Giants ace Logan Webb‘s dominant World Baseball Classic continued in Team USA’s 5-3 quarterfinal win over Team Canada on Friday at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas.
Webb, making his second Team USA start, struck out five in 4 2/3 shutout innings. He allowed four hits and walked one batter in his second WBC win.
The 29-year-old put two runners on in the bottom of the first inning, but struck out Team Canada’s Owen Caissie and Abraham Toro to get out of the jam.
In the second inning, Webb allowed a one-out single and never let Edward Julien advance past first base. Team USA shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. made a slick running grab to end the frame.
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa let Webb start the fifth inning, but after walking one batter and recording two outs, the right-hander was approaching his pitch limit, so he was pulled from the game to a standing ovation.
“Nice,” Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters in Arizona when informed of Webb’s line from Friday’s WBC start. “Not a huge surprise there but definitely great to hear. That’s great to hear, and obviously we’ll wait a little bit until they’re done before we see him.”
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal spoke to Webb in the dugout during the seventh inning and asked him about pitching in the high-stakes game.
“Yeah, it’s a win-or-go-home type of game, playoff atmosphere,” Webb told Rosenthal. “It was awesome. I had a blast out there. It was pretty electric.”
In two Team USA starts, Webb has allowed just five hits and one earned run while striking out 11 in 8 2/3 innings.
With the win, Team USA advances to the World Baseball Classic semifinal, where they will face the Dominican Republic at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday at loanDepot park in Miami.
With two possible WBC games remaining, Webb isn’t expected to pitch again for Team USA. But he did his job and still has a chance to return to Giants camp in Scottsdale as a world champion.
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