2021 Final Olympic Baseball Qualifier Schedule, Scores And More
Five of the six teams participating in the Summer Olympics have been decided. The sixth is about to be determined.
The Dominican Republic, the Netherlands and Venezuela are set to play in the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier in Puebla, Mexico, beginning today. The winner of the three-team event will earn the final spot in the Tokyo Games.
The United States, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Israel have already qualified for the Olympics.
The Final Qualifier was originally supposed to be six teams, but China, Taiwan and Australia all withdrew their teams due to coronavirus-related concerns. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Taichung, Taiwan, but was moved to Mexico after Taiwan imposed new restrictions to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.
The qualifier will feature two games of round-robin play from June 22-24, followed by a semifinal on June 25 and the final on June 26. The winner of the final will clinch a spot in the Summer Olympics.
Venezuela is the highest-ranked team in the qualifier and will be led by former major leaguers Wilson Ramos, Robinson Chirinos, Hernan Perez, Luis Sardiñas and Gorkys Hernandez. The Dominican Republic, which finished second in the Americas Qualifier behind Team USA earlier this month, will be led by ex-major leaguers Emilio Bonifacio, Melky Cabrera and Radhames Liz as well as Mariners outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez, the No. 3 prospect on the BA Top 100.
The Netherlands, which finished second in the Europe/Africa qualifier to Israel in 2019, will feature a roster that includes former major leaguers Jair Jurrjens, Roger Bernadina and Shairon Martis.
| QUALIFIER SCHEDULE | ||||
| TEAMS | GAME | DATE | TIME | RESULT |
| Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela | 1 | Tue, Jun 22 | 5 p.m. ET | D.R. 10-7 |
| Venezuela vs. Netherlands | 2 | Wed, June 23 | 5 p.m. ET | VZ 9-3 |
| Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic | 3 | Thu, June 24 | 5 p.m. ET | D.R. 4-3 |
| Netherlands vs. Venezuela* | 4 | Fri, June 25 | 5 p.m. ET | VZ 10-0 |
| Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic* | 5 | Sat, June 26 | 1 p.m. ET | D.R. 8-5 |
*elimination game
ANALYSIS
Saturday, June 26
The Dominican Republic rallied to beat Venezuela and earn its first berth to the Olympics since 1992. You can read the full story here.
Friday, June 25
Venezuela is heading to the championship game of the qualifier after beating the Netherlands 10-0. The game was called after seven innings due to the mercy rule. With their Olympic dreams hanging in the balance, the Venezuelans came out fast and never let up. Brewers prospect Alexander Palma immediately put Venezuela up 1-0 with an RBI single in the first inning and Robinson Chirinos hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run third inning. Engleb Vielma and Hernan Perez each hit a two-run homer in the seventh to invoke the mercy rule. Venezuela will now play the Dominican Republic in the championship game on Saturday. The winner goes to the Olympics, while the loser goes home.
Thursday, June 24
The Dominican Republic moved one win away from the Olympics with a walkoff, 4-3 win over the Netherlands. With runners on first and second and no outs in the bottom of the ninth innings, Gustavo Nuñez laid down a bunt to the left side and Netherlands third baseman Sharlon Schoop threw the ball away to allow Ramon Torres to score the winning run. The Dominican Republic blew a 3-0 lead heading into the eighth inning but still managed to pull out the victory. Red Sox minor league outfielder homered for the second straight game for the Dominicans and Torres, the former Royals infielder, went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. The Netherlands will now face Venezuela in an elimination game on Friday. The winner of that game will face the Dominican Republic in the championship game on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 23
Venezuela bounced back from its opening loss with an important 9-3 victory over the Netherlands. Venezuela remains in a good spot to make it to the final game, provided it wins a likely repeat matchup against the Netherlands in the semifinals. After hitting six home runs against the Dominican Republic and losing, Venezuela didn’t hit a single homer against the Dutch but still won easily. Alexi Amarista reached base five times out of the leadoff spot with two singles and three walks, Giants prospect Diego Rincones went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and veterans Hernan Perez, Luis Sardiñas and Gorkys Hernandez each had two hits apiece. Venezuela led 2-0 after the first inning, 5-0 after the fifth and put the game away with four runs in the ninth. Sharlon Schoop went 2-for-4 with a home run and Jiandido Tromp went 3-for-5 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot for the Netherlands. With a loss to Venezuela and a matchup with the mighty Dominicans looming, the outlook isn’t great for the Dutch.
Tuesday, June 22
The Dominican Republic put itself in great position with its come-from-behind 10-7 victory over Venezuela in the opener. By beating the top-ranked Venezuelans, the Dominicans now have a clear path to the championship game if they take care of business against the Netherlands on Thursday. The Dominican Republic’s offense was a force throughout the Americas Qualifier and showed it remains one in the Final Qualifier. The Dominicans rallied from deficits of 4-2 and 6-5 and exploded for five runs in the seventh inning on back-to-back-to-back homers by Juan Francisco, Johan Mieses and Diego Goris. Goris hit two home runs, Francisco went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Gustavo Nuñez went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs out of the No. 9 spot in the order, cementing just how deep the Dominican Republic lineup is. Venezuela lost despite hitting six home runs. Leadoff man Alexi Amarista hit two homers and Hernan Perez, Danry Vasquez, Luis Sardiñas and Alexander Palma each had one.
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