USA World Cup Team Begins Play With 4-0 Victory

Complete Coverage of USA Baseball World Cup Team

By John Manuel
October 13, 2003

While the Team USA that is full of prospects is playing the equivalent to spring training in the Arizona Fall League, another Team USA full of professionals is representing the United States in the 35th World Cup at four sites in Cuba.

The team of independent leaguers opened play Sunday in impressive fashion, beating Mexico 4-0 as four pitchers combined on a three-hitter. Jonathan Cannon went six one-hit innings, striking out four and walking two, while Conor Brooks, David Johnson and Trevor Sansom each pitched a frame to finish the victory.

Team USA scored once in the second, twice in the fourth and once in the eighth inning as the lineup banged out nine hits.. Second baseman Brian Ward hit a solo homer, in the eighth, while third baseman Joshua Patton and shortstop Alex Eckelman, batting eighth and ninth in the order, knocked in Team USA's other three runs, with both coming through with RBI singles in the fourth innings. Patton drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, and the American pitchers took over from there. Devil Rays prospect Jorge Cantu had one of Mexico's three hits.

Team USA is in group B during pool play, joined by Japan, the Netherlands, China, France, Brazil, Panama and Mexico. Team USA next plays Tuesday night against Brazil and then again Wednesday against Panama. The biggest pool-play matchup for Team USA figures to be next Sunday, Oct. 19, when it plays Japan. The medal round begins in Havana on Oct. 22.

Two other games were played Sunday after the opening ceremonies, with Japan beating the Netherlands 12-2 and host Cuba beating Taiwan 6-3. Veteran righthander Norge Vera got the start in the opener for the Cubans and struck out 10 in seven innings, giving up all four runs, while closer Pedro Luis Lazo finished up with two scoreless innings.