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We are down to the final four of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and the first semifinal matchup takes place on Monday night, with Puerto Rico taking on Netherlands at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The 9 p.m. ET game will be televised by MLB Network, with Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz and Jon Morosi on the call. Online streaming is available through MLB Network, with television provider authentication.
Puerto Rico lost in the championship game in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but has rolled through the 2017 WBC so far without a loss in six games, playing its first two rounds in Jalisco, Mexico, and San Diego. Puerto Rico has outscored its opponents 51-15 in the tournament, and has wins over defending champion Dominican Republic and the United States, the latter a fellow 2017 semifinalist.
“We’re 6-0, but we have to go to L.A. now and play there and we have to keep winning two more games. So whatever we did already, six games, that's in the past,” Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said on Sunday. “We have to concentrate on what is coming, the task at hand. So it is nice to have a good series in Mexico and San Diego, but we've turned the page already.”
The mighty Puerto Rico offense is buoyed by a pair of young superstar shortstops. Houston Astros standout Carlos Correa is 6-for-16 (.375) with two home runs, seven RBI, and a .556 on-base percentage so far in the tournament. He has mostly been relegated to third base duty because of the defensive wizardry of Cleveland Indians luminary Francisco Lindor, himself hitting .389 (7-for-18) with a pair of home runs in the WBC.
For Netherlands, this is also a return trip to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic, having lost to eventual champion Dominican Republic in 2013. This year, Netherlands is 4-2 in the tournament, with losses to Israel and fellow semifinalist Japan, and has outscored its opponents, 45-20, in its first two rounds in Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan.
Los Angeles Dodgers closer and Curacao native Kenley Jansen will join Netherlands for the championship round, called up from the designated pitcher pool to be active for the final two potential games.
"The guys that I grew up playing with, they're playing hard, man,” Jansen said last week. “Watching them, why not?”
Though he will be in his home ballpark, Monday night will mark Jansen’s first time in the visitors clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
Milwaukee Brewers minor league pitcher Jorge Lopez starts for Puerto Rico on Monday night. The right-hander beat Mexico on March 11 in his only other appearance in this tournament, allowing just one run in 4⅓ innings while striking out five.
The winner between Puerto Rico and Netherlands will advance to Wednesday night’s championship game, also at Dodger Stadium. They will play the winner of Tuesday’s semifinal between Japan — the other undefeated team in the 2017 WBC — and the United States.
ESPN Deportes will televise Monday night’s semifinal in Spanish, which will also be streamed online at WatchESPN.
Puerto Rico vs. Netherlands info
When: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
What: World Baseball Classic semifinals
TV: MLB Network, ESPN Deportes (Spanish)
Online: MLB Network, MLB.tv (subscription), WatchESPN (Spanish)