World Baseball Classic: Austin Wells stars as Dominicans rout South Korea to enter semis

The Dominican Republic continued its unbeaten march through the World Baseball Classic (WBC) with a commanding 10-0 victory over South Korea on Friday, sealing a place in the semi-finals in emphatic fashion. The game ended after seven innings under the tournament’s mercy rule, and Austin Wells delivered the final punch. Facing South Korea reliever So Hyeong-jun, Wells smashed the only pitch he saw over the right-field wall for a three-run homer, stretching the lead to 10 and bringing the contest to an immediate close.


It was another statement performance from a Dominican lineup that has been the most explosive in the tournament. Through five games, the Dominicans have piled up 51 runs, averaging more than 10 per game, while also leading the competition with 14 home runs. Their powerful batting order once again proved too much for an overmatched Korean side that had reached the knockout stage for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2009.



The Dominican charge was built on both power and precision. On the mound, ace left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, runner-up for the 2025 National League Cy Young Award with the Philadelphia Phillies, delivered five scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, struck out eight batters and never allowed Korea any rhythm at the plate.


At the same time, the Dominican hitters quickly took control. They opened a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked and later scored on a double by Junior Caminero. Caminero came home on a Julio Rodríguez groundout, and Agustín Ramírez added another run after Fernando Tatis Jr. singled.

The pressure stayed on in the third inning. Juan Soto singled and scored on Guerrero’s double to center after slipping past a tag attempt at home plate. Guerrero then scored on a Manny Machado single. Later, Caminero singled again before walks to Geraldo Perdomo, Tatis and Ketel Marte forced in two more runs, giving the Dominicans a 7-0 cushion and setting up Wells’ game-ending blast.