That scruffy beard Cole Hamels has been sporting this spring training will be gone by the time the Philadelphia Phillies open the regular season.
Both teams had already qualified for the semifinals in San Francisco, and the game merely determined seedings. Puerto Rico plays two-time defending champion Japan on Sunday night, and the Dominicans face the Netherlands on Monday night.
March 2-19 _ World Baseball Classic.
Pinch hitter Erick Aybar singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth for the Dominicans, who improved to 5-0. They're assured of a spot in the semifinals beginning Sunday in San Francisco.
March 2-19 _ World Baseball Classic.
March 2-19 _ World Baseball Classic.
March 2-11 _ Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.
How quickly we forget the spring training sensation is just 22 years old with 133 professional at-bats to his credit, thanks to last season's serious ankle injury.
Mariano Rivera and his family walked into the pavilion behind the third-base stands at Steinbrenner Field followed by his New York Yankees' teammates.
