I thought they had no information about Korea, but they did. Dominican Republic hitters knew Ryu Hyun-jin (38·Hanwha Eagles), who spent 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, very well. Junior Caminero (22·Tampa Bay Rays), who recorded his first hit against Ryu Hyun-jin, delivered the decisive blow in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Ryu Hyun-jin started in the quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic in the 2026 WBC at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 14 (KST), but he took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits, two walks and one strikeout over 1 2/3 innings. The following pitchers also collapsed, and Korea suffered a 0-10 cold-game loss in the seventh inning. The Dominican Republic advanced to the semifinals with the first cold-game in WBC knockout stage history.
For 38-year-old Ryu Hyun-jin, it was his final stage as a national team member. He started pleasantly by retiring the side in order in the first inning, striking out Fernando Tatis Jr. looking, but he couldn't hold on in the second. With one out and a runner on first, Caminero hit a left-field two-run double to drive in the first run and the momentum swung completely.
With the count at 1-2, Caminero swung at Ryu Hyun-jin's fifth pitch, a low curveball that came in at 70.2 mph (130.0 km/h). If he hadn't swung, it would have been a one-bounce ball. Korea's catcher Park Dong-won also moved to block, but Caminero bent his knees, lowered his stance, timed the curve and drove it. He produced a line-drive that rolled to the left-field corner fence and finished with a run-scoring two-base hit.
MLB.com described it as, Ryu Hyun-jin's pitch wasn't bad. The ball was located only 0.61 feet (18.6 cm) above the ground, which was the lowest height among the long hits in the 2023 and 2026 WBCs. It was much lower than any pitch on which Caminero had recorded a hit in the major leagues. It was a shocking hit that showed major league class, and Ryu Hyun-jin was very unlucky.
Caminero had faced Ryu Hyun-jin before. It was an unforgettable moment for him. Caminero made his major league debut on Sept. 24, 2023, against the Toronto Blue Jays and, after drawing a walk in his first plate appearance against starter Ryu Hyun-jin, he hit a single to left in the third inning. He had targeted the low curve then, connecting for a single to left. After recording his first time on base and his first hit, he met Ryu Hyun-jin again three years later and delivered another unforgettable decisive hit.
In the postgame official interview, when asked, How did you prepare when you probably didn't know much about Korea?, Caminero said, We knew about the starting pitcher (Ryu Hyun-jin). When he came up to the majors in 2023, he pitched for Toronto. We knew a bit about him, and not only me but the whole team did. We waited for hittable pitches, and we did that.
Caminero is a power hitter who hit 45 home runs in the major leagues last year. But that day he didn't get greedy and focused on contact rather than big swings. In his second at-bat in the third inning, he made contact with Park Young-hyun's second pitch, a cutter, and recorded a center-field single for a multi-hit game. Although Austin Wells' three-run homer in the seventh turned it into a cold-game finish, six of the nine hits were singles, and they drew six walks. They stayed persistent, focusing on contact according to the pitcher type rather than charging the plate.
Caminero explained, We didn't have much information about Korea. Because we only knew the starting pitcher, we tried to make contact rather than aim for long hits. We waited for hittable pitches, tried to hit them, and by producing line-drive hits we were able to score.
Albert Pujols, manager of the Dominican Republic, said, We didn't have much information about Korea, but the hitters prepared well in a way they could. We scored in various ways. Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto may not be the fastest runners, but they ran very aggressively. They showed that they could inflict damage on the opponent not only with hitting but with aggressive play, he said, expressing satisfaction.
Although the lineup is full of power hitters, they did not blindly swing for the fences and showed situational adjustments and focus. The big players dove and slid full-body on the bases, forcing defensive mistakes from the opponent. The United States, which will meet the Dominican Republic hitters in the semifinals, will likely have to be on high alert.
[OSEN]