Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Mexico stun Puerto Rico coming back from a four run deficit to post five unanswered runs to advance to the semi finals for the first time ever in 5-4 win.

Verdugo chases it down and puts it away for the out. Kike hustles around to third and Puerto Rico now have men at the corners with one out. Martin Maldonado comes to the plate and Urias sticks with the heat. Rowdy Tellez will lead off for Mexico and he jumps on the first pitch, popping it straight up to second base. The payoff now and it is popped into shallow center for a single! Alan Trejo fields it and steps on the bag, before throwing to first to complete the 6-3 double play. The first baseman Neftali Soto backs up and grabs it for the out. Martin Maldonado comes to the plate now and grounds one up the middle, broken bat. Rowdy Tellez comes to the plate and hits a sharp ground ball to second baseman Javier Baez. He lifts one to left field for Eddie Rosario to make the catch and end the inning. Luis Urias now at the plate with men at the corners and two out. Mexico win and will move on to the semi final round for the first time ever!

Mexico's nasty rotation and strongest lineup in years will face Team P.R., who are reeling from the surprising injury of closer Edwin Díaz.

Playing for the first time: Meneses, Cuban expat [Randy Arozarena](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/randy-arozarena-c8tw66zq0sO32dMJ/) (.500 average with five doubles in four WBC games), [Rowdy Tellez](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/rowdy-tellez-cZaUnAeOpf7GKiur/), [Austin Barnes](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/austin-barnes-MZmWik8ZYEMQwD93/), [Alek Thomas](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/alek-thomas-mHK4rPWtpnOeT7j6/) and [Isaac Paredes](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/isaac-paredes-mMWKInjzTQnAOgKV/). That loss to Puerto Rico in pool play the last time around likely cost them another quarterfinals berth, but it’s worth noting how different this Mexico team is from that one. It’s been a while for Mexico, which last reached the quarterfinals in 2009. Mexico had to eke out a win over Great Britain — although starter [Taijuan Walker](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/taijuan-walker-IPFPyP5FKirFvE8G/) looked dominant, striking out eight in four innings — but then poured it on again against a [Freddie Freeman-less Canada team](https://theathletic.com/4314287/2023/03/15/freddie-freeman-hamstring-world-baseball-classic/), claiming a 10-3 win and the top spot in Pool C. Puerto Rico, which has made the quarterfinals in each tournament and the finals in the last two, lost the title game to the United States that year. Mexico and Puerto Rico were in the same pool in the 2017 edition of the WBC, with Puerto Rico downing Mexico 9-4. [Francisco Lindor](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/francisco-lindor-fw92vY1VRY72DXFZ/) is on this team — but he remains the slickest. Díaz tore his patellar tendon in his right knee during the (relatively mild) postgame celebration, knocking him out for the rest of the tournament and likely the entirety of the upcoming big-league season. Puerto Rico broke out for four runs in the third and then kept the D.R. RHR They’ve got some legitimate stars in the lineup, and a stronger bullpen than Mexico, even without Díaz. Puerto Rico knocked off the most talented team in Pool D, the Dominican Republic, on the last day of pool play.