NEWS: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela teams advance to WBC quarterfinals
The teams in the 2026 World Baseball Classic have been set, with three of the most powerful baseball nations in the Caribbean —the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela — each arriving with momentum in dramatic fashion.
The Dominican Republic defeated Venezuela 7–5 on March 11 in a thrilling matchup that that saw the Dominican offense explode early when Juan Soto launched a home run after a first-inning single by Ketel Marte, quickly setting the tone. Later, Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. also homered as the Dominicans built a multi-run lead.
Venezuela fought back behind RBI hits from Luis Arraez and Willson Contreras, but the Dominicans sealed the victory with a clutch double play in the ninth inning to secure first place in Pool D.
Despite the loss, Venezuela advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to its strong overall performance in pool play. The Venezuelan lineup showcased its firepower throughout the round, highlighted by Arraez’s big offensive night earlier in the tournament and aggressive base running from Ronald Acuña Jr., who walked, stole a base and scored during Wednesday’s game.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico continued to demonstrate its pitching strength. In one of Wednesday’s key results earlier in the tournament phase, Puerto Rico defeated Cuba 4–1, with closer Edwin Díaz shutting the door in the ninth inning.
The victory helped secure Puerto Rico’s spot among the final eight teams in the tournament, with two games slated for Friday, March 13 and another two on Saturday.
The Dominican Republic, which went 4-0 in pool play, faces Korea on Friday, while the USA team battles Canada that night.
On Saturday, the upstart Italy team that beat both the powerhouse U.S. and Mexico to advance to the final eight will try to extend its Cinderella dream run against Puerto Rico.
Venezuela takes on Japan in an afternoon game.
Winners will head to the semifinal games on Sunday March 14 and Monday, March 15. The WBC championship game is slated for Tuesday night.
