The swing of his life, part two?
Team USA was dead in the water. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, they were simply four outs away from losing another World Baseball Classic.
Bobby Witt Jr worked a walk, allowing the tying run to step to the plate.
The batter was none other than Bryce Harper.
Harper, who had hit just four hits in the tournament before the championship round, saved his best swing for last.
Harper crushed a changeup from Venezuela’s Andres Machado to the deepest part of Marlins’ Park. This tied the ballgame at two, but swung the momentum in the building.
The United States needed a hero and Bryce Harper became one once again.
Entering the tournament as the favorites, team United States had one goal.
Win.
They failed.
After Harper’s blast, management went to reliever Garrett Whitlock of the Boston Red Sox to try to keep the game tied.
Whitlock walked Luis Arraez, who was pinch ran for by Marlins’ infielder Javier Sanoja.
Sanoja would then swipe second base, putting the go-ahead run on base with nobody out.
A double from Cincinnati Reds’ third baseman Eugenio Suarez would allow Venezuela to retake the lead, making it a 3-2 ballgame.
Kyle Schwarber would lead off the bottom of the ninth. However, Schwarber went chasing high heat, striking out on five pitches.
Two batters later, Team Venezuela was celebrating.
