World Baseball Classic Highlights: Trayce Thompson’s Catch and Hyun-jin Ryu’s Return

In a thrilling night of baseball at the World Baseball Classic, the United States secured a commanding 9-1 victory over Great Britain, improving their record to 2-0 in Pool B. Dodgers catcher Will Smith contributed significantly to the win, walking twice and showcasing his defensive skills by throwing out a baserunner attempting to steal second. However, he also found himself on the receiving end of some spectacular defensive plays that kept him from an even bigger night at the plate.

Smith’s night included a near home run that was spectacularly robbed by former teammate Trayce Thompson, who leaped over the right field wall to snatch the ball back. In the sixth inning, Smith connected with a powerful shot that left the bat at 104.1 mph, but left fielder Kristian Robinson made a great catch in the gap, forcing Smith to settle for a sacrifice fly instead of extra bases. He ended the game with another hard-hit flyout to Thompson in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Hyun-jin Ryu made his much-anticipated return to the World Baseball Classic, pitching for Korea for the first time since 2009. Just weeks shy of his 39th birthday, the former Dodgers left-hander allowed a solo home run in the second inning but managed to navigate through three innings with only that one run allowed, striking out three batters while dealing with two singles and two stolen bases.

In a tightly contested matchup, Chinese Taipei ultimately edged out Korea 5-4 in the 10th inning, marking a back-and-forth affair where neither team held a lead greater than one run. Ryu reflected on his international experience, speaking with Michael Clair at MLB.com about his role as a mentor for the younger players on the team. “As a young guy back then, I remember a lot of good veterans were there for me. So, I try to do the same thing. We have a much younger pitching staff compared to years ago with the national team,” Ryu said. He emphasized the importance of supporting the younger players, stating, “Just being there really, but I’m also getting a lot of energy and things to learn from those young kids, as well.”

In a key moment, Hyeseong Kim walked in the eighth and scored the tying run from first base on a double. However, as the game progressed to the 10th inning, despite Kim laying down a squeeze bunt with the tying run on third and one out, the runner was thrown out at home. Kim then stole second but was ultimately stranded, sealing Korea’s fate.

On a different note, Puerto Rico continued to impress, overcoming deficits in both the ninth and 10th innings to stun Panama and improve to 2-0 in the tournament. Edwin Díaz did not pitch on Saturday after a scoreless inning on Friday. Daniel Hernaiz delivered a walk-off home run in front of a jubilant home crowd, capping off a day that also featured Ozzie Albies’ game-winning blast for the Netherlands against Nicaragua. Remarkably, these were the first two walk-off home runs in World Baseball Classic history, adding to the excitement of this thrilling tournament.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.