From ecstasy to heartbreak after late HR turns to footnote in loss

MIAMI – It was the biggest moment of Jeter Downs’ career, yet when all was said and done, the 27-year-old struggled to put his day into words.

Downs belted a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Netherlands on Saturday, putting Nicaragua in position to pick up its first win in World Baseball Classic history.

But Ozzie Albies turned Downs into a footnote, ripping a three-run homer in the ninth to lift the Netherlands to a 4-3 win, hitting the first walk-off home run in Classic history.

“I don't know what to say,” a stunned Downs said. “I feel like it all doesn't mean anything, because we didn't come out with a win. I don't know. I can't really give you anything. It doesn't feel like that happened anymore, because at the end of the day, our only objective was to win the game and we didn't get that done.”

The final few innings were quite an adventure for Downs, a former first-round pick who was one of the key pieces in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers and has been playing in Japan since the middle of 2024.

As Downs led off the seventh inning of a 1-1 game, he launched a fly ball to left field, pointing to the Nicaragua dugout as he trotted to first base with the belief that he had just snapped a tie score. Only the ball didn’t leave the yard, creating a self-inflicted embarrassing moment for Downs.

“I thought I got it pretty good; it was a little one-handed swing, but I got on the barrel,” Downs said. “I definitely thought it had enough to go, but this ballpark is pretty big.”

The second baseman redeemed himself with a stellar defensive play in the bottom of the seventh, snagging Didi Gregorius’ 104.1 mph grounder for the third out.

Downs had another shot to redeem himself in the eighth, coming to bat with a runner at first and two outs, the score still knotted 1-1. Right-hander Lars Huijer threw a 1-0 sinker that Downs drilled to left-center, the 397-foot shot clearing the wall to set off a celebration in the Nicaragua dugout.

“I learned my lesson,” Downs said. “I definitely made sure the second one went before I started celebrating.”

Unfortunately for Downs, it was not enough to lift Nicaragua to its first-ever WBC win. The Netherlands mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth, setting up Albies’ historic game-winning blast.

“Baseball is a funny game; it can really break your heart sometimes,” Downs said. “I didn't let myself get too high after the homer. I tried to come back down to Earth a little bit after I kind of blacked out. I know you have to get 27 outs in this game; we didn't do that today.”

Although Downs’ home run didn’t propel Nicaragua to a victory, the Miami native had a number of friends and family members in the stands to witness his shot. Even in a loss, it was arguably the top moment of his career, one he may be able to reflect on someday when the sting of this loss begins to fade.

“Honestly, I can't really think about that right now,” Downs said. “As of now, yes, it feels that way. It was one of those moments I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.”