Miami: South Korea will face the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) this week. The matchup is set to take place at loanDepot park in Miami at 6:30 p.m. Friday, which corresponds to 7:30 a.m. Saturday in South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Dominican Republic secured their spot by defeating Venezuela 7-5, claiming the top seed in Pool D. Their strong performance has been marked by a powerful lineup, leading the WBC with 13 home runs over four pool games. The Dominican team has showcased a robust offense, scoring a total of 41 runs, with a batting average of .313/.458/.672.
The Dominican lineup includes prominent MLB players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, and Manny Machado, all of whom hit at least 20 home runs in the MLB last season. Junior Caminero, who hit 45 home runs last year, batted sixth in their recent game. Tatis, Soto, Guerrero, and Ketel Marte each contributed home runs in the victory against Venezuela.
South Korea, on the other hand, is tied with three other countries for allowing nine home runs. The Dominican Republic's pitching has restricted opponents to a .187 batting average, surrendering only 10 runs across four games. Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner, and other Dominican pitchers have played crucial roles, though they faced a challenging ninth inning in their recent game.
Manager Albert Pujols has announced that Cristopher Sanchez will start against South Korea. Sanchez, the runner-up in last year's NL Cy Young voting, posted a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts. South Korea's designated hitter, Moon Bo-gyeong, leads the WBC with 11 RBIs.
In preparing for the match, Pujols emphasized the importance of trust in players and scouts, acknowledging that both teams may be unfamiliar with each other. The Dominican Republic aims to continue their strategy and seek positive results in the quarterfinals.
Other quarterfinal matchups include Canada versus the United States in Houston, Puerto Rico against Italy in Houston, and Venezuela facing defending champions Japan in Miami.