Ozzie Albies hit the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history to cap an astonishing two-out, ninth-inning rally as the Netherlands stunned Nicaragua with a 4-3 win on Saturday at loanDepot park.
Entering the inning down, 3-1, the Netherlands made two quick outs before Ceddanne Rafaela singled on a bloop to right. Xander Bogaerts followed with a ground-ball double that hit off of the third-base bag to bring up Albies, who clobbered the first pitch he saw from Nicaragua right-hander Angel Obando 411 feet into the right-center-field seats for a three-run blast.
It was the 10th walk-off win of any kind in WBC history and the fourth for the Netherlands, breaking a tie with the USA at three for the most by any team.
2026 World Baseball Classic
Pool B (Houston) & Pool D (Miami) presented by Capital One
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The win evens the Netherlands' record in Pool D at 1-1, with games remaining against the Dominican Republic on Sunday and Israel on Tuesday. Nicaragua falls to 0-2, leaving them in a precarious position with only two games left in pool play.
Nicaragua was tantalizingly close to the team's first-ever win in World Baseball Classic play after going 0-4 in 2023 and losing in a rout to the Dominican Republic on Friday. Second baseman Jeter Downs broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning with a two-run homer to put Nicaragua ahead. It was a moment of redemption for Downs, who an inning earlier prematurely celebrated a drive to the outfield that ended up being an easy out.
The late power surge was a drastic change from the first seven innings, which saw both teams squander multiple offensive chances, as they combined to leave 24 runners on base, with each stranding the bases loaded twice.
The Dutch scored first in the third when Nicaragua starter Erasmo Ramirez allowed two batters to reach then plunked both Bogaerts and Albies, forcing home the game’s first run. With the bases still loaded and one out, the Netherlands had a chance for a big inning, but Ramirez got Didi Gregorius to hit a popup to the catcher, then struck out Hendrik Clementina to limit the damage. Ramirez screamed into his glove as he walked off the field, knowing he had just escaped potential disaster.
Nicaragua’s offense finally broke through in the fifth, starting with Chase Dawson’s one-out double. Downs hit a short fly that deflected off the glove of diving left fielder Ray-Patrick Didder, good for a double that put runners at second and third, prompting Netherlands manager Andruw Jones to intentionally walk No. 3 hitter Ismael Munguia, loading the bases for Mark Vientos.
Derek West, who pitched in the Astros organization between 2019-23, came in from the bullpen and struck out Vientos, but he walked Cheslor Cuthbert to force in the game-tying run.