Article: Mexico throttles Francis Canada's loss enables U.S. to advance - if it beats South Africa.(Sports)

Byline: Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News

PHOENIX -- Team USA was the beneficiary Thursday of a meltdown by Jeff Francis, a forgettable outing that could have been shrugged off in the Cactus League but carried a high price for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

Mexico strafed Francis, knocking him out in the second on the way to a 9-1 victory before 15,744 at Chase Field. That win enabled Team USA to advance to Round 2 of the WBC, barring the unthinkable - a loss against South Africa in the final Pool B game at 1 p.m. today.

A victory against South Africa would leave the United States, Canada and Mexico with 2-1 records in the tournament. Based ...

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