Team USA is set to take on Cuba in the quarterfinals of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The game will be played on Tuesday, March 14, at 9 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The winner of the game will advance to the semifinals of the tournament, which will be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network in the United States, as well as on ESPN Deportes for Spanish-language viewers. The game can also be streamed live on MLB.com, and through the WatchESPN app for those with cable or satellite authentication.
Team USA is coming off a dramatic 6-3 victory over the defending champion Dominican Republic on Saturday. The Americans were down by two runs going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but a two-run homer by Adam Jones tied the game. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off three-run homer to give Team USA the win.
Cuba, meanwhile, has been one of the surprise teams of the tournament. The Cubans finished second in their pool, behind Japan, but advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Israel in a tiebreaker game. Cuba has a strong history in international baseball, having won three Olympic gold medals and 25 World Cup titles. However, they have never won the World Baseball Classic.
So, who will win this matchup? The oddsmakers have Team USA as the favorite, with a moneyline of -350, compared to Cuba’s +290. The over/under for the game is set at 9 runs.
Based on their performance in the tournament so far, Team USA has the advantage. The Americans have a deep and talented roster, with strong pitching and timely hitting. Cuba, on the other hand, has relied on its offense to win games, but has struggled on defense.
Despite the odds, however, anything can happen in baseball, especially in a tournament format like the World Baseball Classic. Cuba has a proud tradition in the sport, and will be motivated to pull off the upset against the Americans.
In the end, it will come down to which team executes better on the field. Will Team USA continue its march towards the World Baseball Classic title? Or will Cuba make history by knocking off the tournament favorites? All will be revealed on Tuesday night in San Diego.
