The Dominican Republic delivered another dominant performance Monday, defeating Israel 10–1 at loanDepot Park in Miami to clinch a spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. The victory improved the Dominican squad to a perfect 3–0 record in Pool D and officially secured advancement alongside Venezuela as the tournament moves toward the knockout stage.

Fernando Tatis Jr. powered the offensive surge with a historic moment in the second inning. Facing Israeli starter Ryan Prager with the bases loaded, Tatis launched a towering 400-foot grand slam to left field. The blast marked the first grand slam ever hit by a Dominican player in World Baseball Classic history and helped spark a five-run inning that put the game out of reach early.

Tatis finished the game with six RBIs, tying for the second-most in a single game in tournament history. The Dominican lineup continued to pile on runs throughout the afternoon, including a 400-foot solo homer from Oneil Cruz and late scoring contributions from Jose Ramirez and Luis Gonzalez. On the mound, Brayan Bello dominated across five innings, allowing only one hit—a fourth-inning solo home run by Spencer Horwitz—while striking out seven.

The moment quickly went viral on social media. The World Baseball Classic took to its official X, formerly Twitter, account and posted a video capturing the towering blast with a caption that read the following.

“GRAND SLAM

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Fernando Tatis Jr. has entered the chat in a BIG way!”

The performance capped an explosive start to the tournament for the Dominican Republic. Managed by Albert Pujols, the team has outscored opponents 34–5 through its first three games. The run began with a 12–3 victory over Nicaragua on March 6, followed by a 12–1 mercy-rule win vs. the Netherlands on Sunday.

The Dominican Republic, having already secured Pool D for the knockout stage, will now face Venezuela on Wednesday to determine the group winner. That result will decide their quarterfinal matchup, with the winner slated to face South Korea and the runner-up set for a highly anticipated showdown vs. Japan.