Havana, March 16 (RHC) – Defense and good pitching were the stars of the high-voltage semifinal duel that the United States won by a narrow margin against the Dominican Republic, a team that achieved a record of 15 home runs in this VI World Baseball Classic.
Team USA silenced the Dominican bats last night, but couldn’t extend their lead beyond 2-1 at the packed IonDepot Park in this South Florida city.
In a game that lived up to expectations, the Americans used many of baseball’s biggest stars to secure the victory and advance to the Classic final for the third consecutive time. They will play tomorrow against the winner of tonight’s game between Italy and Venezuela.
The first run of the game came in the second inning courtesy of Junior Caminero, who hit a solo home run to put the Dominicans ahead. That was the Dominican Republic’s 15th home run of the tournament, surpassing the record set by Mexico in 2009.
But the game was decided thanks to two consecutive home runs in the fourth inning. Gunnar Henderson led off the inning with a solo shot that tied the score at 1-1. Shortly after, Roman Anthony hit another home run, this time to center field, to give the team the lead.
