2010 World Junior Championship

The 2010 World Junior Championship was the 24th World Junior Championship and was held in July and August 2010 in Thunder Bay, ON. Six of the twelve competing nations had won a Medal in a prior WJC and five of them had won Golds, including all the prior victors (Cuba 11, USA 5, South Korea 5, Canada 1, Taiwan 1). The other country to have won a Medal was Australia, which had won the Bronze five times. In 2010, Taiwan got its second Gold and Australia its first Silver while Cuba took home the Bronze.

First Round

July 23

• Venezuela forfeited to Australia

• Cuba 10, Panama 0. Eddyalb Valentin tosses a 2-hit shutout while 1B Guillermo Aviles falls a triple shy of a cycle in an opening win.

• Canada 9, Netherlands 2. Mariners farmhand Scott Ronnenbergh is awful, allowing eight hits and 7 runs in two innings in a loss. Canadian CF Dalton Pompey goes 3 for 3 with two walks and is a triple short of a cycle.

July 24

• Taiwan 11, France 1. Ping-Hsueh Chen whiffs 7 in four shutout innings and LF Chih-Wei Ko scores three in a win.

• South Korea 10, Netherlands 0. Chan-kyu Im, Chang-min Sim and Chang-sik Yoo team up on a shutout while 1B Joo-suk Ha goes 3 for 5 with four RBI.

• USA 4, Australia 2. The Aussies give the US a game but fall short. RF Michael Lorenzen, the #9 hitter for the US, reaches base all four times up, scores one and drives in two. A.J. Vanegas beats Greg Mosel.

• Panama 7, Czech Republic 5. In a rare close battle between an Eastern European team and a Latin American one, the Czech Republic only loses by two. Panamanian SS Leovany Torres goes 2 for 3 with a walk, two steals and two runs from the leadoff slot.

• Cuba 3, Canada 0. Tom Robson and Omar Luis each toss scoreless ball for six; Luis will go the distance. Canada replaces Robson with 2010 draftee Evan Grills, who allows two runs in the 8th and one in the 9th as Cuba rallies to win.

• Italy 6, Venezuela 5. In a tough game, it is tied at two after nine innings. Both teams score twice in the 10th, then in the 11th Italy gets two and Venezuela just one. Matteo Galli, the Italian DH, singles, walks four times, steals three bases, scores once and drives in another to lead their offense.

July 25

• USA 10, Italy 0. John Simms and Dillon Maples combine to struck out 13 in a two-hit shutout of Italy. SS Francisco Lindor goes 3 for 3 with a double, 3 runs and two RBI for the Americans.

• Taiwan 13, Australia 11. Both teams bang out 16 hits in a slugfest. 3B Tzu-Wei Lin goes 5 for 5 with four runs and two RBI for Taiwan while Australian C Ryan Battaglia goes 4 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs, 6 RBI and a two homers.

• Canada 5, South Korea 4. The hosts edge the defending champs. Korean starter Tae-yang Lee walks the only two batters he faces and reliever Chang-sik Yee serves up a grand slam to DH Philip Diedrick later in the first. South Korea tied it in the 4th but first-round pick Kellin Deglan scores on a fifth-inning wild pitch by Yee that decides it. Brian Smith and Nick Pivetta team up for 5 2/3 shutout relief innings for Team Canada.

• Cuba 16, Czech Republic 1. The Czechs have more errors (6) than hits (4) in an expected rout. 1B Guillermo Aviles doubles, triples and scores four times for Cuba.

• Venezuela 8, France 3. Darwin Ramirez allows one run in six in a win against Amin Touahri. RF Manuel Palma goes 3 for 4 and scores twice.

• Netherlands 5, Panama 2. Niels Harteveld and two relievers team up to hold Panama without an earned run. SS Leovany Torres remains hot for Panama, going 3 for 4. Carlos Diez whiffs eight but takes the loss. SS Nick Urbanus makes two errors but scores twice.

July 26

• South Korea 4, Czech Republic 0. Marko Vykoukal allows only one run in five but gets outdueled by Young-sam Yoon (eight shutout innings).

• Italy 14, France 8. France capitalizes on eight errors by the Italian youngsters to score eight times despite just one earned run. The Italian offense is too strong, though, with 3B Davide Benetti driving in six in the win. SS Mirco Caradonna scores three.

• USA 10, Taiwan 0. Philip Pfeifer strikes out eight in a two-hit shutout while a balanced US squad collects 15 hits and ten runs.

July 27

• Netherlands 13, Czech Republic 4. The Dutch overcome a poor start by Lars Huijer (4 R in 4 IP) and a good start by opponent Marek Minařík (2 H, 1 ER in 6 IP) to win. The top two batters in the Dutch order, 2B Roy Seltenrijch (3 for 5, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI) and SS Nick Urbanus (3 for 4, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI) lead the way. For the Czechs, 2B Petr Síla is 4 for 4 with a walk, steal and two runs.

• Australia 16, France 1. Jason Kilby and Tyler Dale combine to hold France to two hits while 2B Jacob Younis singles, doubles, triples twice and drives in six. RF Jake White goes 4 for 4 with a double.

• Taiwan 13, Italy 4. Six players get multiple hits for Chinese Taipei while 1B H. Lin and DH Chih-Yu Tsai each drive in three in an easy win.

• USA 14, Venezuela 7. 1B Blake Swihart doubles twice, homers and drives in four to power the US to a win while the pitching struggles for the first time.

• Canada 9, Panama 2. Four Canadian hurlers shut out Panama until the 9th, when they finally score. DH Philip Diedrick again stars for the northerners, going 3 for 4 with a walk, double and two RBI.

• South Korea 5, Cuba 3. In a matchup of junior baseball powers, Korea edged Cuba. Chang-sik Yoo throws 4 1/3 shutout innings in relief for the win while Yordanis Casanova takes the loss. Cuba gets the game's two home runs while South Korea relies on a balanced offense.

July 28

• Australia 14, Italy 4. SS Jacob Sheldon-Collins goes 3 for 4 with 3 runs and 3 RBI but every Australian gets at least one hit in the game.

• USA 16, France 0. Daniel Camarena throws a 2-hit shutout in a game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. US PH Lance McCullers Jr. hits a grand slam.

• Netherlands 9, Cuba 8. Cuba looks like they're rolling to victory as Yosibel Castillo tosses six shutout innings. The bullpen is poor, though, walking 10 and throwing 3 wild pitches in the next four innings. The Netherlands score two in the 7th on a wild pitch by Omar Luis. Down 8-2 in the bottom of the 8th, Europe's top baseball country stages a rally against reliever Rogelio Quesada, with two walks and a single. Antonio Baro relieves and throws another Cuban wild pitch to make it 8-3. Two more batters walked, forcing in a run, then one was plunked. Yordanis Casanova became Cuba's third pitcher of the inning. He settled down somewhat, getting the next two batters to fly out, but then showed the same wildness as his predecessors, walking two and hitting one to force in three more runs and tying the game. Eddyalb Valentin became Cuba's 4th pitcher of the inning and escaped the jam. The patient Dutch hitters had manufactured six runs to tie the game despite getting just one hit. Kevin Geestman threw scoreless ball for the Netherlands in the 9th and 10th and would get the win. In the bottom of the 10th, Valentin continued the troublesome wildness for Cuba, with a bases-loaded walk to DH Brennan Nijhof.

• South Korea 12, Panama 2. A balanced Korean attack gets 10 hits and 9 walks with no standout light at the plate. Chang-min Sim gets the win.

• Taiwan 9, Venezuela 0. A grand slam by 2B Hong-Sheng Yang is the biggest blow in the rout and four Taiwan pitchers combine to stymie Venezuela's bats.

• Canada 8, Czech Republic 7. The Czech Republic plays it surprisingly close, only losing by one to Canada, a much stronger team traditionally. RF Philip Diedrick (4 for 4) and LF Alexander Calbick (2 for 4, BB, 3 R) lead Canada while the Czech team is led by 3B Martin Červenka (HR, 3 RBI) and DH Tomáš Sýkora (3 for 4, BB, 2 R, 2B, RBI). The Czech Republic leads 6-2 after 5 and 7-6 entering the bottom of the 9th before DH Dalton Pompey hits a one-out, 2-run double off Matej Brabec to end it.

July 30

• Panama 5, France 3. Benjamion Lozada allows two runs in seven for the win. 1B Simon Vicente goes 3 for 4 with a run and RBI in a losing cause.

• Venezuela 9, Czech Republic 6. Venezuela outhit the Czechs 18-8 and struck out 17 batters to 1 but only won by three. 1B-C Jose Duarte went 4 for 4 with a double, homer and 3 RBI.

• Taiwan 4, Netherlands 2. Chun-Lin Kuo fans 18 to beat Niels Harteveld and the Netherlands. 3B Tzu-Wei Lin goes 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs and 3 RBI from a leadoff spot, taking part in every Taiwanese run.

• Cuba 3, USA 2. A 3-2 Cuban squad stuns an unbeaten USA team that had outscored opponents, 54-9, in a game the US could least afford to lose as it dropped them from medal contention and into the 5-8 seed pool. It would be their only loss of the tournament. Omar Luis throws 145 pitches and stifles the potent American bats, holding them to two runs. A.J. Vanegas fans 13 in 8 innings for the USA and leaves with a 2-2 tie. In the 9th, 3B Lazaro Hernandez tripled home PR Lazaro Ramirez after DH Victor Rivas drew a leadoff walk from Philip Pfeifer. The US loads the bags in the 9th but #3 batter Marcus Littlewood grounds out to end it.

• Australia 5, South Korea 4. Australia loaded the bases in the top of the first versus Chang-kyu Im but a double play ended the inning. Im and Jackson Lodge were both perfect for three innings after that. In the bottom of the 4th, Korea had a batter reach on a dropped third strike, then 1B Il Hur hit a 2-out RBI double. DH Jin-sung Kang singled him in for a 2-0 lead. Im carried his shutout into the 7th when Australia really got going. SS Jacob Sheldon-Collins and DH Andrew Campbell singled, then a wild pitch scored one. 2B Jacob Younis walked then 3B Jordan McDonald drilled a 3-run homer to give Australia its first lead. Korea came within a run in the 7th, but Australia made it up in the 8th for a 5-3 edge. In the bottom of the 9th, Hor was plunked by Lodge and Kang doubled him home. Lodge got a line-out but was then yanked by Tony Harris in favor of Greg Mosel. 2B Byug-eui Kang singled but Mosel retired 1B Joo-suk Ha and C Won-seon You to escape with the save.

• Canada 11, Italy 1. Jonathan Pacquet allowed four hits and one run in six while fanning nine as Canada wins a mercy-rule game. RF Rowan Wick goes 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI while eight different Canadians score in an easy win, sending them into the top-four pool.

July 31

• 9th/10th place game: Venezuela 7, Panama 5. Panama led 4-2 after five but the bullpen couldn't hold on after Bryan Quiroz left, the relievers allowing nine hits in 3 1/3 IP. 1B Miguel Jimenez (3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI) and 3B Yenan Fuenmayor (3 for 5, HR, SB, R, 2 RBI) lead the Venezuelan offense.

• 11th/12th place game: France 8, Czech Republic 5. French starter Christopher Morel allows two runs in the first and another in the second and his team trails 4-1 entering the 7th despite good relief by Julien Higashiyama (1 unearned run in 5 2/3 IP). In the 7th, though, France scores twice off Ladislav Vrbsky (who had replaced starter Marek Minařík). With two away in the 9th versus Michal Sobotka, LF Luc Didier singles home RF Sébastien Neumann with the tying run. Sobotka gives up four more in the 9th and France rolls to victory to avoid last. #9 hitter Didier produced five of France's eight runs.

• Netherlands 8, Italy 5. Tomorrow, the Netherlands will lose the more important 2010 European Championship to their rivals, but today, the Dutch junior team pulls out the win. Filippo Crepaldi and Lars Huijer both turned in excellent starts, with Italy leading 1-0 after six. As in the Venezuela-Panama and France-Czech Republic games, though, an early lead meant nothing. Dutch 3B Rodney Daal got two hits in a 7-run seventh as Crepaldi was knocked out and Yuri Morellini and Luc Panciroli Ricco could only pour gasoline on the fire. Huijer's relievers were only slightly better, with Scott Ronnenbergh getting the win in relief despite four runs in 1/3 of an inning of relief.

• Taiwan 3, Canada 1. Kuo-Hua Lo struck out ten and allowed three hits in nine to outduel Evan Grills (one run in five). 3B Tzu-Wei Lin continues to shine, banging our four hits in five at-bats and driving in two from the leadoff spot.

• USA 4, South Korea 2. The top two teams from 2008 met in a rather meaningless game in the 5-8 pool. John Simms and two relievers held Korea to two hits and two runs while US third baseman Marcus Littlewood drove in three and fell a homer shy of a cycle.

• Australia 2, Cuba 1. Australia made it to the Gold Medal game for the first time ever, beating Cuba by a run. Darién Núñez and James Murphy tossed scoreless ball until the 5th, when Murphy cracked first. DH Victor Rivas singled, was bunted over, advanced on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch. In the 7th, Australia got the lead for good. C Ryan Battaglia and 1B Luke Parrish drew one-out walks. After RF Jake White struck out on a full count, DH Josh Matavesi cracked a 2-run double for the game's big blow. Rivas doubled in the 7th but Cuba failed to drive in the run off Murphy. In the 8th, Lucas Bakker replaced Murphy and put two men on, but 1B Guillermo Aviles flew out and RF Jorge Soler grounded out. Australia got two on with one out in the 9th but Yordanis Casanova struck out White and Matavesi to keep the gap at one. In the bottom of the 9th, Bakker got the first two outs but 3B Lazaro Hernandez and PH Angel Garcia hit back-to-back singles. C Dariel Castro flew out, and Cuba was headed to the Bronze Medal game against Canada.

August 1

• Gold Medal Game: Taiwan 8, Australia 4. Australia was trying for its first Gold, but a first Silver wouldn't hurt either. Taiwan, on the other hand, had won one Gold but eight Silver Medals, repeatedly falling in the finals. Their only prior Gold had come back in 1983.

3B Tzu-Wei Lin again was Taiwan's sparkplug, beginning with a single in the first off Josh Warner. He advanced on a bunt and a Jacob Sheldon-Collins throwing error, then scored on a sac fly. Australia tied it in the bottom of the third when Hung-Yi Chen plunked DH Josh Matavesi, Sheldon-Collins singled with one away and an error by 2B Hong-Sheng Yang let Matavesi score.

Australia got their biggest lead in the top of the 4th. With two away, 1B Luke Parish and RF Jake White both singled, then Matavesi launched a 3-run bomb to left-center. Taiwan made up one of the runs in the bottom of the inning when RF Chih-Yu Tsai walked, SS Chun-Kai Liao singled and DH C. Lin grounded Tsai in.

Wei-Chung Wang relieved Chen and turned in a gem, allowing two hits and no runs over the last five innings. In the meantime, Taiwan's offense got what it needed in the bottom of the 5th. Facing Travis McDonald, Yang homered with one away then 1B Chih-Hsien Lin singled. After a rain delay, Australia turned to reliever Matthew Corbitt. He threw a wild pitch, then walked Chih-Yu Tsai. Liao fanned but Lin delivered the decisive 3-run homer to go ahead 6-4. Taiwan got two insurance runs in the 6th to end the scoring.

• Bronze Medal Game: Cuba 8, Canada 2. Cuba got its second straight Bronze Medal by beating the hosts soundly. Eddyalb Valentin and Yosible Castillo strike out ten while allowing two runs while Tom Robson and three relievers are not as good. Backup DH Lourdes Gourriel Jr. goes 2 for 2 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI, 3B Andy Ibáñez homers and drives in three and 2B Yamil Rivalta gets three hits in the win. DH Philip Diedrick is Canada's big threat, going 3 for 4 with a double and a run.

• 5th/6th place game: USA 18, Netherlands 2. Philip Pfeifer allows one run in 4 2/3 innings, fanning eight, for the win, while Kevin Geestman and two relievers are lit up by the US. 1B Blake Swihart is the biggest of many stars, going 3 for 3 with 3 runs, 5 RBI, a double and a homer. CF Bubba Starling smacks a 3-run homer.

• 7th/8th place game: South Korea 3, Italy 1. The defending champs maintain some honor by winning the 7th/8th place game behind the arms of Young-sam Yoon, Chang-min Sim and Chan-kyu Im, who combine for 12 whiffs and only four hits allowed. Italy leads 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth behind an excellent start by Michele Meschini but Korea rallies for three in that frame to win it. SS Se-ung Baek goes 2 for 2 with two walks, a double, steal, run and a RBI to lead the Korean bats in the pitchers' duel.

Standings

1. Taiwan
2. Australia
3. Cuba
4. Canada
5. USA
6. Netherlands
7. South Korea
8. Italy
9. Venezuela
10. Panama
11. France
12. Czech Republic

All-Star Team

• SP: Omar Luis, Cuba
• RP: Chang-sik Yoo, South Korea
• C: Ryan Battaglia, Australia
• 1B: Guillermo Aviles, Cuba
• 2B: Hong-Sheng Yang, Taiwan
• SS: Francisco Lindor, USA
• 3B: Tzu-Wei Lin, Taiwan
• OF: Michael Lorenzen, USA
• OF: Geikis Jimenez, Cuba
• OF: Alexander Calbick, Canada
• DH: Philip Diedrick, Canada