Javier Assad dominated a stacked USA lineup

Javier Assad shut down Team USA and made it look easy.

Everybody is aware by now that Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster is loaded with talent to historic proportions. Last night, Mexico dominated Team USA with a final score of 11-5. Cubs pitcher Javier Assad played a huge part in Mexico’s impressive win.

Javier Assad pitched 3 innings while only allowing one hit. The only player who managed to record a hit off Assad was the legendary Los Angeles Angel, Mike Trout. Assad managed to strike out New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso twice and consistently touched 97 on the radar gun.

ASSAD is filthyyyy. Rotation is deeeeeep! @Cubs https://t.co/vYrR8kRJfR

— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 13, 2023

While the Cubs’ fifth spot in the rotation is still seemingly up for grabs, this performance certainly bodes well for Javier Assad. Hayden Wesneski has also been dominant this spring. Wesneski arguably has the best chance to pin down that final rotation spot at this point in time. Either way, Cubs fans should be excited by the pitching depth the team will have this season.

The Cubs open up their season at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. They’ll take on their division rivals on Thursday, March 30th with Marcus Stroman likely to start. As the WBC and spring training continue to unfold, it will be interesting to see who winds up with the final rotation spot.