South Korea absorbed a 10-0 loss to the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Friday, as its first trip to the knockout stage lasted just one game.
The Dominican Republic scored three times in the second and four more times in the third at loanDepot park in Miami, while South Korea managed just two hits.
The game was called with two outs in the bottom of the seventh when Austin Wells launched a three-run homer off So Hyeong-jun to put the Dominicans up by 10. Under the WBC rules, a game is terminated when a team is up by 15 runs after five innings or 10 runs after seven innings.
South Korea starter Ryu Hyun-jin allowed three runs on three hits in just 1 2/3 innings. His counterpart, Cristopher Sanchez, limited the opponent to two hits and struck out eight over five scoreless frames.
Ryu worked a scoreless opening frame before unraveling in the second inning.
After issuing a leadoff walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ryu gave up a one-out double to Junior Caminero. With Guerrero chugging home, shortstop Kim Ju-won's relay throw was off line and pulled catcher Park Dong-won away from the plate, allowing the runner to slide home safely for the Dominican Republic's first run.
Caminero advanced to third on the play and scored on a groundout by Julio Rodriguez.
Ryu then walked Agustin Ramirez, who later scored to make it a 3-0 game on a base knock by Fernando Tatis Jr.
The single knocked Ryu out of the game.
The Dominicans tacked on four more runs in the third inning against three relievers, with Noh Kyung-eun surrendering an RBI double to Guerrero and then Manny Machado greeting new pitcher Park Yeong-hyun with a run-scoring single.
Gwak Been came on to strike out Ramirez before walking three straight batters to push in two more runs for a 7-0 Dominican lead.
South Korea didn't get its first hit off Sanchez until the fourth inning, when Jahmai Jones led off with a single. But then Lee Jung-hoo bounced a comebacker to Sanchez, who started a 1-6-3 double play.
Lee appeared to beat the throw at first base, but South Korea had already used its challenge in the previous inning.
South Korea silenced the Dominican bats for three innings, beginning in the bottom of the fourth, as relievers Ko Young-pyo, Jo Byeong-hyeon and Go Woo-suk each threw a perfect inning.
However, the bats didn't provide any support, as they went down in order in the fifth and again in the sixth.
Lee Jung-hoo reached on a throwing error by Machado at third to begin the seventh, but then cleanup Ahn Hyun-min struck out before Moon Bo-gyeong bounced into a double play.
Wells, who had replaced Agustin Ramirez behind the plate to begin the seventh, then ended the game on a mercy rule in the bottom of the inning by jumping on So's first-pitch cutter.
The Dominicans outhit South Korea 9-2. Sanchez and reliever Albert Abreu combined to strike out 11 South Korean batters and walked only one. South Korean pitchers, on the other hand, issued six walks. (Yonhap)
