By Reuters
March 9, 2026 – 10:27 PM PDT
Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a grand slam, and Oneil Cruz also hit a homer as the Dominican Republic triumphed over Israel with a score of 10-1 in World Baseball Classic Pool D on Monday in Miami.
The Dominican Republic (3-0) is set for a showdown with Venezuela, who remains undefeated after a 4-0 victory against last-place Nicaragua on Monday. Both teams are guaranteed spots in the quarterfinals.
After Geraldo Perdomo’s bases-loaded walk initiated the scoring, Tatis smashed a 1-2 pitch 400 feet to left field for his tournament’s first home run. He later contributed a two-run single in the seventh, and Erik Gonzalez added an RBI triple in the ninth. Gonzalez stepped in for injured Houston Astros player Jeremy Pena.
Brayan Bello struck out seven batters in five innings, allowing Israel’s only run from a solo shot by Spencer Horwitz, while Israel (1-2) managed just two hits throughout the game.
In another matchup, South Korea defeated Australia 7-2, with Bo Gyeong Moon falling just a triple short of the cycle. This victory helped South Korea secure a spot in the knockout stages of Pool C in Tokyo.
South Korea ended the group stage tied with Australia and Taiwan at 2-2 but advanced due to having the fewest runs allowed per defensive out. Hyun Min Ahn delivered a crucial sacrifice fly in the ninth to clinch a five-run margin necessary for the tiebreaker.
Moon recorded a two-run homer in the second, an RBI double in the third, and an RBI single in the fifth, leading the tournament with 11 RBIs. Australia’s Robbie Glendinning and Travis Bazzana also contributed but could not overcome South Korea’s strong performance.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Colombia edged out Panama 4-3 with all their runs coming in the sixth inning. Jordan Diaz started the scoring with a sacrifice fly, followed by Reynaldo Rodriguez’s two-run single and Daniel Vellojin’s RBI single. Neither Colombia (1-3) nor Panama (1-3) will proceed to the knockout stage.
Panama’s Jose Caballero hit a solo homer, and Jose Ramos along with Christian Bethancourt provided RBI singles in the eighth, but Pedro Garcia secured the save for Colombia.
Great Britain celebrated an 8-1 win over Brazil in Pool B in Houston, with Ian Lewis Jr. homering and Jazz Chisholm Jr. driving in three runs, avoiding a winless WBC stay.
Chisholm and Matt Koperniak each recorded two hits, while starter Brendan Beck delivered four no-hit innings for Great Britain (1-3). Brazil (0-4) managed only a single hit on the day.
In a dominant performance, Venezuela secured a quarterfinal spot by defeating Nicaragua 4-0, with Ronald Acuna Jr. going 3-for-3, hitting a solo homer, an RBI single, and stealing a base.
Jackson Chourio opened the scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly, and Wilyer Abreu added another with a sixth-inning fly. Seven pitchers combined for the shutout, with Yoendrys Gomez and Keider Montero contributing key innings.
Puerto Rico triumphed over Cuba 4-1 in San Juan, where Martin Maldonado’s three-run double in the second inning propelled Puerto Rico to their third consecutive win, securing a spot in the quarterfinals.
Heliot Ramos doubled and scored on Carlos Cortes’ sacrifice fly in the fifth. Starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez tossed three scoreless innings, while Edwin Diaz struck out the final two batters in a perfect ninth for the save.
Cuba’s only run was unearned, stemming from a sixth-inning play aided by a throwing error from center fielder Ramos.
–Field Level Media
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