Tarik Skubal vs. Nate Eaton: The WBC Moment Everyone Is Talking About After USA 9, Great Britain 1
One pitch. One moment. Nate Eaton took the very first pitch of Tarik Skubal's WBC start and deposited it into left-center field for a leadoff home run. The stunning sequence became the defining story of Team USA's 9-1 win over Great Britain Saturday night in Houston, and it has baseball fans buzzing heading into Monday's showdown with Mexico.
Nate Eaton's First-Pitch Home Run Stuns Team USA
Great Britain's Nate Eaton greeted Team USA pitcher Tarik Skubal with a home run on the first pitch of the game Saturday night, as the defending American League Cy Young Award winner made his only start of the World Baseball Classic — a 9-1 United States victory at Daikin Park in Houston.
Eaton, 29, is a Red Sox utility man who had one home run and four RBIs all of last season. He took the game's first pitch to deep left-center field to give Great Britain a 1-0 lead before Skubal got back to work and retired the next three batters in order.
Eaton went on to reach base two more times with two singles, finishing 3-for-4 on the night. He was the only Great Britain player to record a hit, as his teammates went 0-for-25.
Tarik Skubal Settled Down and Dominated After the Shock
After allowing the first-pitch homer, Skubal retired nine of the next ten Great Britain hitters to close out his outing. He finished with five strikeouts, and struck out three batters in his final inning on the mound.
Skubal allowed two hits on 41 pitches, 30 of them strikes. He struck out five and walked none before being removed. "Unbelievable stuff — 98 miles per hour, devastating changeup, slider," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said of Skubal during the Fox broadcast.
The plan heading into Saturday was for Skubal to make one lone WBC appearance before heading back to the Detroit Tigers' spring training facility. He has $500 million reasons not to pitch again in the tournament.
USA Offense Explodes Late — Schwarber Delivers the Killing Blow
Team USA spent half its second pool game trailing Great Britain, with two independent-league and minor-league arms shutting down the American lineup across four innings. Then one error from Great Britain third baseman Ivan Johnson opened the floodgates.
Ernie Clement reached first on the bad throw, moved to third on a Pete Crow-Armstrong double, and scored on a passed ball. Two pitches later, Kyle Schwarber launched a 427-foot blast into the second deck in right field to give Team USA the lead for good.
Team USA pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts on the night while walking nobody — a new Team USA WBC record. Skubal, Clay Holmes, David Bednar, Griffin Jax, and Brad Keller all contributed to the dominant collective effort.
Will Tarik Skubal Pitch Again in the WBC?
After the game, Skubal was asked whether he might pitch again for Team USA in the tournament. It was not a definitive "yes" — but it was not a "no" either. Skubal is expected to seek a contract of at least $400 million this offseason, which would be a record for a pitcher.
Skubal said his focus remains on winning a World Series for the city of Detroit. "The Tigers' fans are excited — they're really invested in this club, and so are we," he said. "You can kind of see that a World Series is attainable with the additions we've made."
Team USA 2-0, Mexico Looms Monday Night
Team USA is now 2-0 in Pool B and virtually assured of a spot in the knockout rounds. Its biggest test comes Monday night against Mexico, with first place in Pool B likely on the line.
Paul Skenes is scheduled to start for Team USA on Monday against Mexico, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET on Fox from Daikin Park in Houston.
