Unbeaten DR thumps Israel to secure spot in quarterfinals

MIAMI -- Fernando Tatis Jr. spent the first two games of the World Baseball Classic setting the table for his teammates.

Monday, he decided to eat.

Tatis hit the first grand slam by a Dominican Republic player in Classic history, setting a team record with six RBIs to lead the D.R. to a 10-1 victory over Israel at loanDepot park -- and a trip to the Classic quarterfinals.

“I definitely do take a lot of pride in being able to contribute on every single side of the game,” Tatis said. “Being able to do that for the Dominican Republic, it means everything to me. We're just going out there and giving everything.”

D.R. starter Brayan Bello was brilliant, limiting Israel to only one hit -- a solo homer by Spencer Horwitz -- over five innings, striking out seven.

The Dominican Republic earned a trip to the next round after improving to 3-0, while the win also secured Venezuela’s spot in the quarters regardless of how its final two games play out.

“Our whole team understands our goal is to win this tournament,” manager Albert Pujols said. “It's not going to be easy. This is just giving us a pass to the next round, but we're going to be ready and we're going to stay focused.”

The loss eliminated Israel (1-2) from advancing out of pool play. Asked whether there were any moral victories to be taken from the week, manager Brad Ausmus smirked.

“Well, they didn't run-rule us, I guess,” Ausmus said. “That would be about it. It's never fun to get your butt kicked.”

The Dominican Republic has one game remaining in Pool D, against Venezuela Wednesday night (8 ET, FS1/FOX Deportes), the most highly anticipated matchup in the pool. Although both teams have advanced, that game will have plenty of implications, as the loser of that game will face defending champion Japan in the quarterfinals.

“We are going to speak about the next game on Wednesday,” Pujols said. “Today we are going to enjoy the victory.”

Israel starter Ryan Prager got off to an impressive start, retiring the top of the Dominican lineup in order. But there were warning signs, namely loud outs made by Ketel Marte (97 mph exit velocity) and Juan Soto (99.3 mph) that must have stuck with Prager.

• Warning track power twice for Soto? That'll earn you some dugout pushups

Tatis certainly did just that, ripping a 1-2 pitch from Prager over the Israeli bullpen and into the left-field seats.

Tatis admired his shot before flipping his bat, setting off a celebration among the thousands of Dominican fans in attendance – and his teammates, many of whom poured out of the dugout to welcome him home for what has become a home run tradition for the team this week.

“It's the type of team you put together when you want to win on PlayStation or MLB The Show,” Ausmus said. “It's obviously one of the best lineups in the world.”

Two innings later, Oneil Cruz launched a 115.8 mph laser to center field, matching Junior Caminero for the second-hardest-hit home run since such tracking began at the 2023 Classic. First on that list? Cruz’s 116.8 mph rocket against Nicaragua on Friday.

The nine D.R. homers in this tournament have already matched a team record for a WBC, tying the 2006 and 2017 squads. The record for team homers in any WBC belongs to Mexico, which hit 14 in 2009. Only one other club in the history of the event has hit more than nine homers through its first three games of a Classic -- the 2009 Cuba club, which hit 11.

Tatis continued his big day with a two-run single in the seventh, becoming the first Dominican player to drive in six runs in a Classic game and tying Adrián González (Mexico, 2009) for the second-most RBIs in a WBC game. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. holds the record, having driven in seven runs for Team USA against South Africa in the first WBC back in 2006.

Tatis, who was 2-for-4 with five walks and four runs scored in the D.R.’s first two games, is now slashing .500/.692/.875 in the tournament.

“Today, it was Tatis Jr.'s day,” Pujols said. “He took the show, and that's how dangerous this lineup is. One day it's going to be Tatis, the other day Guerrero, Soto, Oneil. He’s a guy who can turn a base hit into a double, a double into a triple, or he can put the ball in the seats like he did today. That was a huge moment for us to turn things around when he went deep and hit that grand slam.”

When the game ended and they had secured their spot in the next round, the D.R. players filed out of the dugout and shook hands, eschewing the type of raucous celebration we’ve grown accustomed to seeing after each home run.

“We just know there's way more of this,” Tatis said. “We have been enjoying the moment, we have been enjoying the success that we have been doing on the field, but at the same time, we know there's a bigger goal out there.”