No one ever imagined Team USA would do such a number to a hot streaking Puerto Rico team....... well........believe it!

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Team USA totally dominated the island nation in shutout fashion 8-0. Marcus Stroman pitched lights out ball against a high-powered Puerto Rico offense. The offense barraged Puerto Rico's pitching with big bombs and timely hitting. It was a total collective effort.  They sent manager Jim Leyland out on a winning note as this was his last game managing in the dugout.

There were a number of players on the team that could have been named tournament MVP. In the end, the outstanding pitching of starter Marcus Stroman (from this game alone) earned him the award.

Team USA came through when it counted the most. They rose to the occasion when their backs were against the wall against Columbia,and,the defending champion Dominican Republic. They defeated the undefeated in Japan and Puerto Rico. These accomplishments are well-deserving to be the best in the world.  

DEFEATING THE UNDEFEATED IN THE

SEMIS 

The clutch performance of Team USA vs. Japan has propelled them to their first finals. They will seek vengeance against a very hot Puerto Rico team they lost to in the second round. Marcus Stroman will get the ball against the same team that got the best of him. This one is for the gold and the title. 

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DETHRONING THE DEFENDING CHAMPS

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The second time hopes to be the charm!

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The U.S. squad moves on to the final round by dethroning the defending champs in clutching fashion. The game featured probably the best catch in the tournament and the hardest hit home run in Statcast history. This game may go down as one of the best ever as this was a must-win against a powerful Dominican Republic team, that was seeking for a repeat

The team will make a second trip to the final round. The first time they went was during the second Classic, where they lost to eventual champion Japan. 

The U.S. team will attempt to seek that '09 loss against Japan, a team that has totally dominated their side of the bracket. They will be seeking their third title in four Classics. 

The roster is littered with such talent capable of winning their first title . Throughout the tourney: Adam Jones, Eric Hosmer, Giancarlo Stanton and Andrew McCutchen, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey delivered clutch hits and outstanding plays on defense. The pitching has been a collective effort. The legendary Jim Leyland has proving why he was chosen to lead the team to possibly their first title . 

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Other teams in the tournament feature the high-octane Netherlands and the hot-streaking Puerto Rico team. Both have been exceptional and are capable of winning the tournament as well 

The tournament started on March 6th and runs through the 22nd. The final round will be held at Dodger Stadium. 

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Updated: 3/22/17