Trea Turner is Captain America.
One night after hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the quarterfinals, the 29-year-old hit two more home runs Sunday night as Team USA.
Turner went 3 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs as the Americans will now await the winner of Monday’s semifinal between Mexico and Japan.
Adam Wainwright, 41, started Team USA’s biggest game yet, and the veteran answered the call. After working a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the first inning, Wainwright came out of the frame allowing just one run and limiting the damage to keep his club in the game.
The right-hander pitched four innings, allowed one run and recorded one strikeout in what was likely the last WBC appearance of his career.
Wainwright wasn’t the only Cardinal to make an impact on the game. Redbird sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado broke out the big wood for Mark DeRosa’s team.
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Goldschmidt’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first gave the Americans a 2-1 lead and they never looked back. The 36-year-old first baseman continued his strong tournament with a 2-for-4, 4-RBI performance. The 2022 National League MVP is slashing .350/.536/.550 for the red, white and blue.
Arenado also went 2 for 3 with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, the third baseman was taken out of the game in the bottom of the fifth after being hit by a pitch to his right hand.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Cardinal fans can take a deep breath as X-rays came back negative.
Players like Edwin Díaz, who is out for the season with a torn patellar tendon, and José Altuve, who will be out until at least May with a broken thumb, suffered injuries during the WBC, raising controversy about the tournament as a whole. and a discussion on player safety.
Now the United States will wait Monday night for the winner of Mexico and Japan. The Americans lost to Mexico in Pool C on March 12, and Shohei Ohtani leads a talented Japanese team.
Either way, the Americans’ task of repeating as champions will only get higher.
The championship game of the tournament will take place Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park. Diamondbacks veteran Merrill Kelly is listed as one of DeRosa’s available arms. Kelly pitched three two-run innings of baseball against Colombia on March 15 in his last outing.
