Panama vs. Italy Game Highlights | 2023 World Baseball Classic

Italy's got the quick turnaround coming in today against Panama. This Panama team cruised through the qualifiers, made it here to the main tournament. Impressive win on night number one. Now finding themselves back to the wall at one and two. A right-hander from Venezuela. Michele Veselotti gets the nod out of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, a guy that, if you're Mike Piazza, I would imagine you're hoping can give you a little bit of length. Ruben Ta'ada will step into the batter's box and get this thing underway. Got himself another hit, five for 12, as he gets things started today with a single the other way. He's showing some power. Yes, a big home run. They said they couldn't hear each other in the dugout. Runner off, as that pitch was in the dirt, and a little bit of a misread by Ruben Ta'ada, and he is gone at second, so the leadoff single erased. From the Italian catcher, kind of stuck around, bounced off the umpire's foot. You could tell the crowd was such a big factor behind Chinese Taipei. It's Bethelcourt, goes out for the two-two. He's gone on strikes, and a good start for Michele Veselotti. So that brings in Pasquantino. Pasquantino, the Italian nightmare, the nickname he was given by Royals Hall of Famer George Brett. Bounced a first and a three-six double play. Really nice job over at first base by Erasmo Caballero, and Ruben Ta'ada out at short. Jose Ramos, he is quite the prospect package in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Jose Ramos, deep left, Ramos leaving the yard, something we saw him do in the qualifier in Panama City, and he's arrived with a big fly in Taichung out into the wind. We talked about the energy of the last night. You come out with a flat line to Panama. That's one way to get that energy level up in that dugout. Three-oh count, had the green light. This is a fastball middle, absolute no doubt. So that brings in Luis Castillo after the walk to Caballero. Out on a hop to second, tough play. That's a great adjustment there. Four, six, three, two gone. Look at that right on cue. He can turn it better than anyone. We saw it last night in the shortstop position, and now on the right side of the infield, two quick outs. Game number seven of this 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A. Yadiel Santamaria will lead things off here in the top half of the third inning. His team's got a one-nothing lead, thanks to Jose Ramos' solo homer in the second. So Santamaria strikes out to lead things off in the third. And you look at a federation like Italy's, if you put a team together that has success in the World Baseball Classic, Mike Piazza gets to take that back home to Italy and say, hey, we can do this. I understand there are a lot of Italian-Americans on this roster as another tricky play for Dominic Morolio, who has made two really good ones and shares a laugh with his third baseman, Robel Garcia, two gone in the third. But it is crucially important to have some success. All smalls after that play, but I'll tell you what, you drop that or someone with that collision, not so many smalls, but you can hear Robel Garcia. He has priority over this ball, but just too late. You can hear him yelling, literally, as that ball's three feet from Morolio's glove. Back to the top of the order, veteran Rupert Tejada. And that's off of our third-base umpire, Chris Siegel. And the ball rolling out and left, Tejada's into second. And, man, hopefully Chris Siegel's okay as everybody is over to check on him. Oh, that is a scary moment. Last night, Chris Siegel got hit behind the plate as well. That ball was crushed. Oh, man. Oh, off the head. He's good. What a battler, man. At the amount of respect that you have to have for umpires, and umpires are tough men and women who are integral, incredible parts of the game of baseball. And Chris Siegel somehow able to have a laugh about that right now. What an amazing dude over there at third to be able to just shake that off and get right back to it. Lead-off walk for RIOs, and here is Christian Bethencourt. He gave up the lead-off homer in the second inning. Otherwise, he's been really good. Couple of strikeouts, couple of walks. He's got to work around a lead-off baserunner here in the fourth, but here comes the one-two. On the ground, snared on the dive, 6-4-3, double play. What a job by Nicky Lopez, moving over to short today and starting the twin killing, two gone. I'll tell you what, Nicky Lopez and David Fletcher, you see that score being one-nothing. Big reason. Couple big double plays. Big, big double play for this Italian team. Three innings pitch, two hits. Couple strikeouts, one walk. Pitch count approaching 63. This will be his last hitter. Try and get through four. Give that bullpen a chance to start a clean inning in the fifth. Man, what a job. Strikeout of Garcia gets this game through four. And a potential insurance run moves into scoring position. Talk about Humberto Mejia, how much he's meant to this team and this bullpen coming back to pitch in this game after that first outing. He's standing outside of the dugout right now, down there at first base. He's so fired up. Cordova over the leap of Garcia and down in left field. Around third base. Here comes Ramos, two-nothing lead as Panama extends it in the seventh. How big is that second run for Panama? We talked about one run not going to be good enough. San Quevilla just serving up a fastball down the middle, especially late here. We got a pinch hitter that will take the first at bat of this seventh inning, and it is the Tigers' prospect John Valenti, who had a big hit against Chinese Taipei. And he lays down a bunt third base side. Caballero's throw. Nice dig over at first. Alan Cordova immediately wants a look. As safe is the initial call from Larry Vann over, and Luis Ortiz is not even going to wait. Oh, wow. They're going to say that it took too long for Luis Ortiz to request this review. It's how pivotal this play is. You still have to review it. How about Alan Cordova as well? He just moved to first base this inning. He started this game in left field. The ball is certainly in the back of the glove. The question is going to be, is that right foot on the bag? Yeah, I think you can see that foot, especially from this angle. We get a chance to see this angle. That foot slid off the bag, but we shall see that. I'm going to review this play. Dominic Morolio voicing his opinion. Luke Gutera going out to collect his catcher, and that is a very, very quick reversal on that call. Massive for Team Panama. To challenge that play, make sure they got enough looks down in that dugout to get an overturn. And with two outs, and the base is clear, that is now eight straight retired by Panamanian pitching. Land on the left side. Speared on one hop by Tejada. Throw to first. What a play by the former big leaguer, Ruben Tejada. We've talked so much about Italy's defense today. It's Panama's that comes up massive in the seventh. Big spot now. Yeah, this is going to be interesting. You've got a situation where you've got Baldonado who is tough on lefties, but you have the biggest threat at the box. A guy, though, who you've handled all day, and you've watched him last night get handled left on left. I think you have to pitch to him. Cold strike three. Baldonado freezes Pasquantino and takes this game to the ninth. Base runner on. Here's Brett Sullivan. He's been banged up a little bit. He's not behind the plate. First pitch, Sullivan back up the middle. Another dive by Tejada. Deflects off his glove. That deadens it enough to enable Fletcher to go first to third. Here comes Italy in the ninth. And now working in the bullpen as Javi Guerra deals with runners at the corner. And guess who's on deck? Nicky Lopez. This is a big out right here. John Valenzi. 0-2. Swung on and missed. You have to take that breath, and he executed. Stayed on top of this pitch. Huge strikeout with Nicky Lopez coming up. Nicky Lopez has been a force in this World Baseball Classic so far. Big spot right here for Nicky Lopez. 2-2. Bounced back to the mound. Guerra, the former shortstop, to the bag for one on the first. Got him, and Panama wraps up the win. And Mike Piazza's team, after a spectacular win in game number one over Cuba, has slipped to one and two. Panama has rallied from a couple of tough losses, and we've got chaos in Pool A. What a win for Luis Ortiz's team. And Panama now throws these standings into chaos, wrapping up its World Baseball Classic journey with a second win in four games.