Juan Soto, Dominican Republic Dominate Korea in Mercy Rule Win to Advance to WBC Semifinal, Wow Fans
Juan Soto and the Dominican Republic delivered a dominant performance against South Korea in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals on Friday, powering a 10-0 mercy-rule shutout capped by an Austin Wells three-run home run.
Christopher Sánchez set the tone on the mound, striking out eight while allowing two hits over five innings. He also had one balk in the outing.
Wells paced the offense with three RBI, Fernando Tatis Jr. added two and five other players drove in a run as the Dominican lineup poured it on.
The Dominican Republic's stars shined throughout the matchup, with fans buzzing on social media after the lopsided victory.
Junior Caminero sparked the scoring in the second inning, ripping a double that brought home Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with an electric slide at home plate to put the Dominican Republic on the board.
Julio Rodríguez and Tatis Jr. followed with RBI of their own later in the inning as the Dominican lineup flexed early, building a 3-0 lead after two frames.
The offense caught fire again in the third. Manny Machado and Guerrero Jr. each delivered RBI while two bases-loaded walks forced in additional runs, fueling a four-run inning that pushed the Dominican Republic's advantage to a commanding 7-0 by the end of the third.
In the bottom of the seventh, Wells launched a 375-foot, three-run home run to seal the win, invoking the mercy rule and giving the Dominican Republic a 10-0 shutout over Korea after seven innings.
The Dominican Republic will face the winner of the USA vs. Canada matchup in the semifinals.
