World Baseball Classic: Venezuela 5, Dominican Republic 1
This was expected to be a knock-down drag-out between a pair of Group D powers in Miami, but five Venezuela pitchers dominated the star-laden Dominican lineup, holding them to six base hits. Two of those came to the Dominican’s first two hitters, Juan Soto’s double scoring Julio Rodriguez, who had singled.
The remainder of the Dominican offense amounted to four base hits offset by 15 strikeouts, three of them by Rodriguez.
Rangers starter Martin Perez made the start and allowed four of those six hits in 3.1 innings. Astros starter Luis Garcia was the most impressive of the Venezuelan moundsmen. He completed three hitless innings and struck out seven of the Dominicans.
The dominance of the Venezuelan arms put the game on cruise control. Dodger outfielder David Peralta was the hitting star with two hits and a walk. His fourth-inning bases-loaded single to right scored Gleyber Torres and Salvador Perez to break a 1-1 tie, and had the happy byproduct of knocking Dominican starter Sandy Alcantara out of the game. Peralta’s sixth inning double scored Eugenio Suarez with the game’s final run.
Orioles regular Anthony Santander homered off Alcantara in the second inning to tie the game.