One thing is evident after just a few games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic -- Boston Red Sox players will have a dramatic affect on this year's tournament.
The Sox organization has 12 players involved in the tourney, including Major League players Jason Bay (Canada), David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japan), Javier Lopez (Puerto Rico), Dustin Pedroia (USA) and Kevin Youkilis (USA).
Big Papi had a key RBI base hit in the Dominican Republic's win over Panama in an elimination game Sunday.
Dice-K got the win in Japan's 14-2 rout of Korea on Saturday. He went 4 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.
Matsuzaka, who was the MVP of this event in 2006 when Japan won it, wasn't at the top of his game, but it was a decent outing for his first game and for Sox fans, as long as he comes through the tourney unscathed we'll be happy.
Bay had 3 walks and a run scored in Canada's loss to the U.S. on Saturday, but he flew out to right for the final out with the tying run on second base.
Dustin and Youk have played major roles in the U.S. advancing to the second round with wins over Canada and Venezuela.
Pedroia only has 2 hits in 11 at-bats, but he had a huge 2-run double to help the team pull away in Sunday's win over Venezuela. He also has made some spectacular plays in the field.
Youk is proving he is the cleanup hitter the Sox hope he will be. He went 3-for-8 in the two games with 3 RBIs and 7 runs scores, and he homered in both games.
In Saturday's win over Canada, his homer tied the game after the U.S. fell behind early. On Sunday, his two-run bomb was the icing on the cake in the team's 8-run 6th inning. He has now become the cleanup hitter for the club too.
It's still strange to see Dusty and Derek Jeter teaming up on double plays and high-fiving each other, but it's a little easier to take since Jeter isn't wearing that sinister Yankees hat.
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