Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez made the first batter of his World Baseball Classic debut swing and miss at a third strike, but the ball skirted away from catcher Austin Wells and allowed Chase Dawson to reach first base. It was that kind of night for Sánchez, who struggled against Nicaragua in his first opportunity on this international stage.
Sánchez allowed three runs (two earned) in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters in the top of the first inning, but still gave up a run. He didn’t get rocked, but he surrendered six base hits. Despite the ace’s lackluster outing, the Dominican Republic still downed Nicaragua, 12-3, in Pool D play on Friday night at Miami’s loanDepot Park.