The 6 biggest Classic storylines left to follow
After Japan’s 9-3 victory on Thursday, joining Cuba in the World Baseball Classic semifinals, the tournament now has only six teams left.
On Friday night Mexico will play Puerto Rico in Miami for the right to play Japan on Monday, and then on Saturday the United States will square off against Venezuela (also in Miami) with the winner facing Cuba on Sunday.
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Long story short: This thing is coming down to the wire now. It only gets more fun from here.
So, to reset before the weekend’s action, here’s a look at the major storyline for each of the six teams remaining.
Puerto Rico: Can they recover from the devastating Díaz injury?
Up until the moment Edwin Díaz collapsed underneath several of his celebrating countrymen, Puerto Rico had to think that maybe this was their year. After two consecutive second-place finishes in the WBC, the team this year had thrown a perfect game, knocked out the vaunted Dominican Republic team and set up a fascinating matchup with Mexico for the right to go to the semifinals. It was noteworthy how well manager Yadier Molina, a man long thought to be managerial material but doing this for the first time, had set up his bullpen and roster; it was all going exactly to plan. And then Díaz went down. That’s obviously going to be a problem for the Mets, but it’s a problem for Puerto Rico too, and not just because the team is now down its closer. How does a team rebound emotionally from such whiplash? They have roughly 40 hours to figure it out.
Mexico: Is Randy Arozarena on another one of his heaters?
Randy Arozarena has established himself as an impressive MLB regular with the Rays — he did win the AL Rookie of the Year award a couple of years ago, after all — but he’ll forever be known for his 2020 postseason, when he basically turned into Babe Ruth and carried the Rays into the World Series. It sure looks like he’s back at it again in the WBC. He is tied with Japan’s Masataka Yoshida for most RBIs in the tournament (9), and is only three RBIs behind the all-time record of 12, held by Wladimir Balentien (2017 Classic). He’s already become a clear folk hero in Mexico, and a trip to the semifinals could elevate him to legendary status. There may be nothing scarier than Arozarena in a short series.
