South Korea suffered a 10-0 mercy rule defeat against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, ending their first tournament run in 17 years at the eight-team stage.
The game at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 14 local time was called after seven innings under WBC rules that end games with a 10-run deficit after seven innings or 15-run deficit after five innings in pool play and quarterfinal rounds.
The Dominican Republic, stacked with MLB stars including Juan Soto of the New York Mets, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, was widely considered the stronger team entering the matchup.
South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles retired the side in order in the first inning but surrendered three runs in the second. Ryu walked Guerrero Jr., then allowed an RBI single to Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays. After trading a run for an out on a Julio Rodriguez groundout, Ryu gave up consecutive hits to Geraldo Perdomo of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tatis Jr. following a walk to Agustin Ramirez of the Miami Marlins.
Korea pulled Ryu with two outs and runners on first and second. Reliever Noh Kyung-eun of the SSG Landers struck out Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks to end the inning.
The Dominican Republic added four runs in the third against a parade of Korean relievers including Noh, Park Young-hyun of kt wiz, Kwak Bin of the Doosan Bears, and Dane Dunning of the Seattle Mariners. Four consecutive hits by Soto, Guerrero Jr., Machado, and Caminero produced two runs, followed by three straight walks that pushed across two more, extending the lead to 7-0.
Ko Young-pyo of kt, Jo Byung-hyun of SSG, and Go Woo-seok of the Detroit Tigers minor league system combined for three scoreless innings from the fourth through sixth, each retiring the side in order. However, So Hyung-jun of kt surrendered a three-run home run to Austin Wells of the New York Yankees on the first pitch with two outs and runners on first and third in the seventh, triggering the mercy rule.
Korean batters were shut down by Dominican starter Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies, who finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting last season. The left-hander allowed just two hits while striking out eight through five innings.
Jermai Jones of the Detroit Tigers collected Korea's first hit leading off the fourth, but Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants grounded into a double play. Ahn Hyun-min of kt wiz added a double but was stranded. Reliever Albert Abreu of the Chunichi Dragons struck out three Korean batters while allowing no baserunners.
Korean national team players will return to their respective clubs. The team had sought its first Final Four appearance since finishing runner-up in the 2009 WBC. The Dominican Republic will face the winner of the United States-Canada game in the semifinals on March 16 at the same venue.