LOS ANGELES: Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Baltimore star Adam Jones are among the returnees on the 28-man US World Baseball Classic roster, which also includes Colorado’s Nolan Arenado, Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, San Francisco’s Buster Posey and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen.
Cleveland reliever Andrew Miller is part of a 13-man pitching staff that also has Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer, Kansas City’s Danny Duffy, Detroit’s Michael Fulmer, Oakland’s Sonny Gray, Toronto’s J.A. Happ and Marcus Stroman and Seattle’s Drew Smyly.
The roster announced Wednesday by USA Baseball includes 18 All-Stars, two MVPs and nine Gold Glove winners.
Jim Leyland will manage the US team and Joe Torre is the general manager.
Miami has the most players on the roster with three, while eight teams have two players each.
Brett Cecil, Fulmer, Gray, Happ, Smyly and Alex Wilson comprise the designated pitcher pool. For the first time, teams will be able to select up to two pitchers to join the roster following each round.
Houston’s Luke Gregerson, Eric Hosmer of Kansas City, Jonathan Lucroy of Texas and Stanton return from the 2013 WBC squad.
The US will play its first-round games as part of Pool C at Marlins Park in Miami. The Americans open against Colombia on March 10. They take on defending champion Dominican Republic on March 11 and play Canada on March 12.
The Dominican roster includes 43-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colón of Atlanta, Robinson Cano of Seattle and Manny Machado of Baltimore.
Puerto Rico has 13 players returning from its runner-up squad four years ago, including Carlos Beltran of Houston, free agent Angel Pagan and Giovanni Soto of the White Sox.
Canada’s roster includes Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, reliever John Axford of Oakland and Dalton Pompey of Toronto. Left off the roster was Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, who had minor offseason knee surgery, and outfielder Michael Saunders, who just signed a deal with the Phillies.
Mexico’s roster includes Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and free agent reliever Sergio Romo. The team will be managed by Gonzalez’s brother Edgar, a former major leaguer, and Fernando Valenzuela will serve as a coach.
Kansas City Royals free agent pitcher Peter Moylan and Oakland reliever Liam Hendriks are among the players on Australia’s roster.
Played every four years, the WBC will be held March 6-22 in Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the United States, with the semifinals and championship game set for Dodger Stadium. The Dominican Republic won the 2013 tournament, beating Puerto Rico in the final.
Stanton, Jones headline US roster for World Baseball Classic
Stanton, Jones headline US roster for World Baseball Classic
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
