It was expected to be a walk in the park in Group C for the United States at the World Baseball Classic, but it was far from it.
It took a narrow 3-2 win over Colombia to see the defending champions advance to the next round as the second-best team in the pool, just behind Mexico.
It would have been the first time the Americans hadn’t made it past the group stage at the World Classic.
Mookie Betts and Mike Trout were the heroes of this important victory, combining five hits in eight at bats. For the rest of the offensive formation, however, it was more difficult, as since the start of the tournament elsewhere.
On the mound, a succession of six pitchers appeared behind starter Merrill Kelly who pitched the first three innings of the game.
As for Colombia, the disappointment was palpable, since all hopes were allowed following their good start to the Classic. The Colombians have nothing to be ashamed of, however, having beaten the number one team in the pool and having pushed the Americans to the limit.
The focus of the United States now turns to Venezuela, which they will face on Saturday evening in Miami as part of the final quarter-final match of the tournament. The Venezuelans are still undefeated in the tournament so far, sitting at the top of Group D ahead of Puerto Rico.
The two-day leave is likely to do the American team a great good, because it will have to find a solution to the offensive dearth if it wants to repeat its exploits of 2017.
