PHOENIX, Arizona, 10 March 2006 — A Canadian group of minor-leaguers and unknowns stunned US stars to put the Americans on the edge of elimination while Cubans showed they belong among the elite at the World Baseball Classic.
Canada shocked a US Major League Baseball All-Star lineup 8-6 here Wednesday as American fans booed their squad after Canada overpowered the hosts on the way to an 8-0 lead and shut down late rally attempts.
After Mexico’s 10-4 Pool B triumph over South Africa, the fate of the team from baseball’s birthplace is in the hands of rivals who were meet in round-robin play at the first global event with Major League Baseball talent.
Other games Wednesday saw Cuba down Panama 8-6 in 11 innings and host Puerto Rico defeat Netherlands 8-3 in Pool C matchups while Venezuela blanked Italy 6-0 at Orlando, Florida, to stay in Pool D contention.
The Cubans, reigning Olympic champions, have long dominated global baseball but the Communist island nation has lacked the chance to send its best against the top major leaguers of their political rivals until now.
Canada’s Adam Stern, who played 36 games for Boston last year, went 3-for-4 including a triple and inside-the-park home run, drove in four runs and made a leaping catch to keep the US squad from tying the score in the eighth inning.
At Orlando, Florida, Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer and Freddy Garcia threw 3 1 3 scoreless innings to spark Venezuela’s triumph after dropping an 11-5 opener to the Dominican Republic.
