BRNO, Czechia One year ago, at the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Regensburg, Spain had two opportunites to win one more game to advance to the main tournament. First, they lost to Great Britain, blowing an 8-3 lead along the way. Then, they were upset by the now-beloved underdogs,
Tournament baseball can be cruel. Have one bad inning, one mistimed error or one call that doesn't go your way and your team's chance of a gold medal evaporates.
That was true for 14 of the 16 teams taking part in this year's European Championship hosted in the Czech Republic.
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HOUSTON The Astros have had their share of Rule 5 Draft successes in the past 50 years, a list that incudes left-handed pitcher Wesley Wright, center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handed pitcher Xavier Hernandez. Those were the outliers.
Most of the players the club has taken in the Rule 5 Draft over the years didn’t reach the Majors or didn’t have much of an impact when they did, which isn’t an unusual outcome for the Rule 5 Draft. Players taken in the Major League phase must remain on that club’s active roster for the entire next season or be offered back to the former club.