USA’s bullpen key to 3-2 win over Colombia
This is a great win for the USA in that it solidifies their place in the quarterfinals, but for a team that was widely seen as the strongest lineup in the world, and by a long way, it a flat ending to a rather disappointing group stage. With the exception of Canada, every team has been competitive against the USA. Of course the loss to Mexico, but they only beat Colombia by oneand even lowly Great Britain were only beaten by four. It all seems so… lackluster.
At no point did Colombia seem out of the running. And with this USA lineup, the game should have been put out of reach early on. It just never was.
In the end, the saving grace for the USA was the formidable bullpen that they have assembled, not their famed prodigious bats. As they move into the knockout round, however, there is a sickening feeling that it may not be enough. They will face Venezuela in the quarterfinal, a team who can boast a lineup and a bullpen that is nearly the equal of the USA’s.
If they should get past Venezuela? Japan awaits.
For Colombia, this is the worst possible outcome. They played amazingly well, doing things that are far better than their finish should suggest. In every contest, they were in the fight, pushing every team to the limit. Their win over Mexico might have been their only one, but it was no anomaly. Colombia are good enough to beat anyone, anytime.
But with this loss, they have finished bottom of the group, meaning that they will miss out on automatic qualification and will need to go through the qualification process before the 2026 WBC.
