Dominican Passion and Pride on Display in Sweep of 2013 World Baseball Classic
This article appears in SABR’s Dominicans in the Major Leagues (2022), edited by Bill Nowlin and Julio M. Rodriguez.
Since their embarrassing first-round knockout in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic team had been determined to make an improved showing in 2013.
In the first WBC competition, in 2006, and again in 2009, Dominican Republic teams had fielded their best players, but many fans felt that they did not take the series seriously. That changed in 2013, when public pressure encouraged the team to put forth a better showing. The team responded with a spirit that became the standard for the competitors. The Dominicans, many of whom were major-league all-stars, became the first team to go undefeated in the WBC.
While the WBC was sponsored by Major League Baseball to provide an international stage for competition among the world’s best players, some major-league clubs discouraged their better players from taking part. They feared the tournament would interrupt the players’ normal spring-training preparation the regular season. They also worried that players might be injured.
The Dominican players tended to downplay those possibilities and embraced opportunities to showcase their talent and put their country in the international limelight. In 2013 they seemed particularly fixated on redeeming themselves after their disastrous outcome in 2009. Some of the players trained all winter to prepare for the WBC.
The Dominican Republic is known for its passion for baseball, which it considers its national pastime. Its fans are considered among the most rabid in the sport. A Mardi Gras-like atmosphere is typical at Dominican games. Singing, horn-playing, drum-beating, and flag-waving complement the fans’ cheering activities. The players seem to feed off their fans’ high energy.1
The country relished taking on the world in international competition. It was as though the Dominican Republic wanted to prove to the rest of the world that its players were among the most talented in professional baseball.
Manager Tony Peña, who was then the bench coach for the New York Yankees and had been named the American League Manager of the Year in 2003 with Kansas City, boasted a squad with 17 active major leaguers, two former major leaguers, and eight minor-league prospects. The position players included All-Stars Robinson Cano, Carlos Santana, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Nelson Cruz, Miguel Tejada, and Edwin Encarnacion.2
If the team had a weakness going into the tournament, it was perceived to be the starting pitching. Edinson Volquez and Wandy Rodriguez, who were middle-of-the-rotation pitchers on their major-league clubs, led a relatively inexperienced staff. However, the bullpen was strong with Santiago Casilla, Octavio Dotel, Kelvin Herrera, Fernando Rodney, and Pedro Strop.3
The Dominican Republic opened the tournament in the first-round Pool C, hosted by San Juan, Puerto Rico. Their opponents were Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Spain. The Dominicans won all three games and advanced, along with Puerto Rico.4
In the Pool 2 second round played in Miami, the Dominicans defeated Italy, the United States, and Puerto Rico again. The Dominican and Puerto Rican teams advanced to the semifinals.5
In the semifinal round, played in San Francisco, the unbeaten Dominicans defeated the Netherlands, 4-1, while Puerto Rico advanced to the finals by defeating Japan, the 2006 and 2009 champion.6
For the third time in the series, the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico, 3-0, in an all-Caribbean final game. On a cold, dreary night in San Francisco during which it rained for the final six innings, the Dominicans got out front in the first inning. Encarnacion doubled in two runs, with Reyes and Cano scoring. Erick Aybar drove in the Dominicans’ other run when he doubled in Alejandro de Aza in the fifth inning.7
Starter Samuel Deduno and four relievers shut down the Puerto Rican offense. They scattered three hit and four walks, but only three baserunners advanced past first base. Deduno gave up two hits in five innings, struck out five, and issued three walks.8
Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning to claim the save, his seventh of the tournament. The Dominican bullpen didn’t allow a run over 20⅔ innings during the last five games.9 Overall, the Dominican pitching staff allowed just 14 runs in eight games.
It was the second time the Dominican Republic shut out Puerto Rico – the first was a 2-0 whitewash in Miami – and became the first team to go undefeated in a WBC tournament. The Dominican pitching staff held the Puerto Rican lineup scoreless for the last 23 innings of their three contests.
After the final out, the Dominican and Puerto Rican teams stayed on the field to party together, setting off a wild celebration in the Dominican Republic. Cano and Puerto Rico’s Yadier Molina had agreed before the game that the teams would celebrate together regardless of which team won.10
Asked about how he would return to the normal spring-training routine with the Yankees, Cano said, “I’ll tell you one thing. Tonight, we’re gonna celebrate. Tomorrow, we’re going to celebrate. And Thursday, we’ll worry about spring training.”11 Because of the spring-training schedule, the Dominican champions didn’t have time to go back to Santo Domingo for a triumphal parade, as their fans had expected. Instead, a celebration was held for them after the regular major-league season, although it drew less attention by that time.
Reyes commented on his team’s accomplishment, “We have to understand this is the third Classic. Thank God we’re finally able to accomplish what everyone wanted and expected of the D.R., which was a trophy as champions. We did it all together.”12 His remarks reflected the redemption the Dominican team felt after their poor showing in 2009.
Cano was named the tournament MVP. He batted .469 with two home runs and six RBIs, including three hits in each of the first four games.13 He was named to the all-WBC team along with teammates Reyes and Rodney.14
Throughout the tournament the Dominican players celebrated on the field when their teammates excelled, although not in a way that provoked their opponents. They did the type of things you normally see with youth baseball teams, including chanting and singing in the dugout. Fernando Rodney was the keeper of a rally plantain used to spur their efforts in tight game situations. After the final out of the championship game, the Dominican players visited the Puerto Ricans’ dugout to exchange handshakes and hugs in a strong display of sportsmanship.15
The Dominican players’ behavior, with their passion and exuberance, pushed the limits of baseball traditionalists. Cano remarked about his team’s style of play, “It’s like you’re playing winter ball. You play your way and have fun, something you don’t do in the big leagues.”16
The Dominican Republic’s championship in 2013 showed the world what national pride looked like. Their passion spawned a return to national pride for the USA team in 2017, when more of the top-flight American players embraced roster spots and ultimately won their first-ever WBC title.
RICHARD CUICCHI joined SABR in 1983 and is an active member of the Schott-Pelican Chapter. Since his retirement as an information technology executive, Richard authored Family Ties: A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia about Baseball’s Relatives. He has contributed to numerous SABR BioProject and Games publications. He does freelance writing and blogging about a variety of baseball topics on his website TheTenthInning.com. Richard lives in New Orleans with his wife Mary.
Following are the line scores for the Dominican Republic’s eight 2013 WBC games:
March 7, 2013 Pool C
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Dominican Republic 9, Venezuela 3
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
VEN |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
3 |
6 |
1 |
|
DOM |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
x |
|
9 |
13 |
0 |
W: Strop (1-0). L: Sanchez (0-1).
March 9, 2013 Pool C
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Dominican Republic 6, Spain 3
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
DOM |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
6 |
9 |
1 |
|
ESP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
3 |
9 |
1 |
W: Deduno (1-0). L: Negrin (0-1). SV: Rodney (1).
March 10, 2013 Pool C
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Dominican Republic 4, Puerto Rico 2
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
DOM |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
4 |
12 |
1 |
|
PUR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2 |
7 |
2 |
W: Barcelo (1-0). L: Berrios (0-1). SV: Rodney (2).
March 12, 2013 Pool 2
Miami, Florida
Marlins Park
Dominican Republic 5, Italy 4
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
ITA |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
4 |
4 |
0 |
|
DOM |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
x |
|
5 |
10 |
0 |
W: Strop (1-0). L: Venditte (0-1). SV: Rodney (1).
March 14, 2013 Pool 2
Miami, Florida
Marlins Park
Dominican Republic 3, United States 1
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
DOM |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
3 |
9 |
1 |
|
USA |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
6 |
1 |
W: Strop (2). L: Kimbrel (0-1). SV: Rodney (2).
March 16, 2013 Pool 2
Miami, Florida
Marlins Park
Dominican Republic 2, Puerto Rico 0
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
PUR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
DOM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
x |
|
2 |
6 |
1 |
W: Rodriguez (1-0). L: Roman (0-1). SV: Rodney (3).
March 18, 2013 Semifinals
San Francisco, California
AT&T Park
Dominican Republic 4, Netherlands 1
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
NED |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
4 |
1 |
|
DOM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
x |
|
4 |
9 |
0 |
W: Volquez (1-0). L: Markwell (0-1). SV: Rodney (1).
March 19, 2013 Final
San Francisco, California
AT&T Park
Dominican Republic 3, Puerto Rico 0
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
|
PUR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
DOM |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
x |
|
3 |
8 |
1 |
W: Deduno (1-0). L: Alvarado (0-1). SV: Rodney (1).
Sources
In addition to the sources cited in the Notes below, the author also consulted:
David, Craig. “National Pride at Stake as World Baseball Classic Returns to Miami,” Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), March 7, 2017. sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-marlins/fl-sp-world-baseball-classic-overview-20170307-story.html. Accessed June 20, 2018.
Thanks to Julio Rodriguez for his perspective.
Full box scores for Dominican games
- March 7, 2013
- March 9, 2013
- March 10, 2013
- March 12, 2013
- March 14, 2013
- March 16, 2013
- March 18, 2013
- March 19, 2013
Notes
1 Matt Whitener. “The Dominican Republic, Pride and Its Will on the World,” The Sports Fan Journal, March 15, 2013. thesportsfanjournal.com/sports/baseball/dominican-republic-and-the-love-of-the-game/. Accessed June 20, 2018.
2 Rick Weiner. “Dominican Report World Baseball Classic 2013: Schedule, Roster, and Predictions,” Bleacher Report. bleacherreport.com/articles/1552567-dominican-republic-world-baseball-classic-2013-schedule-roster-and-predictions. Accessed June 20, 2018.
3 Weiner.
4 “World Baseball Classic Results,” The Sporting News, March 19, 2013. sportingnews.com/mlb/news/4481866-world-baseball-classic-2013-results-scores-tv-schedule-pool-standings. Accessed June 20, 2018.
5 “World Baseball Classic Results.”
6 “World Baseball Classic Results.”
7 Ben Martin, “Dominican Republic Completes Perfect Run to Claim WBC Title,” San Francisco Examiner, March 19, 2013. sfexaminer.com/dominican-republic-completes-perfect-run-to-claim-wbc-title/. Accessed June 20, 2018.
8 Martin.
9 Martin.
10 Bill Shaikin. “Dodgers’ Ramirez Is Hurt in WBC Final,” Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2013: C3.
11 Martin.
12 Martin.
13 Phil Rogers. “Cano Simply 2nd to None,” Chicago Tribune, March 20. 2012: 3:2.
14 Associated Press via San Francisco Examiner, March 30, 2013. sfexaminer.com/cano-reyes-rodney-and-wright-make-all-wbc-team/. Accessed June 20, 2018.
15 Tom Verducci, “Dominicans Win WBC, Help Set Sportsmanship Standard,” Sports Illustrated, March 20, 2013. si.com/mlb/2013/03/20/verducci-wbc-final. Accessed June 20, 2018.
16 Rogers.