Elias Says ...

A daily glance inside the numbers from the world of sports:

• Move over Sparky Anderson, Cuban manager Higinio Velez is the new "Dr. Hook."

Cuba used three pitchers in the first inning of the WBC final Monday night. As a point of comparison, there have been more than 1,000 postseason games in major league history, and a team has used three pitchers in the first inning only twice. The Yankees' Casey Stengel did it in Game 2 of the 1958 World Series (Milwaukee Braves scored seven runs and won 13-5) and the Pirates' Danny Murtaugh did it in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series (Yankees scored six runs and won 10-0).

• Daisuke Matsuzaka was named the MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Matsuzaka did not allow a hit in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position during the tournament, and held Cuba hitless in four at-bats Monday with RISP. With runners on base, Matsuzaka held opponents to one hit in 18 at-bats (.056) during the tournament and did not allow a hit in five at-bats with men on base in the final.

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