Pitching in a light mist that seemed odd for Los Angeles, Tanner Roark took the mound on Tuesday night in Dodger Stadium against Japan in the second semi-final matchup of the 2017 World Baseball Classic and tossed four scoreless frames on 48 pitches in what ended up a 2-1 win for the United States.
With the win, the U.S. advanced to tomorrow night’s WBC Championship game with Puerto Rico.
Roark, the Washington Nationals’ 30-year-old right-hander, worked around a leadoff hit-by-pitch in a nine-pitch first, then erased a one-out single with a 5-4-3 DP in an eight-pitch second.