How Pirates Performed in World Baseball Classic Pool Play
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had many of their players feature in the World Baseball Classic, the highest international stage for the sport.
10 different Pirates players, including seven pitchers and three position players, representing eight different countries competed in the WBC Pool Play, featuring great moments and ones that they'd rather forget.
Five of those players will compete in the knockout stages and get a chance to win the gold medal for their nation, the ultimate honor.
The Pirates also had six of their current players competing and four players in the minor leagues doing so as well in Pool Play.
Pirates Pitchers at the World Baseball Classic
RHP Paul Skenes, Team USA
Skenes made one start for Team USA against Team Mexico at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros, on March 9 and had an incredible outing.
He gave up just one hit and one walk, while posting seven strikeouts over four scoreless innings in the 5-3 win over their rival on the southern border.
Skenes set a record for most strikeouts for a Team USA pitcher in a WBC game and he did that over 60 pitches, with 45 strikes.
The 23-year old will make one more start in the WBC for Team USA in the knockout stages, likely the semifinals on March 16, but they'll still need to beat rival Team Canada in the quarterfinals on March 13. Team USA finished as runners-up in Pool B, as they finished second to Team Italy.
Skenes could face two great teams in the semifinals in either South Korea or the Dominican Republic. That start would take place at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, on March 16.
RHP Dennis Santana/LHP Gregory Soto, Team Dominican Republic
Both relief pitchers in Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto pitched for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and will have important roles on the Pirates this year.
Santana threw two scoreless innings, one in the 12-3 win over Team Nicaragua in their Pool D opener on March 6 and then again in the 7-5 win over Team Venezuela on March 11, which won them their Pool.
Soto came on in the ninth inning vs. Nicaragua, but loaded the bases, giving up back-to-back singles and a walk, before getting a strikeout for the first out of the inning.
Right-handed pitcher Elvis Alvarado came in for Soto and got a double play to secure the win for Team Dominican Republic.
Soto then struck out the side in sixth inning of the 10-1 win over Team Israel on March 9 for a much better outing.
Pirates Position Players at the World Baseball Classic
OF Oneil Cruz, Team Dominican Republic
Cruz had an incredible showing for the Dominican Republic in just his two games that he featured in.
He hit a massive three-run home run in the win over Nicaragua, unloading on a 91.4 mph four-seam fastball, hitting it 116.4 mph off the bat and sending it 450 feet with a 28 degree launch angle, making it 10-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Cruz then excelled in his start in center field vs. Israel, crushing a solo home run, sending it 115.8 mph off the bat and 400 feet into the right field making it 6-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
He also walked twice and hit a double in the win, meaning he hasn't produced an out from the plate in the WBC yet.
Cruz, plus Santana and Soto, will face South Korea in the quarterfinals on March 13, staying at loanDepot Park.
INF Nick Gonzales, Team Mexico
Gonzales started all four games for Team Mexico in Pool B at second base, but didn't have as productive of a tournament as he would've hoped.
He finished with just a .182 batting average, two hits in 11 at-bats, one RBI and three walks to two strikeouts.
Gonzales did face Skenes and actually worked an eight-pitch at-bat, before striking out on a sinker below the zone.
He had both of his hits and his RBI in the 16-0 win over Team Brazil, where they run-ruled them in six innings.
INF Spencer Horwitz, Team Israel
Horwitz started in all four games for Team Israel in the WBC, twice at first base and both once at designated hitter and second base.
He had four hits in 16 at-bats for a .250 batting average, tied for the team lead with three runs scored and ranked second with those four hits.
Horwitz also hit a home run in the same game Cruz did, with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning of the 12-1 loss.
He did also strike out against Soto in that game as well, finishing with four strikeouts and no walks in the tournament.
Pirates Minor League Pitchers at WBC
The Pirates had a few minor league pitchers who featured in the World Baseball Classic, many of which did not go so well.
Right-handed pitcher Antwone Kelly made one start for Team Kingdom of the Netherlands against Team Venezuela on March 6.
Kelly gave up a two-run home run in the second inning and finished his start after three innings, taking the loss in the 6-2 defeat at loanDepot Park.
Left-handed relief pitcher Joe La Sorsa made three bullpen appearances for Team Italy, finishing with a 3.86 ERA, one earned run over 2.1 innings pitched.
La Sorsa, who is a non-roster invitee to Pirates Major League camp, threw a scoreless innings vs. Team Great Britain, got three outs and had the earned run come on a two-run home run against Team USA, then struck out Team Mexico right fielder Jarren Duran with two runners in scoring position to ensure them winning Pool B.
He and Team Italy will face Team Puerto Rico at Daikin Park on March 14 in the quarterfinals.
Right-handed pitcher Po-Yu Chen made one appearance for Team Chinese Taipei in the first game of the WBC against Team Australia on March 5 in Pool C.
He came in the fifth inning, hit a batter and then gave up a two-run home run, which ended up giving him the loss, as Chinese Taipei fell 3-0.
Right-handed pitcher Enmanuel Chapman made three relief appearances for Team Cuba in Pool A, where he ended up with a 10.13 ERA, giving up three earned runs over 2.2 innings pitched.
Those three earned runs came from his first two appearances in wins over Team Panama and Team Colombia. He posted four outs without giving up a run in the loss to Team Puerto Rico in their home ball park of Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.