The Dominican Republic team, which was considered a strong candidate for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship, failed to show its strength.
On the 12th (Korean time), Dominica lost 1-5 to Venezuela in the first leg of Group D of the ‘2023 WBC’ held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, USA.
Dominica made an entry with the most elite members of this tournament. Last year, American League rookie of the year Julio Rodriguez, three-time Silver Slugger award winner Juan Soto, and one of the best third basemen in the major leagues, Manny Machado, joined the team.
And the much anticipated first game. As a candidate for the championship, an all-time leading lineup was set up. Julio Rodriguez (Center Field) – Juan Soto (Left Field) – Manny Machado (Third Base) – Teosca Hernandez (Right Field) – Rafael Devers (DH) – Wander Franco (Second Base) – Jeremy Pena (Shortstop) – Jamer Candela Rio (1st baseman) – Gary Sanchez (catcher) started.
The mound was also solid. Sandy Alcantra, who won the National League Cy Young Award last year with a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, and a 2.28 ERA in 228⅔ innings in the major leagues, became the starting pitcher.
The start was good. After Rodriguez hit a left-handed hit, Soto, the follow-up hitter, hit an RBI double and ran away 1-0. Dominica’s fire bat seemed to be gaining strength enough to take two batters to raise the first run. 오락실 토토
Despite many expectations, Dominica’s batting line was up to this point. After that, he was tied to the opponent’s mound and was unable to score additional points. In particular, he created opportunities to score, such as 2 outs with 2 bases loaded at the beginning of the 2nd inning and 1 out 1st and 2nd bases at the beginning of the 8th inning, but had to return empty-handed due to a follow-up hit not firing and being blocked by the opponent’s fee. In particular, Machado-Hernandez-Devers, who started as the center hitters, failed to record a single hit and bowed their heads with no hits in 12 at-bats.
The mound also failed to do its part. Cy Young Young pitcher Alcantra gave up three runs and withdrew. 3⅔ innings, 5 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 3 runs, he wrote the yoke of defeat. Luis Garcia and Brian Abreu, who made relief appearances, also conceded runs and gave the opponent the initiative.
According to reporter Bob Nightingale, a major league source, Dominica struck out 15 times with 13 runners on base that day. He struggled, recording his first loss against Venezuela in WBC history. It is humiliating in many ways.
Meanwhile, Dominica is dreaming of a comeback in the second game. The opponent is Nicaragua, and it is scheduled to be held at Miami’s Londippo Park at 1:00 am on the 14th.