Great Britain vs Mexico summary: scores, stats and highlights | 2023 World Baseball Classic
Great Britain 1-2 Mexico
Mexico fend off Great Britain in thrilling 2-1 victory
Everyone expected Mexico to simply roll over Great Britain. They have had their moment in their upset over Colombia, but that was a blip. They will go home, pleased to have taken part. Problem is, nobody told Great Britain that.
From the outset, Britain were overmatched. Taijuan Walker retired batter after batter as he set Mexico’s World Baseball Classic record for strikeouts with eight. You could see that GB were in over their heads. But one thing that they were not? Nervous.
The British players remained calm and worked through the order, even as they saw little return. Their defense was poor, particularly in the infield, but they worked their corner. Perhaps, had Jazz Chisholm not had to pull out of the competition through injury concerns by the Marlins, this would have been a different story. His presence was sorely missed.
While Mexico had the feeling of a team simply going through the motions, Great Britain stayed close. And when they tied the game in the sixth, the team that showed signs of desperation was Mexico rather than GB.
Of course, nobody would argue that Mexico is not the superior team. From top to bottom, they have more talent and experience than Great Britain. But what won the game for Mexico was not their talent. Rather, it was two baserunning errors and two fielding errors by Great Briain that opened the door for the go-ahead run by Mexico.
Whether or not this tournament will have a lasting effect on baseball in the UK is still to be seen. We can only hope that it does. Because one thing is certain. They belong here. They have proven that.
Results from Pool C
A win over Canada by Mexico will see them win Pool C outright. A loss is more complicated as it suddenly brings tie brekers and complicated formula into play. But Mexico have their future in their own hands.
For Great Britain, if the USA beat Colombia, they will finish fourth in the group, meaning that they will automatically qualify for the next WBC in 2026. While it is not in their control, it is amazing to think that they are even mathematically in the running for that prize.
That is goint to conclude our live coverage of Great Britain vs Mexico. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Thank you for joining us and we look forward to bringing you all of the World Baseball Classic action right here on Diario AS USA. Have a good night!
In a game that nobody gave them any hope of staying close, Great Britain have done themselves proud.
Mexico are a country with a MLB-calibre lineup from top to bottom. Mexico are a nation with a long and proud baseball heritage, that has produced some of the greatest players who have ever played the game. Great Britain has none of that.
But they do have heart.
End of game
Mexico have not been pushed harder by anyone, certainly not the USA, than they were pushed by Great Britain. But for one or two errors, this game could so easily have gone the other way.
Crosby pops one to left field where Randy Arozarena pulls it down to end the game. Mexico survives.
Pinch-hitter Alex Crosby replaces D'Shawn Knowles.
BJ Murray now stands in and grounds the first pitch to second. The routine play to first gets the second out.
He goes after Gallegos and chases a nasty slider for strike three.
Harry Ford comes to the plate.
Mexico will bring on Giovanny Gallegos to see if he can slam the door shut. Luis Urias replaces second baseman Jonathan Aranda, and Jose Cardona replaces right fielder Alex Verdugo.
Top 9th
Great Britain are down to their last three outs. Harry Ford, BJ Murray, and D'shawn Knowles will lead off and see if they can extend this fairy tale run in the WBC.
Jonathan Aranda rolls one out to second. Seymour fields it and makes the play at first to end the inning.
Paredes hits the eighth pitch of the at-bat, a slow roller to short. Meneses holds at second and the throw from Sweeney gets the out at first. Two down.
A passed ball gets through Harry Ford's glove, allowing Meneses to advance to second. That not only puts him in scoring position, it also takes away the double play.
Isaac Paredes now steps in and gets a steady diet of breaking balls.
Rowdy Tellez comes to the plate and fights off some great pitches to get the one he wants. When he does he pops it to center field and Trayce Thompson pulls it in for the first out.
Meneses pops a high fly ball that falls exactly into that empty area between center, right, and second for a single.
Bottom 8th
Great Britain bring on Andre Scrubb to replace Daniel Cooper on the mound. He will face Joey Meneses to lead off for Mexico.
The payoff pitch is a great fastball that Ward swings through to end the inning.
Nick Ward stands in and works the count full.
Trayce Thompson comes to the plate now and chases a cutter outside for strike three.
Young smacks one sharply to right and it turns into a footrace. Meneses beats him to the bag for the first out.
Top 8th
Jesus Cruz will replace JoJo Romero on the mound for Mexico, as they have also brought in Alek Thomas at center field. Chavez Young will lead off for Great Britain.
Alex Verdugo now will step up and he rolls one sharply to first. Ward nabs it and steps on the bag to retire the side. The damage is limited, it could have been so much worse for Great Britain, but Mexico have retaken the lead as we head to the eighth 2-1
Cooper manages to strike Arozarena out on two pitches: slow and slower
Randy Arozrena will face Cooper with a runner on first and one out.
Pitching change
That is going to prompt a pitching change by Great Britain and Daniel Cooper will come on to take over on the mound.
Wilson rips a shot to left field for a single, scoring Trejo. Mexico retake the lead 2-1
A big curve ball gets past Ford and squirts back to the screen. Trejo advances to second.
He appears to be ok and we will contine. The second pitch is also fouled back and Wilson is in a hole 0-2
Alexis Wilson comes to the plate and the first pitch is fouled back directly into the umpire's head. He is shaken up and the teams' trainers come out to have a look at him.
Jarren Duran hits the first pitch, a little looper to third and BJ Murray brings it down for out number one.
On four balls, Trejo draws the walk.
Bottom 7th
Great Britain will bring on Tahnaj Thomas to take over the pitching duties. He will face Alan Trejo to lead off.
After review, the call stands and Seymour is out. He can't believe it. The truth is that he was probably close, but it wasn't conclusive. In that case, where it isn't definitive, you have to stick with the call on the field. That is the end of the inning.
Chavez Young comes to the plate and a snap pickoff throw to first gets Seymour. The call is out but GB will challenge it.
Anfernee Seymour comes to the plate now and plunks one up the middle for a single.
The payoff pitch is dribbled to second and Mexico turn the 4-6-3 double play to get out of trouble.
Rudd shows great plate discipline, and the count runs full
He is sticking with his pitcher, but needs to calm Romero down. Jaden Rudd will now come to the plate.
On four pitches, Sweeney gets the pass to first. That will prompt a nervous Benji Gil to make a trip to the mound.
Top 7th
Darnell Sweeney will lead off for Great Britain here in the seventh, where we are all tied up at one run apiece.
In a deep hole, the 0-2 is a blinding slider that just dropped off the table, catching Aranda swinging for strike three.
Jonathan Aranda comes up and gets himself all wound up, can't hold up on his check swing.
The next 0-2 delivery is popped out to right and Chavez Young camps out under it for the second out.
The 0-2 pitch is driven to the upper deck in left, but foul.
Isaac Paredes comes to the plate and gets into trouble quickly
Rowdy Tellez comes to the plate and lines a ripper to right field. Chavez Young is there and makes the catch for the putout.
Meneses dribbles one to second, against the shift. Seymour gets to it but makes a terrible throw, miles off the line and Meneses is safe at first.
Bottom 6th
Joey Meneses will lead off for Mexico, facing Donovan Benoit
The payoff, and Knowles swings through a 96 mph fastball to end the inning. they strand two, but Great Britain have tied the game up. The middle of six, Great Britain 1, Mexico 1.
Knowles works the count full. Runners will be taking off on the pitch.
D'shawn Knowles comes to the plate now with runners on first and second and two outs.
Murray slaps the first pitch into deep short. Trejo makes the jump throw and it is not in time! Murray beats it out! Chavez Young scores from third and Ford moves to second. We have a tie ball game!
BJ Murray will come to the plate for Great Britain.
Pitching change
That promtps Benji Gil to make the pitching change. He dips into his bullpen and calls for lefty JoJo Romero.
The count runs full. The payoff misses high and Ford walks. Men at the corners. Two outs.
Young steals third. There is no throw.
Barrera is sticking with the changeup, all up in the zone.
Mexico's pitching coach Elmer Dessens goes out to the mound to have a talk with Barreda. Harry Ford is coming up to bat and they are not likely to give him much to hit.
Nick Ward stands in and pops the first pitch straight up. Paredes comes in from third and makes the catch for two outs.
The payoff pitch is a heater at the bottom of the zone that Thompson swings through for out number one.
Trayce Thompson comes up and works a deep count, fouling off a few as it goes full.
Top 6th
Chavez Young comes to the plate to lead off for Great Britain and rips one over Verdugo's head in right for a leadoff double.
This is getting interesting. While Mexico seem to be cruising, they are only up by one run and Great Britain are looking more and more confident with every pitch. I wouldn't want to say that GB could come back and upset Mexico but....
GB could come back and upset Mexico.
Alex Verdugo comes to the plate and smokes one to right center. Trayce Thompson makes a long run and grabs it to end the inning.
Randy Arozarena comes to the plate and gets the same treatment, three straight heaters and he is called out on strikes.
Benoit touches 96 mph as he strikes out Wilson on three pitches.
Bottom 5th
D'Shawn Knowles will stay in for Great Britain in the DH spot, as they make a pitching change, calling on Donovan Benoit to replace Ryan Long.
Alexis Wilson will lead off for Mexico.
Seymour jumps on the first pitch and rolls it to second for the routine play to first. Mexico get out of the inning, still up by 1-0.
Pitching change
That will prompt Benji Gil to make a pitching change. He calls for Manny Barreda to take over on the mound. Anfernee Seymour will be the first batter he faces.
That was a mental lapse by Sweeney, but Armenta is having trouble finding the zone. He misses on four and walks Rudd.
Jaden Rudd now comes up and Sweeney takes off for second. Unfortunately, Armenta was mid-pickoff and the throw went to first and then second to nail Sweeney there. Two down
The payoff pitch misses and Sweeney draws the walk
Darnell Sweeney will now stand in and fights off several fastballs, running the count to full
Knowles hits one out to the warning track in front of the pool in right. Alex Verdugo chases it down for out number one.
Top 5th
Mexico will make a pitching change, calling Erubiel Armenta in to replace Taijuan Walker. In response, Great Britain will pinch hit Koperniak, as D'Shawn Knowles stands in for him.
Jarren Duran comes to the plate and gets three cutters that just carve up the strike zone. He goes down swinging to end the inning.
Alan Trejo comes up and hits a ground ball to third. Murray makes the throw to first for the second out.
Bottom 4th
Jonathan Aranda leads off with a rip into right field. It gets fairly deep and Aranda rounds first, trying to stretch it into a double. A bullet of a throw from Chavez Young bets him to the bag. The slide and Darnell Sweeney makes a perfect tag for the out! It was bang-bang but he definitely got him.
BJ Murray comes to the plate and lifts one out to the warning track in left. Randy Arozarena gets under it and puts it away to retire the side.
He shows great poise, holding off three balls to run the count full. The payoff misses low and Ford gets the two out walk.
He gets in a quick hole, fouling two off to go down 0-2
Harry Ford now comes up and he hit a double his first time up.
Nick Ward comes to the plate and hits one directly back to the mound for Walker to make the easy throw to first for the second out.
The count runs full and the payoff is a nasty little splitter that gets Thompson to chase for strike three.
Top 4th
Taijuan Walker is on the money for Mexico tonight and he will face Trayce Thompson to lead off the fourth
Isaac Paredes now stands in and flies one out to shallow left. There is some confusion, looks like trouble! Anfernee Seymour comes over from second and makes the catch to end the inning. He covered a bit of ground there!
He drills one into the gap in right that goes all the way to the wall for a two-out double.
Rowdy Tellez comes to the plate now with two down and the bases empty
Joey Meneses comes up and rips a sharp ground ball to third. Murray makes a long throw, pulling Ward off the bag. He has enough time to get back on the bag for the out. My oh my, Great Britain's infield need to work on those throws! There have been some stinkers here.
He pops one straight up to third. Murray camps out under it and puts it away for out number one.
Bottom 3rd
Long will face Alex Verdugo to lead off the Mexican half of the third.
Chavez Young comes to the plate and gets rung up on a perfect splitter that rides the bottom rail of the strike zone. Great Britain are retired in order.
Anfernee Seymour comes to the plate and gets three fastballs for strike. Walker is on his game now. Two away.
For the payoff pitch, Walker offers a four seamer that blows past Rudd. Strike three.
Rudd fights off a few fastballs and shows patience with the balls to work a deep count. It runs full
Top 3rd
Jaden Rudd will lead off for Great Britain in the 3rd
Randy Arozarena will face long and rips the first pitch to center field. Trayce Thompson is there and makes the catch for the final out. Mexico managed to get on the board and lead Great Britain after two 1-0
New pitcher Great Britain
That is going to prompt a pitching change by Great Britain and Ryan Long will come on for Joseph King.
Alexis Wilson hits the first pitch to third. It spins Murray and he makes a wild throw to first. Ward comes off the bag to make the catch, but Wilson is safe, allowing Paredes to score on the play. Trejo moves to third and Mexico are on the board.
King comes back with a beautiful high changeup for strike three. Two gone!
King puts one in the dirt that skips off wild, allowing both base runners to advance a base. We now have Paredes at third and Trejo at second with one out.
Jarren Duran will now face King, who looks a little more relaxed.
The curve misses for ball four. Trejo gets a pass. That prompts pitching coach Zach Graefser to make a trip to the mound.
Alan Trejo now comes to the plate and takes all the way. 3 balls, no strikes
Jonathan Aranda stands in and gets fastballs to setup a nasty change up. He chases it and goes down swinging for the first out.
Paredes rips the 3-1 into the gap in left for a leadoff single.
Bottom 2nd
Isaac Paredes will lead off for Mexico here in the second.
Walker dials it up to 96 and gets Sweeney to chase high heat for strike three to get out of the inning. Ford is stranded at third.
Darnell Sweeney now comes up. The switch hitter will bat from the left side against Walker.
He chops one to the second base side and Walker goes up and gets it. The flip to first gets Koperniak. Ford moves to third on the play.
Matt Koperniak will now try his luck against Walker.
He gets behind in the count and chases a splitter that bottoms out for strike three. One away.
BJ Murray Jr is now at the plate for Britain.
Ford rips one into the gap in left center. He has good speed and takes an aggressive turn. He goes for second and gets there with a stand up double.
Top 2nd
Harry Ford will now lead off for GB in the second
He opens up and rips a rocket directly to the glove of Ward at first to end the inning.
Rowdy Tellez now comes to the plate and takes all the way. The count runs to 2-1
Joey Meneses now stands in and smokes one into center field for a two out single.
Alex Verdugo comes to the plate and plunks one straight up the middle, fielded by Sweeney behind the bag at second. He steps on the bag and goes to first for the double play. Two down.
Arozarena takes all the way and draws the walk on five pitches.
King will lean on his fastball and change up, but will mix a curve in there from time to time.
Bottom 1st
Joseph King takes the mound for Great Britain and will go to work agains Randy Arozarena here in the first.
The payoff pitch runs the bottom of the strike zone for a called strike three to retire the side.
Nick Ward stands in now and shows great patience. Three balls miss and two fastballs run the count full.
Trayce Thompson gets two fastballs and a sinker and strikes out swinging. Two quick outs
Young grounds to second for the routine putout at first. One away.
Walker throws a fastball, cutter, and splitter as his main pitches, although he has a great change up to mix in there.
First pitch
Taijuan Walker will go to work against Great Britain, with Chavez Young leading off. He is a switch hitter and lines up on the left side.
Both teams have taken batting practice and are now on the field warming up. We are about fifteen minutes from first pitch.
Mexico lineup
Arozarena LF
Verdugo RF
Meneses 1B
Tellez DH
Paredes 3B
Aranda 2B
Trejo SS
Duran CF
Wilson C
Great Britain lineup
Young RF
Thompson CF
Ward 1B
Ford C
Murray Jr. 3B
Koperniak DH
Sweeney SS
Rudd LF
Seymour 2B
This might be a better uniform for GB
Either the t-shirt or the two guys dressed as Geri Halliwell.
Starting pitchers
Joseph King makes his first start for Great Britain in the WBC, although he appeared in relief in the tournament, where he recorded two outs, one a K. The Cal-Berkeley product posted a respectable 3.72 ERA over 72.2 innings in his junior year and was taken in the ninth-round of last year's draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Taijuan Walker will get the nod for Mexico and he had one of his best seasons yet for the New York Mets in 2022, promting a massive trade deal to the Philadelphia Phillies. Walker is making his WBC debut tonight and has a career ERA of 3.89 over 898 innings, with 806 strikeouts under his belt.
Welcome to Great Britain vs Mexico
Welcome to the live commentary coverage of the Great Britain vs Mexico game in Pool C of the World Baseball Classic.
Both of these teams are coming off of historic wins, with Mexico handing the USA a humiliating defeat and Great Britain upending Colombia for their first ever win in the WBC.
A win tonight for Mexico will see them climb out of the bottom tier of the Pool and join both Canada and the USA in the race for one of the quarterfinal spots.
A win for Great Britain, it must be said, is a much longer shot. Their upset win over Colombia has already caused ripples across the Atlantic and another one would solidify Great Britain and the sport of baseball as truly legitimite in the eyes of a great many back home.