Phillies’ Trea Turner powers U.S. into World Baseball Classic semifinals with late grand slam vs. Venezuela
The United States had just a 13% chance of beating Venezuela after falling into a 7-5 hole. After Turner's blast, the odds soared to 87%.
Trea Turner guessed he hasn’t hit a bigger home run.
It’s hard to fathom. Turner is a two-time All-Star and a batting champion. He won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019 and signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies three months ago because they believe he’s one of the 10 best players in baseball.
Yet there was Turner, his voice hoarse from screaming and his jersey soaked from a Powerade dousing by his United States teammates, declaring on a national television broadcast that his grand slam in the eighth inning of a come-from-behind 9-7 victory over Venezuela in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic in Miami was the most significant moment of his career.
“Homer-wise, it’s up there,” Turner said on the FOX postgame show. “It’s probably No. 1, homer-wise.”
Who’s to argue? Consider the situation: Team USA, which built an early 5-2 lead, had fallen behind, 7-5, and was six outs from being eliminated from the tournament despite assembling a power-packed lineup of former MVPs and All-Stars. And on their home soil, no less, even if sold-out loanDepot Park was packed with boisterous devotees of a Venezuelan team that won each of its four games in pool play.
But now, thanks to Turner, Team USA will advance to play Cuba in the semifinals Sunday night. The winner will play Japan or Mexico for the WBC crown Tuesday night in Miami.
» READ MORE: Phillies catcher, clubhouse DJ and now Israel sports sensation: Garrett Stubbs had fun, as usual, in the WBC
Turner stepped to the plate after Phillies teammate J.T. Realmuto got hit by a pitch to load the bases. He took a strike from right-hander Silvino Bracho, then fouled off a fastball. Bracho tried to put away Turner with a changeup, but the pitch stayed over the plate.
And Turner turned on it.
He may have turned Team USA’s fortunes, too. The Americans had a sluggish start to the WBC. They lost to Mexico in the second game and eked out a victory over Colombia to advance to the knockout round. They had only a 13% chance of surviving Venezuela after Luis Arraez’s second homer of the game put them in a 7-5 hole in the seventh inning.
But when Turner’s blast landed 407 feet away in left field, Team USA’s odds soared to 87%. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who exited for a pinch hitter earlier in the inning, spilled out of the dugout with other teammates to meet Turner at home plate. Realmuto turned and waited for Turner to get there.
“It was electric,” Turner said in the postgame interview. “Wow, that was really fun. I didn’t really know what I did. I feel like I blacked out.”
» READ MORE: Edwin Díaz’s injury has people questioning the World Baseball Classic. But there is an answer.
The game see-sawed from the start. Team USA scored three runs in the top of the first inning before Venezuela came back with two in the bottom half. In the fourth, Schwarber singled, advanced on Realmuto’s single and a throwing error by Venezuela shortstop Andrés Giménez, and scored on Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly.
After Kyle Tucker homered to give the U.S. a 5-2 lead, Venezuela scored four runs in the fifth inning. Arraez’s homer could have been the dagger in the seventh.
So, yes, it probably was the biggest homer of Turner’s career.
“It was a big homer. It was fun,” Turner told FOX. “That’s why we’re playing. That’s why we’re here. Just back and forth all day. It was unbelievable.”