"When you look down and see that you've lost your pants, the flag makes a poor trouser substitute. But hey, it's the risk you run when you play that game, as Team USA and its main broadcast partner, Fox, learned to their embarrassment during Tuesday's final of the World Baseball Classic."
"The better team won, 3-2, because its most important players made the most of their moments. Other than one thigh-high changeup that Bryce Harper T-shirt-cannoned beyond the center field wall in the eighth inning to offer the U.S. a 2-2 tie and the escape hatch it had not deserved, the Americans were owned on their own soil before a predominantly hostile crowd."
"The Americans managed three hits and had nobody in scoring position beyond the brief duration of Harper's home run trot. Not that the Venezuelans electrified the air either; their runs came on Maikel Garcia one-out sacrifice fly, Wilyer Abreu's leadoff homer in the fifth, and Eugenio Suarez's ninth-inning double."
Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic championship over Team USA with a 3-2 victory, demonstrating that superior pitching and execution trump patriotic sentiment. The Americans managed only three hits and failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, with their sole bright moment being Bryce Harper's eighth-inning home run that temporarily tied the game. Venezuela's runs came from strategic plays including Wilyer Abreu's leadoff homer, Maikel Garcia's sacrifice fly, and Eugenio Suarez's ninth-inning double. Despite playing at home before a predominantly hostile crowd, Team USA was outplayed by the Venezuelan team, which executed better in crucial moments and possessed a superior bullpen.
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