March 12, 2023

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

PHOENIX _ The reason for expanding the World Baseball Classic from 16 to 20 teams was to popularize the game around the world.

Added to the fifth WBC were Czech Republic, Nicaragua, Panama and Great Britain.

Team Canada went to 1-0 at this edition Sunday afternoon with a 18-8 win over Great Britain in front of 11,555 fans at Chase Field. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh due to the WBC run-elimination rule (mercy rule) as the teams set a record for runs scored. Still it took three hours and 38 minutes.

If you were an optimist, it was ugly. It you were a pessimist, you would have headed for the nearest saloon and put some coins in the jukebox. The two pitching staffs combined for 23 walks and four wild pitches. That may be the most I’ve seen since covering the Glebe Little League provincials in Ottawa. Felix Tejeda from the Dominican Republic did not have a pitcher’s strike zone. Twas the size of a softball. Maybe.

“We probably set the game back 10 years,” said Phillippe Aumont, who pitched 1 1/3 innings allowed one run and picked up the win. Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) came on in the first after Great Britain scored three on Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) on four walks and two singles in his 37-pitch outing -- 17 for strikes. In the game, pitchers threw 356 pitches, only 189 for strikes (53% strikes). Hall of Famer Whitey Ford used to say pitchers should shook for 65% strikes.

We know it is spring training, but most springs at this time of year whether at West Palm Beach or Dunedin, we’d hear players say, “Well, the pitchers are ahead of the hitters right now.”

What about it Freddie Freeman ... did the state of baseball regress or improve on Sunday?

“The big thing is that this is good because it gives guys a chance, you had guys playing Indy ball or in the lower levels of the minors, who impressed, who improved their chances,” Freeman said, one eye on the TV watching the WBC in 30 minutes (or maybe it was 23 walks). “Anfernee Seymour had a good game for Great Britain. I remember him from the Atlanta Braves camp in 2017. He played Indy ball (Long Island Ducks) maybe if he has a good tournament he gets into affiliated ball.”

“Their catcher Harry Ford hit a homer, he was a first-round pick (12th overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2021). All I know is, it was a better game than the first one in Miami in 2017 (a 9-2 loss to the Dominican).”

So, everything was good then?

“Well, I’m a baseball purist and we went by the pitch clock in Dodgers camp before I got here ... first pitch was at 12:08 today and I looked up and it was 12:59 at the end of the first. I think people will advocate for the pitch clock.”

Or maybe the strike zone needs to be opened up.

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Probable pitchers

Tonight _ Canada (Mitch Bratt, class-A Down East, Ranger 5-5, 2.45) vs United States

Tuesday _ Canada (Noah Skirrow, triple-A Lehigh Valley, double-A Reading, Phillies) 5-9, 4.36) vs Colombia.

Wednesday _ Canada (Rob Zastryzny, Mets/Angels 0-0, 6.75, triple-A Salt Lake, triple-A Syracuse, 1-5, 6.75) vs. Mexico (RHP José Urquidy 13-8, 3.94).

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* * *

About the first inning I was looking for Steve Hirdt, the former Elias stats guru, and still one of the wisest men in the game I have ever met. In 2006, Canada opened against South Africa. Relievers Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.), Mike Meyers (Tillsonburg, Ont.) and Chris Reitsma (Calgary, Alta.), allowed a combined total of eight runs on six hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings giving South Africa a one-run lead going into the bottom of the eighth.

Hirdt was the official scorer and wandered down to where I was sitting and whispered, “Tip O’Neill must be rolling over in his grave right now.”

I didn’t see Hirdt here yesterday, but he emailed to say, “Tyler has replaced Tip O’Neill in the hearts of your countrymen. Come to think of it, Tip might not had appreciated someone hitting a three-run double against the King’s Team.”

Canada rallied that night for a comeback 11-8 win over South Africa and Sunday Tyler O’Neill went 4-for-4 with a single to left in the five-run first, hit a bases-clearing double in the third to up the Canuck lead to 10-5, singled to right in the fourth and lined a single to left. He also had four RBIs and walked twice. In the previous WBC, O’Neill was 1-for-11 with five strikeouts in 2017.

* * *

The linescore was staggering offensive wise with the Brits first 3-1-1 calling a citizens’ hotline and for Canada 5-1-4 phoning Montreal:

123 456 7

Great Britain 311 300 0 -- 8

Canada 514 611 x -- 18

Since it took until the fifth we should look at the only three zeros on the board. Curtis Taylor (Coquitlam, BC) came on in relief of Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, Ont.) in the fourth. Rutckyj had just given up a double to Darnell Sweeney. B.J. Murray, who should have scored from first -- heck Rico Carty would have -- failed to score. With Canada leading 10-8 and the tying run was on second, Taylor fanned D’Shawn Knowles.

“That’s the most exciting game I’ve ever been involved in,” said Taylor, who came back out for the fifth to put up Canada’s first zero.

Canada scored six times in the bottom of the fourth.

“After about 20 minutes I went and played catch ... then I sat for another 20 minutes.”

He was only slightly exaggerating.

Taylor got to pitch in front of his father Wes Taylor, one of the giants of the BC Premier League. He runs the Coquitlam Reds of the BC Premier League.

Curtis went back out for the fifth and went 1-2-3 as Seymour grounded out, Chavez Young and Tracye Thompson each whiffed.

* * *

And on came John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), who saved 24, 46 and 35 saves in a three-year period from 2010 to 2012 with the Milwaukee Brewers after learning from of Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman. He had three post-season saves.

Wearing his Canada uniform with small font, he fanned Justin Wylie swinging, got Ural Forbes on a grounder and Alex Crosby on a liner.

The third out recorded, Axford turned and pointed behind home plate. To mom Vera, to pop Brian, to his three sisters and the rest of the 16-person Axford travelling party. He didn’t throw one pitch for each -- needing only 12 in the inning -- nine strikes.

“That,” said Axford, “was one of the highlights of my career. How do I feel? Like I had Tommy John 18 months ago.”

Going into the game, Axford had recorded one out in the majors in the past four seasons.

Colorado Rockies’ Daniel Bard of Team USA will be looking for Axford during batting practice Monday night. He has not seen Axford since the right-hander tried to recruit him to come to Notre Dame.

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Pool C standings

TEAM W-L

Canada 1-0

Colombia 1-0

Mexico 1-1

USA 1-1

Great Britain 0-2

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* * *

Quantrill opened by walking Chavez Young who stole 21 bases at triple-A Buffalo last year. Young stole second. After retiring Trayce Thompson on a grounder, which moved Young to third, Quantrill walked Matt Koperniak, who was at triple-A Memphis. Quantrill fanned former first rounder Ford. Nick Ward, an Indy league player from the Washington Wild Things of indy ball, singled and B.J. Murray, from class-A Myrtle Beach, singled.

Darnell Sweeney, from the Kansas City Monarchs and Indy ball, singled in another run and then Jaden Rudd, who was with rookie-class Blue Jays in 2022, walked. On came Aumont, who handled a comebacker on a bang-bang play covering first to end it.

In 75 career starts, Quantrill has never ever walked four in the first. He walked five in a 6-5 win over San Diego previously and four -- one in the first -- in a 2-1 loss to Houston as he threw six innings -- two in the first -- as he pitched six innings in 2022.

And he issued four free passes in a 2-1 loss -- none in the first -- to the Chicago White Sox in 2021. And four in a 5-1 win when he was with the Padres in a 5-1 beating San Francisco.

* * *

The Good: 2B Edouard Julien (Quebec, Que.) took the first pitch of the bottom of the first into the right-field seats ... RF Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) homered in the third 427 feet away. It wasn’t clear if the ball hit above or below the yellow line. So, Caissie set a time that equaled Adam Stern’s (London, Ont.) clocking on his inside-the-park homer in 2006 against Team USA ... Canada batted around three times in six innings and scored in every inning ... LF Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) was 4-for-4 ... SS Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) and Abraham Toro (Longuiel, Que.) had a pair of hits, with a double, knocking in two each ... Freeman had two hits and knocked in a run ... Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) dominated in the final inning throwing 12 pitches -- 10 for strikes -- as he struck out the side.

* * *

The Bad: The Brits stole a record-tying five bases -- either due to Canuck pitchers not holding runners or C Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and his low throws. Naylor threw out a runner at third ... Rutckyj, gave up a run in the third and then, three-run shot to Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford in the fourth that made it a game again.

* * *

Game 4: Joey Meneses put Mexico back on track with an 11-5 victory over the Team USA. Both homers carried over the left-field wall, before a 47,534 fans, a pro-Mexico crowd. He hit a solo homer in the first off Nick Martinez and a two-run shot off former Blue Jays No. 1 pick (unsigned) Brady Singer to put Mexico up 7-1. He knocked in five runs on the night with three hits in all.

Randy Arozarena had three hits, including a pair of doubles, knocking in two runs. Patrick Sandoval pitched three innings for the win.

Will Smith homered for USA, while Tim Anderson had a pair of hits, including a double. Bobby Witt doubled and Kyle Tucker tripled.

* * *

Back in the booth: Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez is working all 10 games from Phoenix, along with his partner, Rick Waltz, for MLB International.

* * *

T-Birds of a feather: RHP Alex Webb (Surrey, BC) who pitched the final two innings for the Brits -- allowing two runs -- and Taylor were teammates with the University of British Columbia. Taylor was drafted in the fourth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent last season mostly at triple-A Rochester in the Washington Nationals system, as well as time at double-A Harrisburg and class-A Wilmington.

Webb was a Cincinnati Reds choice in the ninth round of the draft the same year.

Webb had not pitched in affiliated ball since class-A Daytona in 2018.

No beer for you: In the Saturday afternoon game -- Mexico vs. Colombia -- Chase Field ran out of beer from Mexico -- in the third inning.

* * *

Meanwhile in Goodyear: Cincinnati Reds 1B Joey Votto made his spring debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Votto has season-ending shoulder surgery Aug. 17 and said on Monday he very much doubted he would have been able to get insurance to play -- even if healthy. When players end the previous season on the injury list, they need to be approved. Votto struck out twice in an 8-1 loss facing Graham Ashcraft and Dustin May.

* * *

Most WBC at-bats for Canada: Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) 15-for-44, .341, Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.), 5-for-40, .125, Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) 7-for-18, .389, Jason Bay (Trail, BC) 7-for-15, .467 and Matt Stairs (Fredericton, NB) 2-for-25, .133.

* * *

Most WBC innings piyched for Canada: Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) 6 2/3 innings pitched, 0-0, 8.10 ERA; Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.) 5 2/3 IP, 1-0, 0.00; Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) 5 2/3 IP, 0-0, 1.59; Erik Bedard (Navan, Ont.) four IP, 0-0, 0.00; Mike Johnson (Sherwood Park, Alta.) four IP, 0-1, 9.00; Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) four IP, 0-0, 2.25 and Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex) four, 0-0, 2.25.

* * *

The woman should be paid by the word: Sarah Langs of Major League Baseball, who is basically pounding out a small booklet of WBC happenings is in Phoenix. Langs won the Casey Stengel “You Can Look It Up” award at the annual New York writers banquet in January. The woman does an amazing job.