US opens World Baseball Classic with decisive 15-5 win over Brazil

HOUSTON – The United States began its World Baseball Classic campaign with a 15-5 victory over Brazil on Friday night at Daikin Park

Aaron Judge, the first player to commit to the US team last April, sparked the offense with a two-run home run in the first inning Brice Turang also had a significant offensive contribution for the United States, finishing the game with three hits and four RBIs

For Brazil, 20-year-old Lucas Ramirez delivered a memorable performance with his father, 12-time MLB All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance Ramirez hit two solo home runs His first homer cut the United States' lead to 2-1, and his second in the eighth inning brought the score to 8-5 With the performance, Ramirez became the youngest player in World Baseball Classic history to record a multi-homer game at 20 years and 49 days old