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Kansas City Royals third baseman Abraham Toro hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning as Canada rallied past the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on Wednesday in an exhibition game.
Toro drove in Liam Hicks, Denzel Clarke and Edouard Julien to tie the game 3-3 in Clearwater, Fla.
Jacob Robson then singled to score Toro for Canada’s first lead of the game and Tyler Black tacked on another run in the eighth with an RBI single.
Alec Bohm homered, Johan Rojas had an RBI double and Bryan De La Cruz scored a run with a single as Philadelphia built a 3-0 lead at BayCare Ballpark.
It was a tuneup game for Canada as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic.
The tournament begins Thursday as Taiwan plays Australia at Japan’s Tokyo Dome. Canada’s first game of the event is against Colombia on Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rob Zastryzny earned the win for Canada with Matt Wilkinson picking up the save.
Jonathan Bowlan took the loss for the Phillies.
Canada’s WBC roster features 21 players who are either current major league players or have previous MLB playing experience.
Canada’s roster includes 14 players who competed in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023:
- Phillippe Aumont
- Owen Caissie
- Denzel Clarke
- Indigo Diaz
- Edouard Julien
- Otto Lopez
- Bo Naylor
- Tyler O’Neill
- Cal Quantrill
- Jacob Robson
- Noah Skirrow
- Abraham Toro
- Jared Young
- Rob Zastryzny.
Los Angeles Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman pulled out of the event in January due to personal reasons.
Canada will compete in Pool A, with games scheduled against Panama (Sunday), Puerto Rico (March 10), and Cuba (March 11). The top two teams in Pool A will advance to the quarterfinal round in Houston.
Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. never got to represent his native Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic.
Guerrero had committed to play at the inaugural tournament in 2006 but, after three of his cousins died in a car crash, he withdrew from the event.
He did, however, get to tell his son, Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he would get to suit up for their country at this year’s WBC.
“That’s the main thing for me, that I want to be there so he can see me,” said the younger Guerrero through Blue Jays translator Hector Lebron. “He can be there. He can see me play for the Dominicans.”
Guerrero is one of 12 players from the Blue Jays organization playing in the international tournament. That includes Toronto’s entire major league infield with Guerrero playing first base for the D.R.
Leaving spring training new wrinkle
Shortstop Andres Gimenez (Venezuela), shortstop Leo Jimenez (Panama), utility man Ernie Clement (United States), catcher Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (Japan) are also playing.
Pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (Cuba) is the seventh player on the Blue Jays’ major league roster playing in the WBC.
Having a large chunk of Toronto’s roster leave for their international teams’ camps is a wrinkle Guerrero and his teammates have never had to tackle before.
“I don’t have any idea about the challenges of leaving the team for the very first time that I go to the WBC,” said Guerrero on Feb. 16 when position players officially reported to the Blue Jays’ player development complex in Dunedin, Fla. “But I worked very hard those seven weeks [after his father told him he’d play for the Dominican Republic] to prepare for the WBC and for spring training.”
Five minor leaguers from the organization are going too, including pitchers Adam Macko (Canada), outfielder RJ Schreck and catcher C.J. Stubbs (Israel) catcher Will Cresswell (Britain) and outfielder Ismael Munguia (Nicaragua).
Clement, who will also be playing in the WBC for the first time, said he was thrilled to be named to the U.S.’s roster.
“It’s been a dream of mine, ever since I kept up with the old Olympic hockey,” said Clement in Toronto’s spring training clubhouse. “Just to get a chance to represent the United States is a real honour and I’m so excited.”
Toronto will be one of the most heavily represented teams in the all-star tourney, with only eight teams MLB sending more players. The New York Mets lead the way with 17 participants.
