EDDIE ROSARIO’S sacrifice fly drove in Carlos Correa with the winning run in the 11th inning, giving Puerto Rico a 4-3 victory over the Netherlands on Monday night and a berth in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship game.

    Correa hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and T.J. Rivera’s solo shot in the second put Puerto Rico ahead 3-2.

    Puerto Rico will play either two-time champion Japan or the United States tonight at Dodger Stadium. The Puerto Ricans also reached the final in 2013, losing to the Dominican Republic 3-0.

    The blond-haired Puerto Rican players, who dyed their hair in a show of unity that has caught on back home, jumped up and down in celebration on the field, ending a game that lasted 4 hours, 19 minutes.

    Tanner Roark will start for the United States against Japan in the semifinals at Dodger Stadium the next day. The Americans are trying to reach the championship game for the first time in four editions of the WBC.

    Japan advanced to the semifinals by winning Pool E with a 3-0 record. The U.S. finished second to Puerto Rico in Pool F with a 2-1 record.

    Manager Jim Leyland is turning to Roark against right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano.

    Roark pitched in relief during a 7-5 loss to the Dominican Republic in the first round March 11 in Miami. The right-hander allowed a solo homer to Manny Machado that launched the Dominicans’ comeback, along with a two-run single by Carlos Santana.

    “He’s gotten the short end of the stick a little bit so far, to be honest with you, the way things worked out,” Leyland said Monday. “But he deserves this start. He’s been a trooper. He signed up for this event, and I’m pitching him. I feel very, very comfortable about it.”

    Roark appreciates the opportunity in a game he says is the biggest of his career because of the single-elimination format.

    “It’s been a little bit since I’ve been in there facing live hitters,” he said. “But the key is to pitch to my strength, and that is throw strikes and get outs.”

    Roark has worked to stay sharp in multiple bullpen sessions and by watching games closely.

    “Just trying to stay mentally focused on the game, even though I’m not in there,” he said. “Just watching how the hitters react, and just watching and trying to learn as much as I can from all these guys.”

    Sugano learned he would start the semifinal while he was waiting at Narita Airport for the team’s flight to the United States.

    “I trust him,” Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo said.

    Japan played an exhibition against the Dodgers in Arizona on Sunday, where the climate is hot.(SD-Agencies)