Team USA defeated Puerto Rico 8-0 on Wednesday night to win its first World Baseball Classic title behind six scoreless innings from Marcus Stroman.
"It's a different feeling when the 'USA' is on your chest," Eric Hosmer said. "We wanted to get the U.S. back on top of the baseball world, and we did that."
The United States had struggled since the WBC began in 2006. The Americans twice lost in the second round, and they went out in the semifinals in 2009.
"These guys were here to do their best," Team USA general manager Joe Torre said. "The thing I marveled at was how quickly they came together, and [manager] Jimmy [Leyland] deserves a lot of that credit. They're just a great group who understood what this event is all about."
Via Associated Press