So far it has been a tournament of upsets here in the World Baseball Classic. In the seemingly-set Carribean Pool D, the Dominican Republic had what looked like a cakewalk first game against the Netherlands. However, the Dutch dug deep and capitalized on some Dominican defensive miscues, and also got some clutch pitching from the likes of Sidney Ponson, Alexander Smit, Robbie Cordemans, Dennis Neuman, and Leon Boyd.
The Dominican had no answer for the surprising Dutch squad. The Netherlands had to play perfect baseball to beat the Dominicans, and they did, but they also got help from the normally sure-handed Hanley Ramirez, All-Star shortstop from the Florida Marlins. In the first inning, Ramirez made an excellent diving stop to keep the ball from going into center field, but he one-hopped the throw to first, and it got by Tampa Bay first baseman Willie Aybar, which scored two more runs.
In all, the Dominicans committed three errors, the first one being a throwing error by catcher Miguel Olivo as part of the three run first, and then Ramirez's throwing error. The last error almost resulted in the Dutch getting another run late in the game, as a botched hit-and-run turned into a rundown. However, Fernando Tatis didn't get out of the runner's way in time, and he was called for interference.
The three runs that were scored in the first were the only runs that the Dutch would need. Ponson was solid over four innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking three and striking out 1, giving up a home run to Miguel Tejada in the 4th.
On the other side of the spectrum, Cincinnati Reds starter Edinson Volquez was also very good, giving up 3 runs (none earned) on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3 in 3 innings. Pedro Martinez, Damaso Marte, Carlos Marmol, and Rafael Perez all held fast after Volquez, but while the Dutch couldn't get anything going, neither could the Dominicans.
The Dutch pitching staff worked on a policy that emphasized "bend, but don't break," and that's exactly what happened. In each of the last three innings, the Dominicans were able to mount some kind of rally, but the Dutch kept that tying run from crossing the plate.
A wild 9th inning was the culmination of the "bend, but don't break" philosophy for the Dutch. With Leon Boyd on the mound, he started the inning badly by letting the leadoff man Willy Taveras get on, and after a slow roller turned into out number 1, Taveras was caught stealing for out #2. Hanley Ramirez walked, but Jose Bautista was called out on strikes to end the game.
The Netherlands will await the winner of today's second Pool D game between Panama and Puerto Rico, while the Dominican team awaits the loser of said game.
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The Dominican had no answer for the surprising Dutch squad. The Netherlands had to play perfect baseball to beat the Dominicans, and they did, but they also got help from the normally sure-handed Hanley Ramirez, All-Star shortstop from the Florida Marlins. In the first inning, Ramirez made an excellent diving stop to keep the ball from going into center field, but he one-hopped the throw to first, and it got by Tampa Bay first baseman Willie Aybar, which scored two more runs.
In all, the Dominicans committed three errors, the first one being a throwing error by catcher Miguel Olivo as part of the three run first, and then Ramirez's throwing error. The last error almost resulted in the Dutch getting another run late in the game, as a botched hit-and-run turned into a rundown. However, Fernando Tatis didn't get out of the runner's way in time, and he was called for interference.
The three runs that were scored in the first were the only runs that the Dutch would need. Ponson was solid over four innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking three and striking out 1, giving up a home run to Miguel Tejada in the 4th.
On the other side of the spectrum, Cincinnati Reds starter Edinson Volquez was also very good, giving up 3 runs (none earned) on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3 in 3 innings. Pedro Martinez, Damaso Marte, Carlos Marmol, and Rafael Perez all held fast after Volquez, but while the Dutch couldn't get anything going, neither could the Dominicans.
The Dutch pitching staff worked on a policy that emphasized "bend, but don't break," and that's exactly what happened. In each of the last three innings, the Dominicans were able to mount some kind of rally, but the Dutch kept that tying run from crossing the plate.
A wild 9th inning was the culmination of the "bend, but don't break" philosophy for the Dutch. With Leon Boyd on the mound, he started the inning badly by letting the leadoff man Willy Taveras get on, and after a slow roller turned into out number 1, Taveras was caught stealing for out #2. Hanley Ramirez walked, but Jose Bautista was called out on strikes to end the game.
The Netherlands will await the winner of today's second Pool D game between Panama and Puerto Rico, while the Dominican team awaits the loser of said game.