Great Britain claimed a historic 7-5 victory over Colombia last night in Arizona, giving them their debut win in the World Baseball Classic.
Harry Ford’s solo home run in the bottom of the seventh and a three-run fourth inning pushed the debutant side to victory over a strong South American outfit.
There was a small glimpse of failure as Dilson Herrera joined Ford with a solo home run of his own and a sacrificial infield hit led to another run being scored in the final inning. But this mattered no more as just three balls later, Ian Gibaut’s strikeout handed the British their first win.
The win was crucial for GB as finishing fourth in Pool C would hand the side automatic qualification for the WBC in 2026.
Ford, who is viewed as the face of British Baseball and is one of the Seattle Mariner’s best prospects, has been key for the side across their first three games.
His first hit at the WBC was a three-run home run against the USA, but it was his quick thinking and controlled mindset in the fourth, that gave Drew Spencer’s side the momentum.
Soon enough, the fight continued and Chavez Young’s double to left field, scored two more runners to home plate, tying the game and pushing GB onwards.
Defence was a key problem against Canada in game two, as they allowed 18 runs to be scored, which is a new tournament record for most points scored in a game, however, when looking at the defence in the top of the fifth, you’d think it was a completely different team.
Graham Spraker’s strong start from the mound continued and three outs later, GB were back in the batter’s box and scoring more runs.
A continuous struggle for both teams’ catchers last night was bouncing pitches and a fumbled pitch allowed GB to move into two scoring positions before Jaden Rudd’s double allowed both runners to reach home, pushing the away side into their first lead of the game.
Then, magic happened.
Ford stepped up to the plate and crushed a fastball into the left field, claiming his second home run of the season, before the Mariner’s prospect was handed the ‘Crown and Cape’ from his teammates.
The aforementioned catcher’s struggles hurt Colombia again in the seventh, as a fumbled pitch allowed Nick Ward to score, extending GB’s lead to 7-3.
Gibaut was placed on the mound to end the game, and the relief pitcher did so with three strikes to claim the final out of the game and push GB over the line.
After the game, Ford spoke to the MLB Network and exclaimed his thoughts on the support from the British baseball fans, “it’s absolutely incredible.
“We’ve just gone out there and played our game, and to be embraced by them and for them to love us so much… it’s been special.”
GB will now look to claim another victory in Pool C against Mexico tonight at Chase Field (2AM GMT).
