MIAMI – Tonight’s clash between two giants of Latin American baseball isn’t the first time they’ve met under the roof of loanDepot Park with a lot on the line. It’s merely a renewal of acquaintances.
The Dominican Republic and Venezuela play the final game of pool play at the 2026 World Baseball Classic tonight at 8 p.m. EDT, with the winner advancing to face South Korea in the quarterfinals on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT, while the loser will have to face defending champion and Pool C winner Japan at 9 p.m. EDT on Saturday night. The game will be streamed live on Tubi.
Teams representing these two countries last squared off here in the final of the 2024 Caribbean Series, when LIDOM’s Tigres del Licey faced the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional’s Tiburones de La Guaria in the championship game, which La Guaira won 3-0. The two teams also met in the round robin at the Caribbean Series, with the Tiburones taking that game 3-1.
At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Venezuela took the lone meeting between the two teams 5-1 on their way to the quarterfinals, while the Dominican Republic went home after finishing 2-2 in pool play here in Miami.
Asked if the Dominicans wanted revenge for 2023, Sandy Alcantara demurred. He started the game against Venezuela in 2023, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings, allowing a three-run homer to Venezuela’s Anthony Santander.
“I don’t see it as revenge. This is a very short tournament. We lost the previous Classic,” Alcantara, who will start the game against Venezuela, said before the D.R.’s game against Israel March 9. “We did our best, but we couldn’t be successful on Wednesday. We will be able to go out to the field and fight from the very first pitch, and may the best team win.”
Dominican manager Albert Pujols knows this game is a matchup of star-powered squads.
Asked which players he likes on each team, he replied, “Acuña and Tatís. Those guys are talented, and they make a difference in any team. If I had the chance to put together a dream team, he’s one of the players that I would choose, Tatís Jr. He’s one of the best players in the majors, as well as Acuña. I respect the way they play ball, how they enjoy the game, and they bring so many things to baseball.”
Ronald Acuña Jr., the right fielder for Venezuela and the Atlanta Braves, is 4-for-10 with a double, a homer, four walks, and six runs scored in three games for Venezuela, while Fernando Tatis Jr. is 4-for-8 with five walks, a homer, five runs scored, and six RBIs.
But for Venezuela manager Omar Lopez, the game will be pretty simple if Acuña can be Acuña.
“The Dominicans have that guy, Tatis, he’s incredible professional ball player, and we have Acuna,” Lopez said following Venezuela’s win against Nicaragua. “And we have another one too hitting second in the first two games, which is Maikel Garcia. He’s capable to do the same stuff that Acuna does, so I hope both step up against Dominican and go 3-for-3 with a couple homers and driving in like six runs. And then we pitch, we play defense, we go to the first place. That’s it. That’s very easy to say it.”
Venezuela will start Eduardo Rodriguez, a veteran of 10 Major League Baseball seasons who has a career 4.19 ERA in 1,304 2/3 innings in the world’s best league, as formidable, albeit a less-heralded, starter than Alcantara, a two-time All-Star and the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner.
Rodriguez will be tasked with shutting down a Dominican lineup as powerful as any nine batters ever assembled, with well over 1,000 career MLB homers to their credit.
There’s undoubtedly a quiet confidence in the Venezuela clubhouse that they can beat the Dominican Republic again here in Miami. But for the Dominican team, the memories of the defeat in the 2023 World Baseball Classic doesn’t linger.
“The past is in the past. It doesn’t matter to us anymore. We lost. But today we are focused on this goal, which is to win. We have great vibes in the clubhouse, Vlady, Caminero,” Alcantara said. “All the players are excited. And the pitchers, we are doing a great job, as well, and our goal is to do our best.”
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