Nov. 16, 2019

Mexico beats the USA in extra innings … to advance … as just 1 of 6 teams … into the 2020 OLYMPICS !!

Before we go to the official MLB recap … note that the USA was   ahead   the whole game … Going up 1:0  in the top of the 2’nd  …  then… finally Mexico tied,  1:1 in the bottom of the 6’th  … then  top of the 7’th …  Vaughn sped around third and made it home just ahead of the throw ….  2:1 …  staying @ 2:1 through the bottom of the ninth …

Bottom of the ninth … with their Olympic bid   slipping away  …

Mexico’s Matthew Clark  (a Mexican-American professional of the Bravos de Leon)
~ CRUSHED ~ a   solo   HOME RUN … to  tie  the game.

I’ll leave it to the official MLB Recap to describe the ending … 😉

” … In the Bronze Medal Game of the Premier12 tournament in Tokyo, Mexico defeated USA, 3-2, in 10 innings to earn a spot in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The WBSC rules for the event called for runners on first and second to begin each extra inning. Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec, who drove in a run earlier in the game for the United States, opened the inning with a perfect sacrifice bunt, which was followed by an intentional walk. Mexico’s Carlos Bustamante, a 25-year-old pitcher who spent some time in the D-backs’ system, came up clutch with a strikeout and a popout to end the inning tied at 2-2 despite entering with a pair of runners on and no one out.

Mexico would not falter  with the same advantage presented to it in the bottom half of the frame, as a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk were followed by a broken-bat single to center by former Angel Efren Navarro to plate the game-winning run to earn Mexico a spot at Tokyo 2020. ” **

A broken-bat bloop single    WINS THE GAME !!!

https://www.mlb.com/news/mexico-defeats-usa-to-earn-olympic-baseball-bid

Here’s an official video of the highlights:

**The Rest of the Story …
The United States will have another chance to qualify for the Olympics via the Americas Qualifier, held in Arizona in March 2020, where the winner will advance to the Tokyo Games, and the second- and third-place nations will be placed into the Final Qualifying Tournament for … one last chance  … to earn a berth in the Olympics.

¡¡ VAMOS MEXICO !!

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© Steven M. Fry

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