Phillies star Trea Turner powers Team USA to World Baseball Classic semifinals

Phillies shortstop Trea Turner turned a late deficit into a lead with one swing of a bat, securing Team USA a semifinals appearance.

Team USA trailed by two runs in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded, nobody out, and Trea Turner up, the new Philadelphia Phillies superstar did not disappoint with the count at 0-2 — slugging a go-ahead grand slam.

The home run gave team USA a 9-7 lead, which would be the final score. The feat marked the first go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning or later in World Baseball Classic history.

Turner has 124 career home runs — not counting his three postseason blasts. After the game, the 29-year-old told reporters that the home run was probably the biggest hit that he has ever had in his career.

"As a team, I think you set a goal, and we want to win the whole thing. That's what you do as well during the regular season," Turner continued. "Everybody wants to win the World Series. When you accomplish a goal, that for me is most important. And we're not done yet."

Through four games and 14 at-bats in the World Baseball Classic, Turner is slashing .286/.375/.714 with three runs scored, two singles, two home runs, six RBI, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Turner has not even played a regular season game with the Phillies, and yet fans are already ecstatic about the future the two-time All-Star and 2019 World Series champion can bring to the organization over the next 11 seasons.

Hopefully, Turner will produce even bigger hits this fall — helping the Phillies repeat as National League champions and get two wins further than they did in the 2022 World Series.

The United States national baseball team will next face Cuba in a semifinal game on Sunday. If Team USA wins, it will get a chance to defend its 2017 World Baseball Classic championship and tie Japan for the most titles in tournament history (two).