Through two games of pool play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, there arguably hasn't been a more dominant team than the Dominican Republic. They have outscored their opponents by a total of 20 runs through two games after taking Netherlands to the woodshed on Sunday, destroying them, 12-1.
They wasted no time establishing themselves as the superior ballplayers, as they went out to a 2-0 lead already by the end of the top of the first inning. By the time the fifth inning came along, Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero extended Dominican Republic's lead to 7-1 with a monster three-run home run that came off his bat at 115.8 miles per hour and went out of the park at 424 feet from home plate.
There was no surprise that Caminero would come back to haunt Netherlands considering how, in the third inning, he was hit by a pitch. This did not sit well with Caminero. But one of the most accomplished players of the squad, Toronto Blue Jays talisman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., reeled Caminero in — much to his delight.
“With Caminero, I told him straight up, just go have fun out there. Obviously he got hit by a pitch, and you know how it goes when you get plunked, you wanna respond with a homer. So I leaned to the guy next to me and said, watch, I think this dude’s about to send one out. And right then, he hits a laser,” Guerrero said, via @Masterflip_ on X (formerly Twitter).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr on Junior Caminero’s blast;
“First off, this has nothing to do with Japan, this is just a shirt, and those who know about brands, know.
That said, with Caminero, I told him straight up, just go have fun out there. Obviously he got hit by a pitch, and you… pic.twitter.com/4wayXyz7F5
— Master Flip 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) March 8, 2026
Dominican Republic is gunning for the 2026 World Baseball Classic crown
The squad the DR is fielding in this year's World Baseball Classic is one of the most stacked in recent memory, and not too many people are surprised that they've played this well in the first two games of pool play.
Team USA and Japan may be the most vaunted teams in the competition, but Dominican Republic deserves the same level of praise especially for how they've begun life in the 2026 WBC.
