Baseball Fans anxious to see Marcus Stroman battle Julio Urias in stellar World Baseball Classic pitching matchup: "Going to be a good one" 

The rubber is hitting the road now in the World Baseball Classic, as the teams that survived pool play are pitted against one another in the knockout round. Friday's Team Puerto Rico/Team Mexico quarterfinal in Miami, Fla., is gaining particular attention as an All-Star pitching matchup was announced.

Marcus Stroman will start for Puerto Rico, while Julio Urias takes the mound for Mexico.

Mexico punched its ticket to the knockout round by winning Pool C with a 3-1 record, winning a tiebreaker over fellow 3-1 finisher Team USA as Mexico defeated the defending World Baseball Classic champion in their pool play game.

Puerto Rico finished as the Pool D runner-up to advance.

The fact that Puerto Rico was second in its pool surprised few, but it was the team that it finished behind – Team Venezuela – that shocked many. Most prognosticators figured that Venezuela would come in third in the WBC's "Group of Death" while Team Dominican Republic – many bettors' favorite to win the entire tournament would win Pool D.

As it was, Puerto Rico bested the Dominican Republic in a pool elimination contest and took the spot in the playoffs.

Most World Baseball Classic fans seem to think the matchup favors Urias, who sports a 49-17 record and 2.82 ERA in seven years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stroman is 67-67 with a 3.62 ERA in eight seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.

A number of World Baseball Classic fans are seemingly still confused that Stroman pitched for the USA in the 2017 WBC championship game and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

However, the Medford, New York, native decided to pitch for Puerto Rico this season in honor of his mother, who was born on the island nation. The WBC allows players to play for any team in the tournament, as long as they meet ancestral eligibility requirements. Those that do are essentially free agents.

New York Mets fans haven't gotten over seeing superstar closer Edwin Diaz suffering a season-ending knee injury in Puerto Rico's victory against Team Dominican Republic on Wednesday. The win clinched Puerto Rico's place in the knockout round, but put a big dent in the Mets' plans to win the World Series in 2023. It's gonna take a while for Mets Nation to get over that loss.

World Baseball Classic concluding soon

Marcus Stroman of Puerto Rico hugs Francisco Lindor (12) during the World Baseball Classic.

The World Baseball Classic is barrelling towards its conclusion. The winner of Friday's Puerto Rico/Mexico matchup will face two-time WBC champion Team Japan in the semifinals on Monday. The winner of that game will play for the tournament championship next Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT in Miami, Fla.