Dominican Republic Rallies Past U.S.

MIAMI—It was everything international baseball should be.

Saturday night set the stage for an epic World Baseball Classic battle between the Dominican Republic and Team USA, and the matchup gave the largest crowd in Marlins Park history everything it hoped for and more.

In emotional, electric atmosphere, the reigning champion Dominicans pounced on the American bullpen for seven late runs—with 37,446 fans growing louder and somehow more enthusiastic with each one—to complete a 7-5 victory after falling into an early five-run hole.

The comeback was highlighted by Nelson Cruz’s go-ahead three-run shot off American relief ace Andrew Miller in the eighth inning to put the Dominican Republic up for good. The Mariners outfielder’s home run took the decibel level in the stadium to ear-splitting levels, and the 36-year-old veteran pumped his fists and celebrated his way around the bases in pure delight.

“In the little leagues, it’s the only place where can you have so much fun in situations like this when you hit a home run,” Cruz said. “You saw the fans. Whoever did not feel that experience is dead or ought to have a checkup.”

Cruz has hit 284 home runs in his big league career and 16 more in the postseason. When asked where this one ranked, Cruz brought up the World Series (where he has hit three) and said, “The taste of this one is more special because you’re playing for your country. No matter what team you play (on), the people are supporting you. In the U.S. when you play the game, it is like a business. When you leave, people forget about you. But when you play for the Dominican Republic, the fans always support you.”

Feeding off of the electric crowd, Marcus Stroman got the ball for Team USA and was unstoppable until he hit his pitch limit. The 25-year-old Blue Jays righthander allowed just three hits over 4.2 scoreless innings, striking out four in his first outing in the red-white-and-blue uniform since playing for the collegiate national team. He departed with a 3-0 lead, which the U.S. stretched to 5-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anybody more determined than he was tonight, Stroman,” U.S. manager Jim Leyland said. “I mean, he wanted it. He wanted to get it and he did. He did an absolutely unbelievable job.”

With an electric crowd behind the Dominican squad, and the team looking to offer something in return for its singing, dancing, instrument-playing, raucous fans, it breathed a sigh of relief when Stroman exited the game. They took advantage almost immediately, with Manny Machado launching the first home run of the game with a monster shot off of righthander Tanner Roark in the sixth to get the Dominicans on the board.

“The other team was playing one heck of a game, so I was trying to do something for the team, to get it started,” the Orioles third baseman said. “I know that we are a better team, but we started bad, but our fans gave us their support and we kept going ahead nonstop after that.”

Added Dominican manager Tony Pena: “The excitement was big because we faced a pitcher who was difficult. He was tough. He was on a short leash, and when they took him out on the fifth inning, then we exhaled. We were able to capitalize.”

Still, the U.S felt comfortable going into the eighth with a 5-3 lead and Miller coming in, but Cruz showed the 2016 Indians postseason hero is, in fact, mortal.

“We got to pretty much where we wanted to be,” Leyland said. “We originally thought we would try to have the lead and bring Andrew in the ninth, but when we had the two-run lead in the eighth, we said we were going to go for it. Got him up, told him he was in the game, and that’s pretty much as simple as it is. But no regrets. We did what we felt we had a shot to do, and it didn’t work.”

Certainly less comfortable in the early innings, the defending champs offered a lead to Team USA when Starling Marte missed a routine fly ball in the top of the third that would have been the final out of the frame. Two runs came around after the miscue and Dominican starter Edinson Volquez allowed another in the fourth to end his outing.

The Pirates outfielder later earned a celebration of his own, however, when he followed Cruz with a long ball two batters later in the eighth to add insurance and ensure that the fans would remain on their feet the rest of the matchup.

“The way we came from behind today, it was an unbelievable thing,” Pena said. “That’s where it shows how the guys are playing. They’re playing with their heart. And at no time did it cross our minds to admit defeat. We continued to fight until we achieved what we wanted.”