WBC 2023: Mexico beats USA 11-5

Mexico showed its baseball prowess at Chase Field in Phoenix. The team coached by Benjamin Gil defeated the United States 11-5 in its second game of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) thanks to two home runs by Joey Meneses.

The Washington Nationals player was applauded by the nearly 50,000 spectators at Chase Field when he was taken off. The Mexicans were up 11-2 on the scoreboard. However, the USA managed to score three runs and to bring the final score to 11-5.

Venezuela tops Puerto Rico

Sunday's game began with Venezuela's 9-6 victory over Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican team put up a fight against the Venezuelans, but in the end they were unable to win the game and suffered their first defeat in the World Baseball Classic.

"We fought hard. We wanted to get in the game and we were able to make a rally. They have a great team and we saw that. We fought. It's one of those games you try, but they pitched and hit well," said Yadier Molina, Puerto Rican manager.

Australia, China, Japan and Italy qualify for quarterfinals

In Group B, Australia defeated the Czech Republic 8-3. The victory qualifies them for the quarterfinals, where they will face a Cuban team that qualified for the next round on Saturday. Italy and Japan also qualified on the previous day.

Cuba recovered its best version in time and is ready for the quarterfinals. With home runs by Moncada and Arruebarrena, the Cuban national team defeated Taiwan 7-1 to finish in first place in Group A. Italy earned the other spot, thanks to a 7-1 victory over the Netherlands. The Netherlands, Panama and Taiwan all bid farewell to the tournament.

On the other hand, Japan defeated Australia 7-1 on Saturday. Shohei Ohtani had a three-run home run in the first inning; leading his team to close out an undefeated Group B appearance. Ohtani finished the night with four RBIs. Japan will face Italy in the quarterfinals to be played in Tokyo.

Finally, South Korea crushed China (22-2), but it was not enough to qualify after Australia's victory. The Chinese team leaves the WBC with a record number of defeats.

The World Baseball Classic awards $14 million, with each team receiving $300,000 for participating. The champion can win a maximum of $3 million in prize money.