National
Canada eliminated after pool play at World Baseball Classic with 10-3 loss to Mexico
Mexico’s Randy Arozarena hits an RBI double against Canada during the second inning of a World Baseball Classic game in Phoenix, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Phoenix (CP) – Randy Arozarena had two doubles and drove in five runs, Rowdy Tellez added a two-run single and solo homer, and Mexico beat Canada 10-3 Wednesday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
Canada had a chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time with a win. Instead, the Canadians were eliminated after pool play for the fifth straight tournament.
“I think we have some really good young players that are coming. I think inexperience showed a little bit today,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said.
“But I’m proud of every guy in that room. They played the game the way it was supposed to be played. They played with pride and passion. What more can you ask for?
“I mean, we hit the ball hard today. Every time we hit the ball hard, it seemed like it was at somebody. We have days like that, it just didn’t pan out for us this time.”
The United States defeated Colombia 3-2 later Wednesday, leading to Canada’s elimination. If Colombia managed an upset, the U.S., Canada and Colombia would have been tied at 2-2.
The winner of that tiebreak would be the team with the fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs in the games against the other tied teams. Following a 12-1 loss to the U.S. on Monday, however, Canada would have been a long shot to make it in.
Mexico started the tournament with a surprising loss to Colombia in Group C at Chase Field but rallied with three straight wins, beating the U.S., Britain and Canada.
José Urquidy gave up two runs over four innings, striking out five to earn the win. Arozarena — the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year for the Tampa Bay Rays — hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth that broke the game open, giving Mexico a 6-2 lead.
Canada leadoff hitter Edouard Julien had two hits, including a solo homer in the seventh inning, and catcher Bo Naylor hit a solo homer.
“I think he’s very capable of being an all-star in the big leagues,” Whitt said of second baseman Julien, a prospect in the Minnesota Twins’ system. “Like I said, he continues to improve his defence. You go back and you look at his track record at college, he’s tied some records for the best hitter. I mean, it shows.
“And plus he’s what I call a gamer. He plays hard every play. He doesn’t take a play off. I think he’s got a real good career ahead of him.”
Rob Zastryzny took the loss after giving up three runs over two innings.
Canada played without Los Angeles Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who left Tuesday’s game because of a hamstring injury.
The Canadians finished pool play at 2-2 with wins over Britain and Colombia and losses to the U.S. and Mexico.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2023.
This is a corrected story. A previous version said Canada was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic. In fact, Canada still has a very unlikely but possible chance of advancing.
Firefighters attend the scene of a house explosion that injured several people, destroyed one home and damaged others in Calgary, Monday, March 27, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
By Colette Derworiz in Calgary
CALGARY — At least 10 people were seriously injured Monday after an explosion destroyed a home and damaged surrounding properties.
The fire department said the force of the explosion in northeast Calgary created “a large debris field” and several fires. A tangle of what appeared to be charred beams, pink insulation and splintered wood could be seen where the house once stood. The side of a home next door was charred, a window looking onto the street shattered.
Many of the injured were believed to have been inside the single-family home when it blew up and were sent to various hospitals in the city, the department said.
“Fire crews have been unable to access the source home at this time to search for any more patients due to structural instability,” it said in a news release.
Adam Loria, a spokesman for Calgary Emergency Medical Services, said the injured people sent to hospital are all adults.
He said six were in life-threatening condition and four received serious injuries.
“It was quite the group effort, not only with EMS, to ensure all patients were cared for and transported in a timely fashion, but as well with our first responder partners Calgary police and Calgary fire,” Loria said.
Bobbie Puttick, who lives eight houses down from the explosion, said it happened after he left for work, but his children were home at the time.
“They felt the house rock and they came out and took a video right away,” he said.
“It’s nuts to see the house gone. And to see the roof on the other across the street in the neighbour’s yard.”
Lorna Lammers said she heard the explosion from three blocks away.
“I was sitting at my kitchen table and I heard ‘kaboom’ and I thought something like a vehicle or something had run into my house or my garage,” she said.
Lammers said she and her neighbours headed outside to see what had happened and she saw black smoke billowing into the sky. She said there was a lot of debris, including a mattress on the roof of a house and wood in some trees.
Lammers said she had previously spoken to some men who lived in the home while walking her dog.
Power to the area was shut down and workers were trying to clamp the natural gas line. Fire and police were also on scene trying to determine the cause of the blast.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 27, 2023.
— With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary and Emily Blake in Yellowknife
OTTAWA — The federal auditor general says two-thirds of people with disabilities encountered barriers on federally regulated planes and trains in 2019 and 2020, and is highlighting a lack of consultation and enforcement by agencies involved.
More coming.
The Canadian Press
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