USA was down 7-5 to Venezuela in the eighth inning of their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal, but they strung together a wild sequence to flip the game. Tim Anderson got things going with a leadoff walk. Pete Alonso followed with a floater into shallow outfield, putting two on. J.T. Realmuto took a couple of high fastballs but eventually made an out. Then everything turned when Trey Turner came up with the bases loaded and no outs.
Venezuela’s reliever missed his spots on all three pitches. First two fastballs were supposed to be low and away but stayed up and in. Turner fouled the second one back, so the catcher called for a breaking pitch next. Instead of executing it down, the pitcher left it up. Turner crushed it for a go-ahead grand slam. The dugout exploded. Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and others lost it on the top step. Players screamed, coaches hugged, and even Jerry Manuel eventually joined in, celebrating on his own time.
Turner sprinted to the dugout, where Andy Pettitte and Brian McCann held him up for a shout before he finally made it down the steps. There, Ken Griffey Jr. waited with a hug. Turner looked up at the Jumbotron, saw the replay, and gave a little smile like it was sinking in. Adam Wainwright cracked a joke that broke the tension, making himself laugh more than anyone else. Then came the Gatorade bath, which Turner clearly hated. Still, it was his moment—the grand slam that saved Team USA’s tournament.