ICYMI: Mariners OF Nelson Cruz Sinks USA With Three-Run Bomb In WBC

The World Baseball Classic, which employs 16 different countries to field its best team, certainly can make for some strange bedfellows.

As a fan of Team USA, it was bittersweet to watch the squad from the Dominican Republic vanquish the Americans late in their game Saturday night behind a clutch three-run homer by Seattle Mariners OF/DH Nelson Cruz. The team from the small island nation rallied from a 5-0 deficit to chalk up a 7-5 victory at Marlins Park in Miami, FL with a boisterous pro-Dominican audience on hand

While the WBC - played every four years - is strictly for pride - does not "count", you'd be hard-pressed to tell any difference by the reactions of the players.

Mariners infielder Robinson Cano is also on the Dominican club along with Cruz and former M's third baseman Adrian Beltre`.

Hopefully, this is a sign of what Seattle fans can expect when the Major League season opens next month!