Team USA took a big hit on Sunday at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Fresh after getting past Great Britain 6-2 on Saturday, Team USA fell to Mexico 11-5, making qualification into the next round intriguing.
Mexico started the game swinging, literally. Joey Meneses blasted a two-run homer off starter Nick Martinez to open the first inning.
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SIGN UP HERE The U.S. got on the board in the bottom of the second after a Tim Anderson single saw Kyle Tucker round home, but it went from bad to worse from there.
In the top of the fourth up 4-1, Meneses launched a three-run homer, his second of the game, to increase the lead to 7-1.
The U.S. didn’t score again until the bottom of the seventh thanks to a Will Smith homer, but Mexico just kept going.
Mexico added four runs right after in the top of the eighth to make it 11-2, with Randy Arozarena, Rowdy Tellez and Alan Trejo all logging RBIs.
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USA responded in the bottom of the eighth with three runs, as Bobby Witt Jr. and Anderson logged RBIs, both via doubles. They had a chance to pull off the miraculous down six in the bottom of the ninth, but Mexico shut down any hope quickly to seal the win.
Team USA will next play Canada on Monday at 10 p.m. ET at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Canada beat Great Britain 18-8 in its first game of the tournament.
