South Korea's World Baseball Classic run ended with a 10-0 loss to the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals in Miami. Pitching struggles and a silent offense contributed to the defeat, as starter Ryu Hyun-jin announced his retirement from international play.
South Korea suffered a 10-0 defeat to the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals at loanDepot park in Miami on March 13, 2026 (local time). The game ended early in the seventh inning under the 10-run mercy rule. This marked South Korea's first knockout stage appearance since 2009, after advancing from Pool C with wins over Czechia (11-4) and Australia (7-2), and losses to Japan (6-8) and Chinese Taipei (4-5).
Starter Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) pitched a scoreless first inning but unraveled in the second, walking leadoff hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before allowing a double to Junior Caminero that scored Guerrero. Julio Rodriguez's groundout and Fernando Tatis Jr.'s single added two more runs, leading to Ryu's exit after 1 2/3 innings and three earned runs. Relievers surrendered four runs in the third: Noh Kyung-eun gave up Guerrero's RBI double, Park Yeong-hyun allowed Manny Machado's RBI single, and Gwak Been issued three straight walks with two outs to push across two runs for a 7-0 lead. The game concluded in the seventh with Austin Wells' three-run homer off So Hyeong-jun.
The offense managed only two hits against Cristopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies), who struck out eight over five shutout innings with his sinker-changeup mix. Jahmai Jones' single and Ahn Hyun-min's double in the fourth were the lone hits, but Korea couldn't score. Reliever Albert Abreu struck out two in the sixth and induced a double play in the seventh, fanning 11 Korean batters total while walking just one.
Postgame, Ryu announced his retirement from international play: "I think this is it for me. It will be a huge learning experience for our young players." Manager Ryu Ji-hyun thanked him: "I want to thank Hyun-jin for his service." Go Woo-suk added, "We'd love to beat them next time." South Korea's pitchers allowed 29 runs and 37 hits in the tournament, highlighting depth issues.
