The stage is set for a dream World Baseball Classic semi-final.
USA will take on the Dominican Republic for a place in the championship game after the teams won their respective quarter-finals against Canada and the Republic of Korea on Friday (13 March).
“I expect it to be one of the best games of all time,” U.S. manager Mark DeRosa said.
Added his captain and American League MVP Aaron Judge, “The boys are excited, that’s for sure.
“Definitely getting a taste for playoff atmosphere in March, definitely gets the juices flowing. We’re excited to hop on a flight to Miami and get this rolling.
“We know what type of a team they’ve got over there. It’s just an incredible offense, incredible pitching staff, bullpen. Everything is just top-notch. We’re looking forward to it.”
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USA to send out Paul Skenes v Dominican Republic
The Dominicans progressed first – and fast – by hammering Korea 10-0 to prevail in seven innings by the mercy rule in Miami.
Austin Wells ended the game in the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit, three-run blast off So Hyeongjun, after Dominican Republic staked themselves to a seven-run lead by scoring three runs in the second and four in the third.
In Houston, USA were made to work for their 5-3 victory in a matchup of the Olympic hockey gold-medal game, behind four-plus scoreless innings spun by starter Logan Webb, who struck out five and allowed only four hits.
The hosts benefited from a throwing error by Canadian third baseman Abraham Toro in the top of the third with two outs that plated two for a 3-0 U.S. lead. Brice Turang drove home the decisive run in the sixth with an RBI single.
With their win over Korea, coupled with Canada’s loss to USA, the Dominican Republic clinched one of two quota for the Americas at the six-team competition of the LA28 Olympic Games that are available through the WBC.
The U.S. have an automatic place in the next Olympic Games men’s baseball tournament as hosts.
By reaching the semis, the Dominicans assured themselves of a higher winning percentage over the two other remaining teams from the Americas, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico, who play defending champions Japan and Italy in Saturday’s quarter-finals, respectively.
Even if the Dominican Republic were to lose to USA, and both Venezuela and Puerto Rico advanced to the last four, the Dominicans are guaranteed a higher winning percentage than the losers of Venezuela-Puerto Rico.
The mouth-watering clash between two of the tournament favourites is on Sunday in Miami, where Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes will take the ball for the States, Luis Severino for the Dominican Republic.
And USA will need Skenes to be at his very best against the Dominicans, who boast the deepest lineup of this Classic that has run roughshod over the opposition.
The Dominican Republic have already tied the WBC team record for homers with 14, and there are still two rounds left to play (Wells, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Fernando Tatis Jr, Junior Caminero and Oneil Cruz each have two). They are averaging more than 10 runs a game.
The Dominicans are looking to return to the final on Tuesday for the first time since 2013, when they won the title in their lone appearance. The U.S. have been to the final at the last two tournaments, winning it in 2017.
USA were on the verge of crashing out in the pool phase when they were shocked by Italy, who would, ironically, later throw them a lifeline by defeating Mexico.
Can they make good on the new lease in life they were handed, in the face of a Dominican team on a roll and having a blast – metaphorically and literally?
“This team is able to score runs in different ways,” Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols said. “The homer was hit at the end, but you already had seven runs.
“When you have this kind of team that can damage you not only with the bat but the way they play so aggressively, they know about the importance of this tournament for themselves, for the country, for our homeland.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/world-baseball-classic-quarter-final-dominican-republic-korea
