The Dominican Republic secured a 12-1 victory over the Netherlands in Pool D of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot park in Miami. Four home runs, including a game-ending blast by Juan Soto, triggered the mercy rule after the seventh inning. The win improves the Dominican Republic to 2-0, while the Netherlands falls to 1-2.
The game began with high energy as a band rallied Dominican Republic fans at loanDepot park before the first pitch on Sunday. In the bottom of the first, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in Fernando Tatis Jr. with a single after two walks issued by Netherlands starter Arij Fransen, giving the Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead. An error by Xander Bogaerts on a grounder added another run, making it 2-0.
Didi Gregorius homered off Luis Severino in the top of the second, a 357-foot shot to right field that cut the lead to 2-1. Severino, starting for the Dominican Republic, allowed just that one run over four innings.
Guerrero struck again in the third with a two-run homer off Eric Mendez, extending the lead to 4-1 and marking his first home run of the tournament. The fifth inning saw a six-run explosion: Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer, projected at 424 feet and 115.8 mph off the bat, followed by Austin Wells' two-run shot, and a sacrifice fly from Ketel Marte that scored another run, pushing the score to 10-1.
With a nine-run advantage entering the seventh, manager Albert Pujols considered resting starters, but Soto insisted on batting. His two-run homer on the first pitch with two outs triggered the mercy rule, as the Dominican Republic led 12-1 by 10 or more runs after seven innings.
"No matter if you win by one run or by knockout, the most important thing is to win the game," Pujols said. "We have a very good team with a great offense, a very good bullpen, starters, you name it. The credit is all for the guys; they are extremely motivated."
Netherlands manager Andruw Jones praised the opponents: "I have seen so many good lineups, but this kind of lineup in a Classic? Wow, that's too much. They are very powerful."
The Dominican Republic has hit seven home runs in its first two games, joining Venezuela as the only 2-0 teams in Pool D. The Netherlands, using a bullpen game strategy that issued 11 walks, now faces an uphill battle to advance. The Dominican Republic plays Israel on Monday at 12 p.m. ET on FS1, while the Netherlands meets Israel on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on the FOX Sports App.
