LOS ANGELES ¨C The Puerto Rican players swarmed Eddie Rosario, pushing and pulling, grabbing at his jersey and patting the top his head and the hair he¡¯d dyed blond, like the rest of the team. Behind home plate, Francisco Lindor was off on his own, stripping off his jersey and holding it high, so everyone could see ¡°Puerto Rico¡± stitched across the front.
They played, and then celebrated, as if this game meant everything. Because of that spirit, now they¡¯ll actually get to play for everything.
Rosario lifted a ball into the night sky deep enough to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th, and Puerto Rico outlasted the Netherlands 4-3 in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
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