The Puerto Rican players swarmed Eddie Rosario, pushing and pulling, grabbing at his jersey and patting the top his head and the hair he'd dyed blond, like the rest of the team. Behind home plate, Francisco Lindor was off on his own, stripping off his jersey and holding it high, so everyone could see "Puerto Rico" stitched across the front.
They played, and then celebrated, as if this game meant everything. Because of that spirit, now they'll actually get to play for everything.
Rosario lifted a ball into the night sky deep enough to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th, and Puerto Rico outlasted the Netherlands 4-3 in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.