Forget the scoreline – nobody expected Great Britain to beat the last WBC semi-finalist, Mexico. Instead, focus on this: an eclectic mix of superstars, nobodies, has-beens, and could-bes not only kept the game tight for 7⅔ innings, but they out-hit one of the best teams in the World Baseball Classic.
The honour of starting went to Red Sox pitcher Jack Anderson. The 26-year-old threw 86⅔ innings in the high minors last season, posting a 4.57 ERA. First up was Mexico’s lead-off man, Jarren Duran. No one has had more MLB at-bats in the last couple of years, and with a 124 OPS+, the mismatch was almost palpable.
Surely only one outcome awaited? You’re wrong. It was a strikeout. Anderson and GB were off and running.
After a clean inning, GB didn’t hang around. Two hits in the first – Harry Ford’s single followed by Bazza (B.J. Murray) – put runners on the corners. Mexico’s star hitters? No problem for Anderson. Then Nacho Alvarez Jr. launched a solo homer. He seemed like the least potent of the hitters, but that’s just the way the nacho crumbles.
Javier Assad, limited to 37 innings last year due to injury, settled in after the shaky start. Anderson, whose father played football for Luton Town, continued to roll through the third inning: Joey Ortiz (K), Jarren Duran (K), Randy Arozarena (flyout). GB were making one of the WBC’s elite lineups look routine.
In the fourth, lefty Nick Wells took over. He had struck out nine Dutch batters in Brad Marcelino’s European Championship debut, and today, he delivered two no-hit innings against a world-class lineup. Ford drew a walk, Murray worked a 3–0 count, but a double-play gifted Mexico two outs. GB were heating up.
The fifth inning had drama. Ian Lewis Jr., the Marlins prospect and live wire, notched GB’s third hit. Our Meet the Brits: Player Profiles predicted, “If he gets on first, second base is in danger.”
This proved prescient, as he threatened to steal, got hit by a pickoff attempt, and threatened again. This time, Trayce Thompson had flipped the ball over the infield, allowing Lewis Jr. to dive safely into third -only to be called out for missing second. The video replay reinstated Brits in the corners, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. flew out to Duran, and the chance slipped away – but the potential was clear: GB could compete.
Ryan Long then entered, battling control issues, but he kept Mexico honest. Joey Ortiz walked, Duran was hit, and Randy Arozarena battled a full count. One swing could have blown the game open. Trayce Thompson’s catch at the wall on Jonathan Aranda’s 362-foot drive kept the deficit manageable. Alejandro Kirk? Also snared by Thompson in the outfield. Tenacity personified.
Bottom of the sixth, Ford turned on Alex Carrillo’s 98 mph heater. Home run. GB 1–1 Mexico. Game on.
Samy Natera Jr., Mexico’s reliever, issued walks to Matt Koperniak and Kristian Robinson, giving GB more opportunities with two outs. Ivan Johnson lifted a fastball over the infield, only for Arozarena to throw a perfect relay to Kirk – so close.
Brad Marcelino’s team out-hit Mexico 6–2 through the first six innings. That is not a typo.
Mexico gave the seventh to Robert Garcia (71 MLB games, 2.95 ERA). GB countered with Gary Gill Hill, a Rays prospect who pitched High-A last season. Both delivered clean innings.
In the eighth, Gill Hill looked like a star in the making, dispatching two outs with movement, speed variation, and pitch mix that confounded the Mexican hitters. For 7⅔ innings, GB matched Mexico – sometimes out-playing them.
The final stretch showed the gulf. Duran and Arozarena walked. Tristan Beck, the sole MLB pitcher on the roster, entered. Aranda’s fly ball cleared the warning track. Gut-punch: GB 1–4 Mexico. Bazza and Koperniak walked. Robinson worked a full count, then was out at first in a bang-bang play.
Ninth inning: Prime-time Graham Spraker took the mound. At the last WBC, he tossed 2⅔ clean innings. Mexico, seeking to pad their run differential in case of a tiebreaker, exploded. GB’s final inning ended trailing 8–1. Ian Lewis scored his second of the day, this one off elite closer Andrés Muñoz, but the damage was done.
Final score: GB 2–8 Mexico. And yet… the positives were everywhere. GB out-hit Mexico 10–8, showed patience at the plate, and chipped away at one of the tournament’s elite lineups.
In Russell’s pre-game article, he opined that the only position in which GB had a weakness was shortstop. It seems clear that Ian Lewis Jr. is made for this level of competition.
Forget the scoreboard. This GB lineup is competitive. Tenacious. Fearless. And if Brad Marcelino keeps orchestrating with this level of tactical acumen, the next couple of days will be some of GB’s greatest.
Featured image by Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images
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