{"id":13248,"date":"2023-03-16T12:28:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/?p=13248"},"modified":"2023-03-16T12:29:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:29:03","slug":"team-usa-passes-colombia-to-advance-to-quarterfinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/team-usa-passes-colombia-to-advance-to-quarterfinals\/","title":{"rendered":"Team USA passes Colombia to advance to quarterfinals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Team USA went into Wednesday\u2019s game against Colombia knowing that a win will lead them to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. From a lineup packed with superstars and some Hall Of Famers, captain, Mike Trout <\/a>took the lead, going 3-for-4 with all three RBIs as the US secured its ticker to Miami in its journey to becoming the last team standing through a 3-2 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just think he\u2019s one of the best players of all time at the end of the day,\u201d manager Mark DeRosa said when speaking on Trout. \u201cHe was coming off 16, 17 at-bats in Spring Training and no one is in midseason form like that, but I think some of these games that we played \u2013 Mexico woke us up. He had some great ABs in the Canada game. That bullet he hit to right to start it off was pretty special. He looks really good at the dish. He\u2019s just super confident in what he\u2019s able to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bullet in question, came after the first inning at Chase Field, a 112.5 mph laser that tore its way to the right-centre-field, fence. Trout moved to third, setting the tone for the next two times he appeared on the dish: an RBI single in the third that declared the scoring open and a two-run knock in the fifth that put Team USA ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"team<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trout alongside Mookie Betts <\/a>has successfully created a dynamic tandem that sits at the top of the USA orders. Betts deployed a multi-hit performance in his own right. All four balls Mookie hit were \u201chard hit\u201d (north of 95+ mph), and he benefitted immensely from a Trout run-scoring knock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll I gotta do is get on base and I\u2019ve got him behind me,\u201d Betts said. \u201cI know I\u2019m going to get pitches to hit, they don\u2019t want to walk me to get to him with somebody on base. It\u2019s just fun when you take off the uniform and you play for your boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, Team USA will play Venezuela (Sat, 7 p.m ET, FOX), which has made its way through Pool D. Going forward, all 2023 World Baseball Classic games will be single elimination contests, meaning the U.S. needs three straight wins if they want to become back-to-back champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, the moniker \u201cCaptain America\u2019\u2019 was attached to David Wright for acting as a powerhouse for the U.S. offense during the World Baseball Classic. Now in 2023, the new captain is another fan favourite in the person of Mike Trout. Trout has converted a historic assembly of talents with the hope of becoming back-to-back champions on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For four games, the numbers between the two have drawn parallels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n