The United States remain on course to defend their World Baseball Classic title after reaching the final by beating Cuba 14-2 in Miami ©Getty Images

Defending champions the United States crushed fierce rivals Cuba 14-2 in Miami to reach the final of the World Baseball Classic.

Trea Turner, whose grand slam night brought the Americans from behind in their thrilling quarter-final win against Venezuela, hit two more home runs at LoanDepot Park before another sell-out crowd of 35,779 evenly split between fans supporting the home side and the visitors, making for a unique atmosphere.

The US will now play Japan or Mexico in the final on Tuesday (March 22), trying to join the Samurai Warriors as the only nations to win the title twice.

The two sides are scheduled to meet in the second semi-final in Miami tomorrow.

Cuba had got off to an auspicious start in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs on three weakly hit ground balls and scoring first on a walk by Alfredo Despaigne, but would not score again until the US had crossed the plate seven times.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a remarkable two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning that was measured at 112mph ©Getty Images
Paul Goldschmidt hit a remarkable two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning that was measured at 112mph ©Getty Images

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first that was measured at 112 miles per hour high over the left-field wall and the US scored in each of the first six innings.

This included a two-run single in the fifth for Goldschmidt.

"That was one of my favourite home runs I've ever hit in my entire life," the first baseman of Major League Baseball (MLB) team St. Louis Cardinals said after his rocket.

Turner and Goldschmidt both had four runs batted in (RBI), a statistic in baseball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored.

Turner, hitting number nine in the batting order after recently signing a new $300 million (£246 million/€280 million) 11-year contract with Philadelphia Phillies, now has a tournament-leading 10 RBIs.

He has also set a US record for home runs in a World Baseball Classic game and tied the mark for tournament home runs with Ken Griffey Jr, who is serving as Team USA's hitting coach.

There was a political edge to the game with several hundred people gathering before the game outside the ballpark in Miami’s Little Havana section to protest the presence of the Cuban team, whose nation has been under communist rule since 1959.

Play was briefly interrupted in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings when fans ran onto the field.

The first held a banner that read "Libertad Para Los Presos Cubanos del 11 de Julio (Freedom for the Cuban Prisoners of July 11)" referring to the date of 2021 demonstrations.

Cubans living in Miami used the game as an opportunity to protest about the communism regime in Havana, with the match being stopped several times by pitch invaders ©Getty Images
Cubans living in Miami used the game as an opportunity to protest about the communism regime in Havana, with the match being stopped several times by pitch invaders ©Getty Images

Cuba were Olympic champions at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, but have struggled in recent years as many top players left for the MLB, even failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

For the first time this year Cuba are using some players under contract with MLB clubs, including Chicago White Gold Glove centerfielder Luis Robert and third baseman Yoán Moncada.

Former All-Star outfielder Yoenis Céspedes, whose clubs included the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, was also on the roster to face a US side collectively on contracts worth $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion/€1.4 billion).

"It’s a dream for us to mix these players," Cuba manager Armando Johnson said.

"We want these players to join us in any championship."