MLB Showdown Obsession

 Japan may have been the 2 time champions going into the 2013 WBC, but neither time were they unbeatable. The Dominican Republic had a chance to dominate in a way that no other country would be able to say that "they got lucky!" The Dominican Republic began by beating Venezuela 9-3, followed with a 6-3 win over Spain then just to flex handed Puerto Rico a 4-2 loss to sweep Pool C. Round 2 began with a 5-4 nailbiter win over Italy, then came the United States for the biggest test yet in the tournament. DR passed the test with a 3-1 win, punching their ticket to the semi-finals. Pool 2 play ended with a rematch against Puerto Rico, which DR won again 2-0 to sweep yet another group of games. As the only undefeated team remaining, Dominican Republic pushed aside the Netherlands 4-1 to lock up a spot in the championship game. Japan, meanwhile, finally lost a game that mattered as Puerto Rico set up a third battle, this time with more than just bragging rights on the line. Edwin En...

 Puerto Rico is a tiny island, but they hold a disproportionate amount of baseball talent for their small size. This is a fact that they exploit the heck out of in international competition. They seemed like a lock to escape the opening round of the WBC like they did in 2006 and 2009, but they were ready now to push their run even further in 2013. While they shared Pool C with the powerful Dominican Republic, it just meant they needed to beat up on the other teams. And beat up they did as they were victorious over Spain 3-0, then Venezuela 6-3. Their advancement secured, their matchup with the Dominican Republic was merely for seeding, so their 4-2 loss wasn't devastating. What was more devastating was their round 2 loss to the United States, 7-1. Now at risk in the losers bracket, Puerto Rico had no room for error as they ousted Italy 4-3 to set up a rematch with the USA to determine who would advance to the semi-finals with the Dominican Republic. Victory this time belonged to Pu...

 The United States have a unique pressure when it comes to WBC play. They know they're home to the most elite baseball league. MLB is the destination for fame and fortune. So while 2013 was only the third iteration of the competition, people in the States were concerned that the US of A haven't already claimed a title or at least made the finals. With MLB being the elite league of baseball, that comes as a double edged sword, since many of the players in said league would rather concern themselves with their regular jobs and not so much for the WBC; Big contracts are awarded based on MLB success, not WBC. But, America being America, they wouldn't settle for the excuse that they don't have *all* the best players in their country participating like everyone else were enjoying. So, looking to put their lackluster results of the past behind them, they rolled into 2013 looking to finally raise the gold. Instead, they were humbled 5-2 in their opening game against Mexico. Ita...