And breathe…
I don’t know how many innings of baseball I’ve watched – I couldn’t even give you a ballpark figure, but those seven by the Dominican Republic against Korea were among the most relentless I have ever witnessed.
It’s one thing racking up double-digit runs in the pool stages – as DR did against Nicaragua, Israel, and the Netherlands – but it’s something else to run-rule Korea in a quarter-final.
KOREA!!!!
This is Korea, which disposed of Taiwan, and had Japan scrambling against a late bases-loaded threat – the world’s top 2 teams.
Korea can beat you in many different ways — tight pitching, slap-hit singles, aggressive baserunning, and the long ball. They even have the same number of home runs as the USA — the “Greatest Team Ever Assembled.”
But this was never about Korea. From the moment the starters were announced – Cristopher Sánchez (second in the NL Cy Young voting last season) against Hyun-Jin Ryu, the 38-year-old lefty.
The question was simple: could this ridiculous collection of superstars actually perform, or would they crack under the pressure? I’ve seen too many Dutch international football teams to know that egos and attitudes can torpedo championship-winning campaigns.
The wheels came off for Korea in the second inning, and they just kept rolling until they reached the Floridian coast.
Junior Caminero – he of the 45 home runs as a 21-year-old last season – lined one down to left field. Even with a speedster on first, scoring would have been a challenge… but it was Vlad Guerrero Jr. on first.
If his stocky build belies his speed, that was nothing compared to his determination to get to the plate. In a carbon copy of his run-scoring dive in the postseason, Guerrero launched himself headlong to score, despite the ball beating him to the plate.
When Ketel Marte struck out swinging to end the inning, Korea was down 3-0.
The deficit was manageable, but the third inning changed everything. It suddenly looked like one of baseball’s minnows trying to get three outs – Korea used four different pitchers as the Dominican Republic sent 10 hitters to the plate.
The score increased to 7-0, and we scrambled to see if the Mercy Rule was applicable in the quarter-final. It is.
If Guerrero’s dive had set the tone for the team’s performance, Soto’s run to start the third inning ratcheted up the stakes.
On a Guerrero Jr. double to centre, Soto, from first, was given the most-aggressive of sends by the third base coach. Once again, the ball arrived before the runner, but once again, a determined dive (and a flamboyant swim stroke to elude the catcher’s mitt) saw Soto score.
This team can kill you with power, but they will also kill you with their acumen.
And if that’s not enough, they kill you with patience.
Every single Dominican Republic player wanted to be the hero, but they checked their ego and took their walks (six in total) or slapped a single, if that was what the situation demanded.
Korea’s exit was no longer if; it was when. Yet, for all of the Dominican Republic’s dominance, they had still not gone deep.
Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Fernando Tatis Jr. – there was no let-up for the Korean pitchers. Julio Rodríguez – 112 homers, 116 stolen bases, and he’s only 24 – was hitting seventh, for goodness sakes.
Trailing by seven runs, heading into the seventh inning, the mercy rule was on the cards. But which one of the superstars would take the glory?
Pinch-hitter Carlos Santana struck out. Manny singled. Oneil Cruz – another pinch-hitter – walked. With two on, a Julio Rodiguez blast would clinch the game. He grounded out.
Up stepped Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who’d replaced Agustín Ramírez
You are joking me? Surely not?
One pitch. One swing. One three-run homer. Walk-off. Dominican Republic fans in raptures. Singing in the stands, long after the players had left the field.
A lot is said about patriotism these days. Sometimes it’s more than tying a flag to a lamppost and shouting about “others.” Sometimes it is pride in where you come from. Pride in the jersey. Pride in the flag stitched on the chest. And pride in a style of baseball that pulses with energy.
If you’re a baseball fan and that game didn’t move you. I don’t think you can call yourself a baseball fan.
The Dominican Republic had booked their semi-final spot in devastating fashion. Now all they needed was an opponent.
Ahead of the quarter-finals, USA v Canada looked the most predictable of the four games, and it proved so, with the hosts running out 5-3 winners in a relatively mundane encounter.
Walks and errors did more damage to Canada than the American Dream Team. The USA only managed one extra-base hit – and Aaron Judge‘s double – despite Canada rolling out an array of… “interesting” pitchers.
Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, Slovakia-born Adam Macko (who spent part of his childhood in Ireland), and Philippe Aumont – who last pitched in MLB in 2018 and has been farming ever since.
Russell Eassom, who is producing unparalleled content live from Houston – surmised that GB or Mexico would have got through against that Canada team. That’s the luck of the draw.
The result is the prospect of a mouth-watering semi-final between the USA and the Dominican Republic. A clash of the superstars.
Some superstars have remained anonymous. Perhaps Cal Raleigh will finally show up at the WBC. So far, the record-breaking catcher is 0-for-9 at the plate, and currently 0-for-2 in handshakes.
If Team USA would just lighten up a little, they might win over the neutrals… but I guess that’s not really their M.O.
Featured image by Gene Wang – Capture At Media
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