MIAMI -- The best No. 9 hitter in the world helped send Team USA to the World Baseball Classic finals.
One day after his go-ahead grand slam saved its tournament, Trea Turner hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs Sunday to lead the United States past Cuba 14-2 in front of a highly charged, sold-out crowd of 35,779 at LoanDepot Park.
On a night where chants of "Libertad!" rang throughout the stadium intermittently and a protestor ran onto the field in the top of the sixth inning holding a banner calling for the freedom of prisoners from the July 11, 2021, anti-government protests in Cuba, the United States dismantled a Cuban team whose appearance in the semifinals exceeded pre-tournament expectations.