Venezuelan baseball team celebrating after its victory of the first game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, played at the LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. Photo: Twitter/@TeamBeisbolVe.
In its first formal game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Venezuela beat the Dominican Republic—one of the top favorites—5-1, in a match held at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA.
The pitching of Venezuela’s Luis García, who entered in the fourth inning and stayed for another three, was key, as he struck out seven rivals.
After the first inning, the Dominican Republic was leading 1-0 , but Venezuela’s Anthony Santander hit a home run to tie it; in the eighth inning he hit a triple and made an important catch. David Peralta had two hits in two at-bats and drove in three runswith a huge hit with two outs at the bottom of the fourth inning. José Altuve got a hit and two walks, while Ronald Acuña Jr. went 0-for-4.
Venezuela is in group D, along with Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and the colonial-zionist state of Israel. This Sunday night, the Venezuelan team will face Puerto Rico in its second game.
Baseball is the most popular sport in Venezuela and the World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament, organized from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB). It was proposed to the IBAF by the MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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