Can the Dominican Republic, which beat the Korean national team to advance to the semifinals, also beat the United States, a contender for the title?
The Dominican Republic defeated Korea 10-0 by a 7th-inning mercy rule in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on the 14th (Korea time).
They attacked the Korean mound by focusing on contact rather than big swings. Also, Dominican Republic starter Christopher Sanchez pitched well. Both pitching and batting overwhelmed Korea.
The Dominican Republic, led by power hitters, recorded 41 runs and 13 home runs in four first-round games. The 13 home runs are the most in a WBC first round, surpassing Mexico's 12 home runs set in 2009. The game against Korea also ended with Wells' home run.
MLB.com noted, "The Dominican Republic has scored 51 runs in five games in this WBC. With more than 10 runs per game, it is by far the highest-scoring team among the teams participating in this tournament. It also recorded 14 home runs to surpass Italy and become the tournament's leading home run team."
The team has a total payroll of a staggering $2,622,100,000 (about 3.93 trillion won). Filled with superstars, the Dominican Republic will clash on the 16th with the United States, which beat Canada, for a spot in the final.
It's a big match between title contenders. Although the Dominican Republic is called a "team of stars," the United States is the same. Top hitters include Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman and Cal Raleigh.
On the same day, the United States defeated Canada 5-3 in the quarterfinals held at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
On the day, U.S. starter Logan Webb pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits with five strikeouts and one walk and no runs. Brad Keller, who pitched later, allowed two runs in one inning, and Gabe Sphere allowed one run in one-third of an inning, but the bullpen held the lead with five runs produced by the lineup.
Aaron Judge, who started in right field batting third, had one hit, one walk and one run; Kyle Schwarber, who batted cleanup as designated hitter, had one hit and one RBI; Alex Bregman, the third baseman batting fifth, had one hit and one RBI; Bryce Turang, the second baseman batting eighth, had two hits and one RBI; and Pete Crow-Armstrong, who started in center field batting ninth, had two hits and one RBI.
The U.S. payroll is also hefty. Its total payroll is $2,089,080,000 (3.13 trillion won). Adding the Dominican Republic's player payroll brings the combined total to $4,711,290,000 (about 7.0622 trillion won), making this a big-match of big matches. Attention is focused on where the ticket to the final will go.
[OSEN]