The WBC bracket snapped open last night.
Venezuela took down Samurai Japan, and it started with instant violence. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani traded first-inning home runs, which told you the game would not stay normal for long. Yamamoto survived the rough start and briefly made it feel like Japan had the game back under control. Japan got up 5 to 2. Venezuela kept pressing until the game turned, then closed the 8 to 5 comeback behind the exact thing that starts deciding games now. The bullpen.
Italy beating Puerto Rico 8 to 6 earlier only made the bracket better. Italy versus Venezuela tomorrow. United States versus Dominican Republic tonight. The instinct is to talk about lineups. The better read is pitching. More specifically, relief pitching. US versus DR is the crown jewel of the tournament.
The lineups are absurd on both sides, but the real pressure point is whether the Dominican Republic can handle a starter like Paul Skenes once the margin disappears. They have not seen this kind of arm yet. If he has command early, the game changes fast. The splinker alone can wreck timing and drive high whiff rates. Everyone will talk about the hitters. Skenes may be the reason the game is decided.
That is what the WBC becomes in the final four. Elite starters narrow the game. Bullpens decide it. Fewer mistakes to punish. Less room to improvise. More pressure every time the phone rings. The tournament starts with stars. It ends with bullpens.
