Tougher competition lies ahead. With that in mind, the guys wearing Team Canada jerseys at the World Baseball Challenge know they'll have to be sharper than they were Sunday afternoon against the Bahamas.
Canada scored four runs in the first inning and went on to beat the Bahamas 13-7 at Citizen Field. But, the Canadians missed the chance to bring the mercy rule into effect when, with two outs already in the books in the top of the seventh inning, they allowed the Bahamas to send two runners across home plate.
Later, in the top of the ninth, Canadian closer Mark James hit the first two batters he faced and that led to three more Bahamas runs.
The Bahamas, likely the weakest of the six competing teams, had lost its Saturday opener 16-1 to Chinese Taipei in seven innings.
"A lot of us haven't played in a week or so, and it was good to go out and feel things out and come out with a W," said Canadian outfielder Greg Wallace, who got his team started with a solo home run in the first inning. "There were a few fundamental things that we probably could have done better and we'll improve throughout the tournament. We've got nothing to worry about."
Wallace, a 22-year-old from Nanaimo who was also part of Team Canada for the 2009 WBC, ripped into a fastball down the pipe from pitcher Desmond Russell for the first-inning homer.
"I got a pitch to hit and I put a good swing on it and things worked out," said Wallace, a graduating slugger for the University of Evansville Aces, an NCAA Division 1 team based in southwestern Indiana.
Canada also scored two runs in the third inning, four in the fourth and single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings. The other two Bahamas runs came in the third and fourth innings.
Canada outhit the Bahamas 15-11 and made a winner out of starting pitcher Leon Boyd, who threw seven complete innings. Russell, who went five innings for the Bahamas, took the loss.
In the career of Brooklyn Foster, the game will stand out as a memorable one. Foster, who spent the first 11 years of his life in Prince George before a move to Langley, caught all nine innings for Canada and, along with Wallace, was picked as a game star. Foster, now 20, threw out two baserunners and went 1-for-5 at the plate.
"I'm playing at home and I've got a Canada logo on my chest," said a grinning Foster. "I went out there and just tried to keep things simple and help the team out and it went well."
Foster, who has also played for the Canadian junior national team, tipped his hat to the Bahamas players for their refusal to throw in the towel when they were down.
"They've got a lot of heart and there are guys with talent on that club," he said. "They stick with it. Every at-bat, they make sure it's worth it. They're a tough club. It may not show on the scoreboard but they battle, that's for sure."
Today, Canada will face the Beijing Tigers at noon. The Tigers lost their Sunday opener 5-1 to Toshiba Japan.
"Everyone's going to have to bear down and we're going to have to get our 'A' games going," Foster said.
