MIAMI, FL — The Dominican Republic continued its dominant run through the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Friday night in front of 30,805, defeating South Korea 10–0 in seven innings under the tournament’s mercy rule to advance to the semifinals.
Powered by their explosive offense, which made loanDepot Park feel as if the ballpark was shaking, aggressive baserunning and a dominant pitching performance from Cristopher Sánchez, the unbeaten Dominican squad overwhelmed Korea in the tournament’s first quarterfinal matchup.
The 29-year-old left-hander set the tone early, striking out eight batters over five scoreless innings, while allowing just two hits to keep the Korean hitters off balance on a devastating combination of sinkers, sliders and changeups.
By the time Sánchez exited, the Dominican Republic had already built a commanding 7–0 lead.
The Dominican offense wasted little time applying pressure against Korean southpaw starter Hyun Jin Ryu. After both teams opened the game with scoreless first innings, the Dominican lineup erupted in the second.
Junior Caminero lined an RBI double down the line, allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to score from first base for the game’s opening run.
Julio Rodríguez followed with an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 2–0. Fernando Tatis Jr. then delivered an opposite-field RBI single that pushed the advantage to three runs and further ignited the Dominican dugout. Moments later, Manny Machado added a timely hit that gave the Dominican Republic a 5–0 lead by the end of the third inning.
The offensive outburst forced Korea to abandon its starting pitching plan early, cycling through multiple relievers in an attempt to slow the Dominican attack. Instead, the runs kept coming as Tatis worked a bases-loaded walk to drive in another run, and Ketel Marte followed with another walk that pushed the score to 7–0.
The performance also placed Tatis in the tournament record books, with his two RBIs in the game. The 27-year-old reached 11 RBIs in the 2026 World Baseball Classic—the most ever by a Dominican player in a single tournament—surpassing Adrián Beltré’s mark of nine set during the inaugural Classic in 2006.
While some observers have suggested the Dominican offense relies primarily on home runs, the team showcased a more complete approach Friday night. Aggressive baserunning from players such as Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto created additional scoring opportunities and kept the Korean defense under constant pressure.
The game ultimately ended in dramatic fashion, pinch hitter Austin Wells launched a three-run home run in the seventh inning, triggering the World Baseball Classic’s mercy rule and sealing a 10–0 victory.
“I feel more and more Dominican every day,” Wells said after the game when asked about representing the Dominican Republic on the international stage.
D.R’s manager Albert Pujols downplayed the significance of the lopsided victory afterward.
“There is no message,” said the future Cooperstown Hall of Famer Pujols. “Our job is to win every single game no matter the team we face. Our mission is to win the championship.”
The Dominican Republic will now advance to the World Baseball Classic semifinals, where they will face the United States with the game set to be played on Sunday.
Still undefeated in the tournament, Dominican Republic continues to look like one of the most complete teams remaining in the field.
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Julio
March 14, 2026 at 9:53 am
Exellent & complete article.