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Wilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on, and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic champion Japan was within reach.
Japan, its 11-game WBC winning streak on the line, held a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday’s thrilling quarterfinal matchup in Miami when Abreu put his team ahead with the biggest swing of the game: a three-run shot off Hiromi Itoh that sent the loanDepot Park crowd into a passionate roar and helped clinch Venezuela’s 8-5 win and first WBC semifinal appearance in 17 years.
“That was an exciting moment,” Abreu said in a postgame television interview. “I tried to at least tie the game with a sac fly. He gave me a really good pitch to hit. I made good contact. I’m very excited for this win. Now in the semifinals I hope I can do the same thing I did today.”
Venezuela fell behind 5-2 when Maikel Garcia sparked a comeback with a two-run homer in the fifth. Abreu followed with his first homer of the tournament, a 409-foot drive to right that put his team ahead for good.
Abreu, a two-time Gold Glove-winning right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, is hitting .294 with six RBIs in five WBC games. He described Saturday’s moment as one of the best in his career — but he’s no stranger to epic performances.
Abreu hit a grand slam and inside-the-park home run in the same game against the Cincinnati Reds last year, becoming the sixth player in major league history and the second Red Sox player since 1939 to accomplish that. The inside-the-park home run was the first by a Boston player in Fenway Park since Jacoby Ellsbury on Sept. 19, 2011.
On Saturday, in a game with much higher stakes, Abreu said the team fed off the energy of the Venezuelan fans. They stood on their feet most of the game, cheering and banging drums after each play.
“I think that the crowd today and every game that we have played in this WBC, the fans have been great, incredible,” Abreu said. “You can feel the vibes. You can feel the support from the stands and from all the Venezuelans at home watching the game on TV.”
Abreu and his teammates know they’re not done. Venezuela will face Italy in the semifinals but also clinched a spot in the six-nation field for the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament, along with the United States and the Dominican Republic.
“I believe that this means a lot to us Venezuelans for the country,” Abreu said. “Venezuela has participated in the Olympics in other categories and other sports, but we are trying to write our own history. Our team is well-prepared. … The job is not completed. We have more to do.”
Italy 8, Puerto Rico 6
J.J. D’Orazio doubled with three RBIs and Andrew Fischer drove in two runs as Italy kept up its charmed World Baseball Classic run with an 8-6 win over Puerto Rico in Houston to earn its first trip to the semifinals.
The Azzurri improved to 5-0 in the tournament and advanced to face Venezuela on Monday night in Miami.
Italy trailed only briefly after a leadoff home run by Willi Castro before scoring four runs in the first inning to go on top for good. Puerto Rico rallied late, scoring four runs in the eighth, but Greg Weissert allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for a five-out save.
Puerto Rico, in the quarterfinals for a sixth time, fell to 1-2 against Italy in the WBC.
Italy was up by two in the fourth when it drew three straight walks that loaded the bases with two outs. Fischer hit a ball to right field that a fan reached over the fence to catch, and Fischer was credited with a double on fan interference for a 6-2 lead. D’Orazio followed with a two-run, ground-rule double.
Eddie Rosario hit into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth, Joe La Sorsa threw a run-scoring wild pitch and Christian Vazquez hit a two-run single. Weissert allowed a two-out single before retiring Nolan Arenado on an inning-ending groundout.
Castro’s shot to the Crawford Boxes in left field on winner Sam Aldegheri’s fourth pitch put Puerto Rico, its second home run of the tournament.
Vinnie Pasquantino, who set a WBC record with three homers in Italy’s previous game, hit a tying single in the bottom half, and RBI singles by Dominic Canzone and Jac Caglianone chased loser Seth Lugo. D’Orazio hit a sacrifice fly off Jovani Moran.
Aldegheri walked two batters with one out in the second and hit Matthew Lugo on the top of a foot with a pitch. Alek Jacob forced in a run when he entered with the bases loaded and plunked Martin Maldonado with his first pitch.
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