Yankee Williams earns Puerto Rico victory

By Enrique Martel

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) – New York Yankee Bernie
Williams drove in a sixth-inning run to hand Puerto Rico’s
national team a 2-1 win over Panama on Tuesday in the opening
round of the World Baseball Classic.

Down a run, Puerto Rico rallied in the bottom of the sixth
when Alex Rios slammed a homer to left field off Panama starter
Lenin Picota to tie the game 1-1.

Shortstop Alex Cintron followed with an infield hit off
reliever Manuel Acosta of Panama and moved to second base on a
sacrifice bunt by Alex Cora.

With the crowd chanting “Bernie, Bernie,” Williams then hit
a double to drive in Cintron for the winning run.

Williams is hoping to help Puerto Rico to a place of honor
in the first international baseball tournament to include Major
League players. His fellow Yankees, Derek Jeter, Alex
Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Al Leiter, are on the U.S. team for
the 16-nation tournament.

“Bernie, he’s a clutch hitter,” said Puerto Rico manager
Jose Oquendo. “That’s the way he plays. He’s proven it through
the years. He hit a tough pitch back the middle. He’s
professional who makes clutch hits. He’s always done it.”

Nonetheless, Oquendo said earlier in the day that Williams
would have not started the game had power hitter Carlos Delgado
not been out with tendinitis affecting a shoulder.

Delgado remains in doubt for the rest of the tournament.

Panama’s sole run came in the fifth inning after Puerto
Rico starter Javier Vazquez gave up a base hit to Sherman
Obando and a walk to Ruben Rivera to put men on first and
second for Panama.

Reliever Federico Baez then substituted for Vazquez only to
walk the next two batters to give Panama the first score of the
game.

The 25-year-old Puerto Rican pitcher, settling down, then
forced Audes de Leon into a fly-out to right field and Johnny
Lasso into a double-play to end the inning.

Jose Santiago, who came in for Baez in the sixth, was the
winning pitcher for Puerto Rico while Acosta was tagged with
the loss. Enrique Calero closed the game in the ninth by
striking out Manuel Rodriguez of Panama.

Despite the initial setback, Panama manager Anibal Reluz
said his team was still capable of a comeback and hoping for a
victory over Cuba, the Olympic champions.

“We’re coming to win against Cuba,” Reluz said. “We came
very close to a win against Puerto Rico and we know we can beat
anybody in this tournament.”