Saturday’s matchup between Team USA and the Dominican Republic was one that was four years in the making. The two have only met once before, when Dominicana defeated USA 3-1 in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. A win for either team would mean a guaranteed spot in San Diego for the second round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The loser would have to win their final game in pool play to earn a spot in the next round.
Dominican Republic defeats Team USA 7-5
Stroman’s Dominance
Marcus Stroman, the 25-year-old ace of the Toronto Blue Jays, picked up right where Chris Archer left off on Friday night. The righty was efficient against what many consider to be the deepest lineup in the entire tournament, only allowing four base runners all night. Stroman ended the night with a line of 4.2 innings pitched, three hits allowed, a hit batter and four strikeouts on 64 pitches.
Unlucky Edinson
Opposing Stroman was Miami Marlins starter Edinson Volquez. Volquez pitched around the first two base runners throughout the first two innings, but couldn’t outrun them in the third. It started with an Ian Kinsler single, which was followed by a series of unfortunate events. Adam Jones hit a fly ball to right field that both Starling Marte and Nelson Cruz wanted to catch. Neither was successful. The gaff allowed Kinsler to score and Jones to make it all the way to third, until he was driven by a Christian Yelich single. USA found themselves up 2-0.
Volquez got out of the jam, but was greeted just as rudely by the United States in the fourth. Paul Goldschmidt reached on a leadoff single and made it to second on wild pitch. Following a walk to Giancarlo Stanton, Jonathan Lucroy singled to score Goldschmidt. It became 3-0 USA at this point and the end of the line for Volquez. He finished the afternoon at 3.2 innings pitched, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out two on 52 pitches.
USA Pads the Lead
After Volquez’s departure, Hector Nevis came in to throw 1.1 perfect innings and was then replaced by Jumbo Diaz in the top of the sixth. Diaz walked Goldschmidt and then Stanton ripped a double to left, scoring Goldschmidt. Later that inning, Brandon Crawford doubled off Fernando Abad to score Stanton; bringing the lead to 5-0.
Blood in the Water
Manny Machado put Dominicana on the board with a towering solo homer off Tanner Roark in the bottom of the sixth. A few batters later, Carlos Santana hit an RBI single up the middle to bring the score to 5-2. After a Marte double in the seventh, Wellington Castillo doubled to make the score 5-3 before the wheels fell off for the United States in the eighth.
Late-Inning Heroics
Andrew Miller began the bottom of the eighth for the United States, making his first appearance of this World Baseball Classic. After allowing two quick base runners, Cruz changed the entire complexion of the game with a three-run homer to left field. The lead was padded with a Marte homer to the opposite field. After the damage was done, the score remained 7-5 in favor of the Dominicans.
With the win, the Dominican Republic secured a spot in the second round of the tournament, while the United States must defeat Canada on Sunday to advance.
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