WBC upsets lead to Semi-Final Excitement.

      The Italy and Venezuela upsets in the quarterfinals round has created a scenario where one country will be playing in the championship round for a chance to win their first ever World Baseball classic.  Italy used an early surge on offense, with some stellar defense late, to beat a slightly favored Puerto Rico team.  Venezuela pulled off the first major upset of the tournament by besting the defending champions in Japan. These two teams will meet on Monday night to determine who will make that championship game. Cru's Corner honestly didn't have either of these teams in the semi-finals, so I'm leaning towards Italy pulling off one more upset.  Their defense has been the best of every team in the WBC, and they have had timely left-handed hitting throughout.  Italy baseball has never been this big and I'm rooting for the sports growth throughout Europe.

     Tonight the United States will meet the Dominican Republic to determine the other brackets representative in the finals.  The Dominican Republic might have the greatest offensive team ever assembled.  The United States will counter with the greatest pitcher on the planet in Paul Skenes. The WBC rules only allow Skenes to throw 80 pitches, so he will have to have great control to get through 6 innings. Then the bullpen of Bednar, Whitlock, and Miller will need to be perfect to beat the D.R.  The United States definitely has the advantage on the mound, but they will still need more offense from Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Cal Raleigh than what they have given so far.  Cru's Corner is an American blog, so we are picking the United States to find a way to win.  This tournament has been great, and tonight's matchup should be legendary.