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Order restored Cuba beats U.S. as tempers flare
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Cuba sent a message to the United States on Saturday, and Jose Ibar was the one who delivered it. Ibar struck out eight batters in seven innings of work in Cuba's 6-1 win over the U.S. on Saturday in a game that served as a warning to the Americans that the Cubans are still the team to beat in Olympic baseball. Already stripped of their perfect record, the Cubans came in with their emotions revved and their spikes high. Except for the shouting and the cursing, it wasn't very entertaining. There could be a rematch, though -- both teams are 5-1 and headed for the medal round. Benches cleared in the fourth when Ernie Young was hit by a pitch and tangled with the Cuban catcher. Tempers flared when first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz dived and took down a Cuban runner in the bottom of the inning. Finally, 37-year-old catcher Pat Borders cursed a Cuban runner who flew into home plate spikes-high as he scored in the eighth.
Otherwise, the United States didn't put up much of a fight. Ibar, a 31-year-old breaking-ball specialist, threw nine pitches -- all strikes -- as he set the weak-hitting Americans down in order in the first. U.S. manager Tom Lasorda, who had dedicated the game to the Cuban exiles in Florida, quickly regretted his decision to start 30-year-old journeyman Rick Krivda instead of one of his hard-throwing youngsters. The Cubans piled up four runs in the first off the left-hander, setting the tone. Luis Ulacia led off with a bunt single, Omar Linares walked and Antonio Pacheco singled to center to score Ulacia, who slid hard across the plate and pointed to the Cuban fans behind home plate in celebration. Oscar Macias followed with another RBI single and Miguel Caldes doubled to left-center for a 4-0 lead. Jon Rauch, the 6-foot-11 right-hander who struck out 13 against South Africa earlier in the week, stopped the Cubans' offense by striking out eight in four relief innings. By the time Rauch got into the game, it was all over except for the shouting. The first outburst was in the fourth when Ibar, who had impeccable control, hit Young squarely in the back of the shoulder with two outs. Young, the Americans' best hitter, started to first after a moment and brushed catcher Ariel Pestano, giving him a little shove as he went down the line. The catcher started after Young, but the home plate umpire from Puerto Rico restrained him. Both benches emptied and met at the first base line, exchanging words but nothing else. When Pestano reached the Cuban bench after the inning, he gestured with his forearm to the coaches, showing what Young had done. Caldes was involved in the inning's other testy moment. He hit a slow roller to third that couldn't be fielded and was running a few feet inside the line when he approached Mientkiewicz at first. Mientkiewicz kept his foot on the bag even though there was no throw, then dived to the ground. Caldes ran into his legs and took a hard tumble, yelling as he sat on the ground. The final outburst came in the eighth, when Yobal Duenas scored a run by sliding into Borders with his cleats up. Borders limped around and angrily kicked his facemask, but stayed in the game, and singled home the United States' run with two outs in the ninth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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