MIAMI (WSVN) – The Dominican Republic and Venezuela will face off on the diamond at loanDepot Park one more time to wrap up play for Pool D and determine two quarterfinal matchups for the World Baseball Classic.
The air was electric outside of loanDepot Park as fans awaited the start of the crucial final game between the undefeated Dominican Republic and Venezuelan teams on Wednesday night.
The Dominican Republic has been led by an explosive offense, which has scored 34 runs in its three victories. Venezuela boasts a star-studded lineup of its own, including a pitching staff that’s maintained a 1.33 ERA up to this point.
Wednesday’s battle of heavyweights will decide who faces Korea and Japan in the quarterfinals of the Classic.
“I think it’s gonna be more first place, not about country pride. First place in order to be the number one in our bracket,” said Omar Lopez, Venezuela’s manager.
Taking the mound for the Dominican Republic is Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, his first start in the Classic.
The Venezuelan manager said his team is focused on putting the ball in play to keep pressure on the All-Star pitcher.
“What I expect from Sandy Alcantara, throw everything in the middle of the plate so we can hit it and we can put the ball in play, we can get on-base and we can score many runs if we could. I hope the slider doesn’t work well today,” said Lopez.
When the teams clash in Miami, their country’s pride will be on display, with thousands of fans supporting both teams.
“We feel, as of right now, we have the dream team, that right now we’ll be unbeatable, right? We have the best baseball players ever playing for the Dominican Republic,” said Edwin Garcia, a Dominican Republic fan. “They don’t play for money — they play for our country.”
“Tonight, I say it’s like the Game 7 of the World Series, that’s the only comparison tonight in the [World] Baseball Classic,” said Joel Vasquez, another Dominican Republic fan.
Wednesday’s winner will face Korea in the quarterfinals on Friday night. The loser will face the three-time defending champion Japan on Saturday.
First pitch for the Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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