Mexico stunned the US 2-1, eliminating the prime host of the inaugural World Baseball Classic on Thursday and giving Japan another shot at South Korea in the semifinals.
The outcome was a shock considering the US fielded a lineup loaded with Major League Baseball All-Stars even without Derrek Lee and Johnny Damon, sidelined with sore left shoulders.
Oliver Perez and seven relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter as Mexico made Roger Clemens a loser in what might have been the final start of the Rocket's outstanding MLB career.
PHOTO: AP
South Korea had a 3-0 second-round record in Group 1, with the US, Japan and Mexico all going 1-2. Japan earned the second semifinal berth from the group by allowing the fewest runs in games between the tied teams.
Japan, which has already lost twice to South Korea in the Classic, faces its archrival in today's opening semifinal at Petco Park in San Diego, with the Dominican Republic then meeting Cuba. The winners play on Monday for the championship.
Clemens, who has won 341 games and struck out 4,502 batters in his MLB career, has said he's leaning toward retirement after the Classic. He wasn't at his best against Mexico, allowing six hits and two runs in 4 1-3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches -- seven below the maximum for the second round.
PHOTO: AP
Perez allowed only one hit in three scoreless innings, and the Mexican bullpen later retired 12 straight batters until Chipper Jones drew a one-out walk off Jorge De La Rosa in the ninth. Luis Ayala then walked Alex Rodriguez, but David Cortes needed only one pitch, getting Vernon Wells to ground into a game-ending double play.
Mexico took a 1-0 lead off Clemens in the third on a leadoff double by Mario Valenzuela and a two-out single by Jorge Cantu.
But it wasn't that simple.
A television replay showed Valenzuela's fly ball hit the right field foul pole at least 10 feet off the ground and bounced back onto the field. However, first base umpire Bob Davidson didn't see it that way, and Valenzuela wound up at second.
It was Davidson, umpiring behind the plate, who ruled that Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka left third base early in the eighth inning on Sunday to negate a sacrifice fly that would have snapped a 3-3 tie in a game the US eventually won 4-3.
The Americans tied it in the fourth off Francisco Campos when Jones doubled, took third on a fly ball and scored on Wells' sacrifice fly, barely beating right fielder Valenzuela's throw to the plate.
Mexico took a 2-1 lead in the fifth and chased Clemens on Cantu's RBI grounder off Scot Shields.
WEDNESDAY'S GAMES
Cuba had two close calls go against it late in the game and still held on for a 4-3 victory over Puerto Rico to advance to the semifinals.
Ormari Romero allowed one run in four innings for Cuba (2-1), which will play the Dominican Republic in the single-elimination semifinal game today in San Diego.
In the first round of the WBC, Puerto Rico beat Cuba 12-2 in a game stopped by the mercy rule after seven innings. But in a game that was win or go home, Cuba got revenge in front of a raucous Puerto Rican crowd.
The Cubans were up 4-1 in the seventh when Puerto Rico rallied.
With runners at the corners and no out, pinch hitter Ricky Ledee hit a grounder to second baseman Yulieski Gourriel, who tried to turn a double play. But Gourriel's throw pulled shortstop Eduardo Paret off the bag and Cuba managed to get only one out while giving up a run.
After Bernie Williams hit into double play to leave a runner at third and two outs, Ivan Rodriguez walked.
Carlos Beltran lined a single to center to score a run and center fielder Alexi Ramirez bobbled the ball. Ramirez relayed to Gourriel and Rodriguez was thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run from first.
With the lead down to 4-3 in the eighth, Puerto Rico put runners on second and first with one out.
Jose Valentin then reached safely when pitcher Vicyohandry Odelin's throw in the dirt wasn't fielded cleanly by first baseman Joan Carlos Pedroso. It appeared on replays that Pedroso trapped the throw between his arm and his body.
Cuba argued the call to no avail and the bases were loaded. But Alex Cintron followed with an inning ending double play on a grounder to short.
South Korea 2, Japan 1
At Anaheim, California, Park Chan-ho and four relievers combined to pitch a six-hitter, Lee Jong-beom hit a two-run double in the eighth, and South Korea beat Japan and clinch a berth in the semifinals.
South Korea went 3-0 in Round 2; the US is 1-1, Japan finished 1-2, and Mexico is 0-2.
South Korea and Japan were scoreless when Kim Min-jae drew a one-out walk in the eighth off Toshiya Sugiuchi, and Lee Byung-kyu followed with a single. Center fielder Tatsuhiko Kinjoh's throw to third arrived ahead of Kim, but Toshiaki Imae juggled the ball, and Lee took second on the play. Imae wasn't charged with an error.
Kyuji Fugikawa relieved, and Lee Jong-beom lined a 2-1 pitch to the left-center field gap. Lee raised his fists in triumph as the ball dropped in, but he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka homered off Koo Dae-sung to begin the bottom of the ninth for Japan's only run. Noguhiko Matsunaka hit a one-out single before Oh Seung-kwan struck out the next two batters to end the game.
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