Team Venezuela rallied late in its tiebreaker game with Italy to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Ender Inciarte, batting leadoff in this one, struck out his first time up and was hit by a pitch in his second plate appearance, but came through to tie the game at one apiece with an RBI single that ricocheted off the first baseman in the sixth.
Venezuela would fall behind after that, but some late-inning heroics courtesy of a game-tying ninth-inning homer by Miguel Cabrera, followed by a rally that scored two other runs, sent Inciarte and his teammates into second round, Pool F play. Team Italy, which proved to be a tough thorn in the side of other teams, will not advance.
Venezuela’s challenge only grows from here. They must compete with Team USA, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico in round-robin play to determine who advances to the single elimination round.
Pool E and Pool F schedule for Tuesday, March 14
Cuba vs. Japan
Location: Tokyo
Time: 6 a.m. ET
TV: MLB Network
Streaming: MLB.tv
Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico
Location: San Diego
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network
Streaming: MLB.TV
Full World Baseball Classic Schedule, Results and Standings
Second Round
WBC Pool E
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
| March 11 | Cuba (1) | vs. | Israel (4) | Tokyo | |
| March 12 | Japan (8) | vs. | Netherlands (6) | Tokyo | |
| March 13 | Netherlands (12) | vs. | Israel (2) | Tokyo | |
| March 14 | Cuba (5) | vs. | Japan (8) | Tokyo | |
| March 14 | Netherlands (14) | vs. | Cuba (1) | Tokyo | |
| March 15 | Israel (3) | vs. | Japan (8) | Tokyo |
Pool E Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | Notes |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 0 | Advanced |
| 2 | Netherlands | 2 | 1 | Advanced |
| 3 | Israel | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Cuba | 0 | 3 |
WBC Pool F
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
| March 14 | Dominican Republic (1) | vs. | Puerto Rico (3) | Petco Park | |
| March 15 | Venezuela (2) | vs. | United States (4) | Petco Park | |
| March 16 | Venezuela (0) | vs. | Dominican Republic (3) | Petco Park | |
| March 17 | United States (5) | vs. | Puerto Rico (6) | Petco Park | |
| March 18 | Puerto Rico (13) | vs. | Venezuela (2) | Petco Park | |
| March 18 | United States (6) | vs. | Dominican Republic (3) | Petco Park |
Pool F Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L |
| 1 | Puerto Rico | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | United States | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Dominican Republic | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Venezuela | 0 | 3 |
