Team USA defeated Britain 9-1 Saturday night in Houston, advancing to 2-0 in Pool B of the World Baseball Classic, according to tournament officials.
Britain took an early lead when Nate Eaton homered on Tarik Skubal’s first pitch. Eaton’s home run gave Britain a 1-0 lead, which they held until the fifth inning. Britain’s offense struggled after that, managing just one hit in the final innings.
In the fifth, Ernie Clement reached on an error, and Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled, leading to a wild pitch that allowed Clement to score and tie the game at 1. Kyle Schwarber then hit a 427-foot home run to right field, giving the U.S. a 3-1 lead. Gunnar Henderson followed with a two-run single, making it 5-1.
In the sixth, Aaron Judge delivered an RBI single at 109.6 mph, driving in three runs to push the lead to 8-1. Skubal pitched three innings, allowing two hits with five strikeouts, in what is expected to be his only start of the tournament. He will return to spring training with the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
Britain faces Italy on Sunday, while the U.S. team waits until Monday, when reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes is scheduled to pitch against Mexico. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
