Alden GonzalezESPN Employees Writer10:31 PM ET3 Minute Study

Mexico celebrates immediately after final K to eradicate Puerto Rico

Giovanny Gallegos freezes Enrique Hernandez to send Mexico into the semifinals to face Japan.

MIAMI — Trailing late against a star-studded Puerto Rico group, Mexico battled all the way back, stringing collectively a 3-run seventh inning to steal a five-four victory in front of a sellout crowd at LoanDepot Park in Friday night’s quarterfinal.

Mexico sophisticated into the semifinals for the initially time in 5 Globe Baseball Classic appearances. It will face Japan in Monday’s semifinal.

Puerto Rico, playing in the wake of Edwin Diaz’s sobering knee injury, jumped out to a four- lead in the initially inning against Mexican ace Julio Urias, receiving back-to-back household runs by Javier Baez and Eddie Rosario. But Puerto Rico did not muster considerably offense the rest of the way, and Mexico ultimately bridged the gap even though down to its final seven outs.

Alexis Diaz entered to his brother’s renowned stroll-out song “Narco” but proceeded to load the bases with none out, providing up a double to Austin Barnes and back-to-back walks to Randy Arozarena and Alex Verdugo. Jorge Lopez came out of the bullpen to record two fast outs. But Isaac Paredes lined a two-run single to left field and Luis Urias dumped a base hit into shallow suitable, providing Mexico its initially lead of the game.

Puerto Rico had a possibility to tie it in the eighth, with a runner on initially and Emmanuel Rivera uncorking a deep drive to left-center field. Arozarena — the Pool C MVP who seemed to have his fingerprints all more than just about every game Mexico won in this tournament — raced into the gap and created an improbable leaping catch up against the fence, gorgeous a Miami crowd that seemed to be mainly in favor of Puerto Rico.

As the ball was getting thrown back into the infield, Arozarena settled onto the warning track and stretched his arms out wide, his palms exposed and his mouth agape, an additional signature pose from the Cuban-born outfielder who fell in really like with Mexico immediately after defecting there in 2016.