Dominican Republic advances in WBC after outlasting Colombia in 11 innings - MLB

It needed 11 innings, but Team Dominican Republic was able to outlast Team Colombia 10-3 in 11 innings during Sunday afternoon’s World Baseball Classic contest, earning them the right to move on to the next round.

Both teams plated a run in the first. Jose Bautista hit a sacrifice fly in the top half for D.R. and Giovanny Urshela singled in a run in the bottom half for Colombia. In the second, the D.R. took a 3-1 lead on a Manny Machado double followed by Bautista reaching on a fielding error.

Colombia struck back for a run in the sixth on a Mauricio Ramos double. Jorge Alfaro then tied the game in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to left field off of Fernando Rodney.

Colombia very nearly won the game in the bottom of the ninth, which would have put them in a tie with the D.R. in Pool C standings. The club put its first two runners on base when Jhonatan Solano singled and Tito Polo was hit by a pitch. Donovan Solano hit what looked like a 6-4-3 ground ball double play, but shortstop Jean Segura was only able to get the out at second as Jonathan Villar made a slightly off-target throw to first. Reynaldo Rodriguez then hit a line drive to shallow center field. Jose Bautista caught the ball on the fly, then fired home to catcher Welington Castillo. The ball took two hops and Castillo, in one motion, snagged the ball and applied the tag to pinch-runner Oscar Mercado for the final out of the inning.

The play was close enough that Team Colombia thought it had won the game, but home plate umpire Tripp Gibson made the right call. He wound up ejecting Polo and Rodriguez with what was truly an itchy trigger finger.

Neither team scored in the 10th inning, sending the game to the 11th where the rules change a bit. The D.R. started with runners on first and second base and it proved to be the catalyst for a rally. Mel Rojas, Jr. laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base. Colombia walked Gregory Polanco to load the bases. And then… the floodgates opened. Castillo singled in two runs to make it 5-3. Villar walked to re-load the bases. Jean Segura doubled to deep center field to clear the bases, upping the lead to 8-3. After Manny Machado popped up for the second out, Robinson Cano reached on a fielding error, plating Segura. Bautista singled to put runners on first and third, and Santana then singled Cano home. After a seven-run top of the 11th inning, the D.R. led 10-3.

Colombia, of course, also started the bottom of the 11th with runners on first and second base, but it couldn’t capitalize in similar fashion. With Jeurys Familia on the mound, Adrian Sanchez and Mauricio Ramos both struck out. Mercado then grounded out to third base to end the game.

The D.R. has advanced to Pool F after going 3-0 in Pool C. They’re headed to Petco Park San Diego, which will open up play on Tuesday. Colombia is now 1-2 and waits to see what happens between the United States (1-1) and Canada (0-2).

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LOS ANGELES – Despite battling injuries all season, the New York Yankees are still managing to pick up victories.

With AL MVP Aaron Judge sidelined after injuring his foot on Saturday, the Yankees got strong pitching and were able to use a little bit of small ball to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 Sunday and take two of three games in the weekend series.

“Just a really good all-around effort. A lot of winning things were happening in that game,” manager Aaron Boone said.

New York plated runs in the seventh and eighth innings on soft-contract grounders before Anthony Volpe provided some insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth.

J.D. Martinez homered for the Dodgers, who dropped the final two games in the series.

Clay Holmes (4-2) pitched one inning to pick up the win, and Wandy Peralta got the last four outs for his fourth save.

It was a pitchers’ duel for six innings between the Yankees’ Domingo Germán and Dodgers’ Bobby Miller. The right-handers matched zeroes as the teams combined for only four hits in the first six innings.

Dodgers’ rookie Miller allowed only one hit in his six innings, becoming the first Dodgers’ pitcher since at least 1901 to allow one hit or fewer within his first three big league starts. The 24-year old right-hander struck out seven and walked two in his third start.

Germán went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run and four hits, including Martinez’s solo shot to tie it at 1-all in the seventh. The right-hander has limited opponents to one run or fewer in four of his last six starts.

Jake Bauers – who was playing right field in place of Judge – scored the game’s first run in the seventh on Kyle Higashioka‘s broken-bat grounder to short.

Bauers got aboard with a base hit then advanced to third when Brusdar Graterol threw the ball away on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s bunt.

After Martinez’s homer, the Yankees retook the lead in the eighth against Evan Phillips (1-1). Oswaldo Cabrera drove in Anthony Rizzo with the go-ahead run with a slow roller that second baseman Miguel Vargas could only throw to first.

“It not being hit well helps when the fielders have to move a little. That’s what you’re selling out for. Good job by the base runners there,” Boone said.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said both balls could not have been placed any better by the Yankees’ batters.

“I don’t think they had a chance on both balls. The base runners had such a good jump. They were jam shots,” Roberts said. “There were a lot of things we did as far as giving away a couple bases on the defensive side.”

Volpe had two hits after being mired in a 3-for-38 slump his last 11 games. He extended the lead by driving Caleb Ferguson’s fastball over the wall in left-center in the ninth. It was Volpe’s ninth homer, which is second among AL rookies.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence,” said Volpe after the Yankees took four of six on the road trip.

BOMBS AWAY

Martinez evened it in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to left-center. It was his 10th homer in the last 21 games.

Martinez has 20 homers against the Yankees, his third-most against any club. He has 35 against Baltimore and 23 vs. Cleveland. He is four homers away from 300 for his career.

MILLER TIME

Miller – the 29th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft – looked like he might have a short outing after throwing 27 pitches in the first inning. He struck out three but also walked two.

Miller retired seven straight between the third and fifth innings before Volpe lined a base hit to center field with two out in the fifth.

“It felt really good. Been working on my slider a lot lately.,” said Miller, who threw 86 pitches, including 39 sliders. “They know I have a good fastball so I have to have my other pitches working as well.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes is expected to be placed on the injured list Monday or Tuesday due to a shoulder issue. Manager Aaron Boone said Cortes has been slower to recover between starts and is likely to miss one or two starts. … LHP Carlos Rendon (left forearm strain) will face hitters on Wednesday.

Dodgers: OF Trayce Thompson was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain. OF Johnny Deluca was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

Yankees: Return home for six games starting Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-5, 5.01 ERA) has gone at least five innings in six of his last eight starts.

Dodgers: Hit the road starting Tuesday against Cincinnati. RHP Tony Gonsolin (3-1, 1.77 ERA) has gone 3-0 in his last four starts.