Pitching & power save U.S.

On a day when most of the baseball world was abuzz over new allegations that Barry Bonds did steroids and mourning Kirby Puckett, the Americans "dodged a bullet," in the words of Johnny Damon. Team USA, one of the favorites in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, edged Mexico, 2-0, in a tense game that easily could have been an opening nightmare for the Americans in baseball's great experiment.

Instead, thanks to sharp pitching and homers by Derrek Lee and Chipper Jones, the U.S. is nearly guaranteed a trip to the second round because of a "gimme" game against South Africa - a team with one player who has been as high as Triple-A - on Friday. Continue