2017 World Baseball Classic final score: USA walks off with 3-2 win over Colombia

It took a little longer than expected, but Team USA escaped with a win in their World Baseball Classic opener Friday night. The heavily-favored USA team walked off with a 3-2 win over Colombia in the 10th inning at Marlins Park (box score). Orioles center fielder Adam Jones won the game with a walk-off single.

Here is the game-winning hit:

Here are eight things to know in the aftermath of USA’s win in Miami.

1. The hitless parade

This was the longest a WBC game had ever gone without a hit. Both teams were hitless through four. With two outs in the top of the fifth, Jesus Valdez doubled to the left-center gap, good for the first hit of the game.

Starters Chris Archer (USA) and Jose Quintana (Colombia) were clearly the best players in this game, at least through four innings.

Archer would be pulled after four perfect innings. He retired all 12 batters he saw, striking out three and only allowed hard contact on a couple of occasions. He only needed 41 pitches to get through those four innings as well. It was just a tour de force.

Quintana wasn’t much different. He got through five innings without having allowed a hit and having faced the minimum, as the only base-runner he allowed was a walk that was erased on a double play. He did give up a single with two outs in the fifth, and that runner came around to score, but the line doesn’t indicate how well he threw the ball on this night.

2. Colombia employs effective defensive shifts

To be fair, Quintana was helped by the Colombia defense on several occasions. They were playing their outfielders deep, and it helped result in a few really good catches by center fielder Tito Polo. On the infield, they were shifting a lot, especially early, and seemed to have perfectly scouted the U.S.

The most interesting layer here was that Colombia was switching their shortstop (Donovan Solano) and second baseman (Adrian Sanchez) depending on where the hitter was more likely to hit the ball. Solano’s position in the box score is listed as “SS-2B-SS-2B-SS” while Sanchez’s goes “2B-SS-2B-SS-2B.”

It’s a topic for a different day, but I could see some MLB teams start employing something similar.

3. Leyland made some questionable decisions, but pulling Archer wasn’t his call

Archer was dominating the Colombia lineup through four innings, carrying a perfect game. He had only thrown 41 pitches with a 65-pitch limit, so there was a chance he could have cleanly gotten through another inning. Many at the time wondered why Archer was pulled, but during the MLB Network broadcast Archer was interviewed on the air and said he told Leyland to take him out due to respecting the wishes of the Rays.

There were two issues I saw, though.

First, Leyland pinch hit Eric Hosmer for Paul Goldschmidt in the bottom of the sixth inning with runners on first and third base with two outs. It was a right-handed pitcher on the hill, but Goldschmidt is a far superior hitter and I don’t even think anyone in Hosmer’s family would argue this point. Hosmer softly grounded out to end the threat. Later in the game, he led off the ninth inning with another soft grounder barely in front of home plate.

Then, in the top of the eighth, with Colombia threatening, Leyland went to Pat Neshek instead of Andrew Miller. Solano lined out to third base and Nolan Arenado made a great throw to double the runner off first base, but a few feet either way and Colombia wins that game.

Leyland dodged two bullets with these decisions here. He won’t be able to withstand mistakes like these against the Dominican Republic.

4. Mychal Givens had an uncharacteristic inning

The one inning in which USA allowed runs was the fifth and it was Orioles’ reliever Mychal Givens. With two outs, he allowed three straight doubles. Though he’s far from a household name, he’s not a bad pitcher. In 66 outings last season, he only gave up more than a run in an inning six times. He’s only given up three extra-base hits in an inning once before in his career.

5. Colombia might have blown the game on a baserunning mishap

In the top of the ninth with two outs, Jhonathan Solano landed a Texas Leaguer in left-center field. Jorge Alfaro was on first base and the ball hung so long in the air, he was approaching third base as it landed. As he was running to third base, he was looking back over his shoulder at the ball instead of his third-base coach, who was waving him to try and score. He probably would have been thrown out at home, but you never know if USA bobbles the ball at some point or if Christian Yelich makes a bad throw home. In which case, Colombia takes the lead in the top of the ninth. They’d surely love to have this one back.

6. Jones got the two biggest USA hits

Adam Jones was 2-4 with an RBI double that got the scoring going and then a walk-off single to win it in the 10th. The only other run scored by USA came on a strike-three passed ball, with Ian Kinsler scoring while Nolan Arenado barely beat the throw to first base.

In all, USA managed only six hits. Jones had the only extra-base hit and the only two RBI.

7. Colombia has a quick turnaround

The game Friday night ended after 9 p.m. ET. Canada didn’t have to play on Friday, but they are awaiting a noon date with Colombia on Saturday. The bullpen is taxed, too, so even with a good showing against a superior club, it’s a tall order for Colombia to come out of the pool now.

8. USA has a powerhouse battle next

The Dominican Republic might have the most stacked lineup in the WBC. Their Thursday order was Jose Reyes, Manny Machado, Robinson Cano, Jose Bautista, Carlos Santana, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Gregory Polanco, Welington Castillo. That’s a far cry from the Colombia order on Friday. The Saturday bout between USA and DR will take place in Marlins Park at 6:30 p.m. ET. It’ll be Marcus Stroman for USA and Edinson Volquez for Dominican Republic.