MIAMI (WSVN) – The Dominican Republic and Venezuela faced 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 before first pitch 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 coming into Wednesday night.
The 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.
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara took the mound to open up the game for the Dominican Republic, his first start in this year’s Classic.
This year’s Classic marks the fifth appearance in the tournament for both countries.
7News cameras were rolling at the park, where Dominican fans erupted early following a first inning two-run home run from the Dominican Republic’s Fernando Tatis Jr.
Alcantara pitched three innings while surrendering three runs on five hits before he was relieved.
As the teams clashed in Miami, fans for each team shared their pride for their fellow countrymen.
“All I got to say is DR is winning the whole World Baseball Classic. That lineup is insane, from one through nine,” said a Dominican Republic fan.
“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.
“Today is really important because this is for our country, for their honor, for everything,” said a Venezuelan fan.
Venezuelan fans also shared their love for the sport.
“It’s the number one sport in my country; we don’t see a sport other than baseball. Baseball is everything for us,” said a Venezuelan 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.
You can catch Friday’s game with Korea on Channel 7, starting at 8 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
