It was a big night for Mets players in the World Baseball Classic on both the U.S. and Puerto Rican teams, but only some of them will be continuing.
David Wright was the hero of the night when his ninth-inning single scored two runs to defeat Team Puerto Rico 6-5 after the U.S. team trailed 5-3 in the World Baseball Classic. Wright was 3-for-4 at the plate and helped to manufacture a run by stealing a base and escaping a tag-out at home plate.
Wright wasn’t the only Team USA member to contribute. Mets set-up man J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two.
On the other hand, or team, the two Carloses, Beltran and Delgado, also had huge contributions. Beltran robbed Brian McCann of a home run, and Delgado hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 3-3 in the fourth.
Mets pitchers Nelson Figueroa and Pedro Feliciano combined for three scoreless innings for Puerto Rico. But it wasn’t enough and it’s a sure bet that the Carloses, Figueroa and Feliciano will be headed back to Port St. Lucie and the Mets.
Team USA next plays a semifinals seeding game vs. Venezuela on Wednesday night.
So, do you think the WBC is a worthwhile competition of national pride and excitement or do you think it’s not worth the potential injury it can cause to players such as Dustin Pedroia, Chipper Jones and Matt Lindstrom?