SAN JUAN -- The Puerto Rico-Cuba game was supposed to be the marquee matchup of the World Baseball Classic\'s Pool C.
Instead, the final game of the first round turned into a hometown party at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, as Puerto Rico walloped Cuba, 12-2, in a one-sided affair. The game was called after seven innings, as Puerto Rico\'s 10-run lead kicked the mercy rule into effect.
Bernie Williams, Alex Cintron and Carlos Beltran homered for Puerto Rico, which completed the first round with a perfect 3-0 record. Cuba finished 2-1, as both teams advanced to the next round, which begins Sunday.
"They simply had a bad night," Williams said of Cuba. "They are not going to allow the loss here to intimidate them."
Cuba will face Venezuela on Sunday afternoon to kick off the second round, while Puerto Rico will play the Dominican Republic on Sunday night. Puerto Rico and Cuba will square off again on Wednesday night.
"We know that team quite well, and we\'re quite aware of the fact that it\'s a very strong team," manager Jose Oquendo said of the Dominican. "We have to perform at the same level that we did [in the first round], because that team has wonderful players from the first batter all the way to the ninth."
Cuban starter Yulieski Gonzalez didn\'t make it out of the first inning, issuing three consecutive two-out walks to load the bases. Luis Borroto came in from the bullpen and retired Luis Matos, stranding the three runners for Puerto Rico.
Borroto found some trouble of his own with two outs in the second, however, as Alex Cora singled to set up Williams\' two-run blast, giving Puerto Rico a 2-0 lead.
Williams, who has had his share of curtain calls at Yankee Stadium, was given the same treatment on Friday night, as the sellout crowd of 19,736 chanted "Bernie! Bernie!" until he came out of the dugout.
"That home run was a milestone in my career," said Williams. "I felt like I was playing the World Series in the month of March."
Williams was named the top player in Pool C, hitting .333 (4-for-12) with one home run and four RBIs, including the game-winning hit against Panama on Tuesday.
"I was able to put my best foot forward this week," Williams said. "It was a wonderful experience."
Osmany Urrutia singled in a run against starter Dicky Gonzalez in the third, cutting Puerto Rico\'s lead in half. But Cintron gave Puerto Rico some breathing room in the fourth, punishing a hanging curveball by Borroto and drilling it into the right-field seats for a two-run shot.
Puerto Rico\'s schedule |
| Round 2, Pool 2 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Sunday vs. Dominican Republic, 8 p.m. ET |
| Monday vs. Venezuela, 8 p.m. ET |
| Wednesday vs. Cuba, 7 p.m. ET |
| Full schedule > |
The home run ended Borroto\'s day after 2 2/3 innings. He was charged with four runs on three hits, two of them the homers by Williams and Cintron.
Cuba used three more pitchers in the fourth inning, giving up three more runs on one hit, three walks and an error, the hit coming off the bat of Jose Cruz Jr., who drove in two runs to make it a 7-1 game.
Gonzalez gave Puerto Rico a solid effort, allowing one unearned run over four innings before being removed from the game. He earned the win, giving up just two hits without walking a batter.
"Gonzalez did a good job," Oquendo said. "He came out aggressive in the strike zone, kept the ball down and moved it in and out."
Puerto Rico broke the game wide open in the fifth, plating five more runs against a pair of Cuban relievers. The big blow in the inning came off the bat of Beltran, who destroyed a 2-1 pitch from Jonder Martinez, hitting it clear out of the stadium for a three-run homer.
"Guys were aggressive on the bases and swinging the bat," Oquendo said. "I hope that continues into the second round."
Jose Santiago came in to close out the game in the seventh, but he hit Juan Moreno with two outs, prompting an ejection. Both teams had been warned by home plate umpire Pierfranco Leone in the top of the seventh, when Martinez threw a ball by Ricky Ledee\'s head.
Fernando Cabrera came in to record the final out, finishing off Cuba via the mercy rule. It was just the second time Cuba has ever been beaten by the mercy rule, the other coming in 1983 against Taiwan.
"We have lost the battle," said Cuba manager Higinio Velez, "but not the war."
Puerto Rico will work out at the stadium on Saturday morning before hosting the Dominican on Sunday. Javier Vazquez is expected to start against Bartolo Colon.
', tagline: 'Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. ', summary: null, article_photo: { caption: 'Carlos Beltran celebrates with teamates after his mammoth three-run homer in the fifth.', credit: 'Al Bello/Getty Images', path: '/images/2006/03/11/Z3RZzJZV.jpg' }, sub_headline: null, alt_headline: 'P.R. rips Cuba, wins Pool C crown', related_links: null, headline: 'P.R. rips Cuba, wins Pool C crown' }