cuba on Saturday night. The winners play Monday night for the championship.
Clemens, who has won 341 games and struck out 4,502 batters in his big league career, has said he's leaning toward retirement after the Classic. He wasn't at his best against Mexico, allowing six hits and two runs in 4 1-3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches - seven below the maximum for the second round.
Perez allowed only one hit in three scoreless innings, and the Mexican bullpen later retired 12 straight batters until Chipper Jones drew a one-out walk off Jorge De La Rosa in the ninth. Luis Ayala then walked Alex Rodriguez, but David Cortes needed only one pitch, getting Vernon Wells to ground into a game-ending double play.