MIAMI – if the outcome were a forego conclusion, why would they play the games?
Sure, Nicaragua had to qualify to get into the 2026 world, baseball classic, and on paper, the Dominican Republic has a lineup that could compete with any Major League Baseball team.
But for more than a brief moment on Friday night – for well over an hour – it certainly looked like Nicaragua could pull off a baseball equivalent of the miracle on ice, beating the vaunted Dominican Republic with a lineup comprised of players barely known outside of the Central America nation’s winter league, a few MLB prospects, and New York Mets third base Mark Vientos.
Ultimately, though, the Dominican Republic, as much a super team as the United States or Japan, hammered the Nicaragua bullpen for nine runs to take a 12-3 win in the World Baseball Classic opener for both teams.
Nicaragua made the best of some early luck, getting leadoff man Chase Dawson on base when Dominican catcher Austin Wells lost strike three. Dawson advanced on a single by Benjamin Alegria and then scored on a single by Ismael Munguia, giving them a 1-0 lead before Dominican starter Cristopher Sanchez could retire a batter.
The D.R. wasted no time, getting a leadoff single in the bottom of the first from Fernando Tatis Jr., who scored when Ketel Marte followed him with a double. Marte advanced to third when Juan Soto grounded out to second, then scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out to short, giving the Dominican Republic a 2-1 lead.
But Nicaragua wasn’t fearful of Sanchez, the 29-year-old Philadelphia Phillies starter who had a 2.50 ERA last season, getting a leadoff single from Cristhian Sandoval to lead off the top of the second. Freddy Zamora followed with a double that scored Sandoval, and then Dawson singled home Zamora to give Nicaragua a 3-2 lead.
Nicaragua starter Ronald Medrano held the D.R. scoreless in the bottom of the second, but allowed a leadoff single to Juan Soto in the bottom of the third. Soto scored to tie the game at three on a single by Julio Rodriguez, and there the game stayed.
Through the fourth, Nicaragua’s Danilo Bermudez kept the Dominican bats quiet, and Stiven Cruz did the same in the fifth.