The World Baseball Classic (WBC) brings together national all-star teams from 20 nations around the globe. In the first stage of group play, there are five-team groups playing in Tokyo, Japan and in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Houston, Texas, and Miami, Florida. The semi-final and final game are to be played in Miami’s Loan Depot Park on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
Team Dominican Republic, competing in Pool D (Israel, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Dominican Republic), won its first game by a score of 12-3 against Nicaragua on Friday, 6 March 2026. However, the old saying that “a baseball is round but it comes in a square box,” meaning anything can happen, was certainly visible during the first five innings of the game. Nicaragua got off to a fast start against Christopher Sanchez, the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner as the best pitcher in the National League.
The very first batter he faced struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher and the batter was safe at first base. A single by Ismael Munguia gave Nicaragua a 1-0 lead. Then Sanchez struck out the next three batters, becoming the first pitcher in WBC history to strike out four batters in one inning.
The Dominican team, whose total payroll, at over US$3.0 billion, is not to be denied. Ketel Marte tied the game in the first inning with an RBI double, and took a 2-1 lead as Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out. Nicaragua came out swinging in the second inning and four of the first five batters got hits, and forced Dominican manager Albert Pujols to change pitchers after only 1 1/3 innings. Dominicans tuning in to that game were concerned. The WBC is a short series, and any team could become the surprise team.
Down 1-3 in the third inning, Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez tied the game at three. Dominican relief pitchers, throwing the baseball at 99 and 100 mph, took down the next 13 Nicaraguan batters. However, the pitchers from Nicaragua were not doing so bad either, as they kept the Dominican team at bay in the fourth and fifth innings.
Then came the sixth inning. San Diego’s Manny Machado led off the inning with a double to left center, and just two pitches later, Junior Caminero, the young, 22-year-old star of the Tampa Bay Rays, launched a ball 414 feet into the seats in center field, and performing one of the most joyful runs around the bases ever seen, and the thousands of Dominican fans in Miami’s Loan Depot Park went wild.
The game stayed at 5-3 for a while, but in the eighth inning, the Dominican “platano-power” came alive as Julio Rodriguez led off with a home run, Geraldo Perdomo gets a walk, Fernando Tatis, Jr. singles to center field, Oneil Cruz pinch hits for Ketel Marte. He hits a home run so far into the upper deck of Loan Depot Park that he just stood at home plate and watched it go. He slow-trotted around the bases and DOM had a 10-3 lead.
Juan Soto took a walk, and then Junior Lake came into run for Soto. Vlad Jr. doubles and Lake scores, making it 11-3. Manny Machado walks, Rosario enters to run for Machado as team manager Albert Pujols begins to clear his bench. Carlos Santana, the “old man” at 39 and the only remaining player from the Dominican champion team in 2009, comes in to bat for Junior Caminero. He bats into a fielder’s choice, advancing the runner to third. Julio Rodiguez singles and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scores from third. 12-3. Dominican relief pitchers held Nicaragua scoreless for over seven innings.
Read more:
MLB
El Caribe
El Caribe
Listin Diario
Noticias SIN
9 March 2026