Korean batters stymied by Dominican pitching

Kim Hye-seong of Korea reacts after striking out against Cristopher Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic at loanDepot park in Miami, Friday (local time). Yonhap

MIAMI — As their pitchers kept getting punched around, Korean hitters failed to mount much of a response as the team suffered a deflating loss to the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), Friday.

Korea managed just two hits in a 10-0 loss at loanDepot park in Miami, where the game was called in the seventh inning on a mercy rule. Per WBC regulations, a game can terminate early when a team takes a 15-run lead after five innings or a 10-run lead after seven innings.

And this game seemed destined for an early finish as the Dominicans jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings, and Korea had no answer against starter Cristopher Sanchez.

Korea was held hitless through the first three innings against Sanchez, the runner-up in the National League Cy Young Award voting last year. Park Dong-won's third-inning walk was the only base runner for Korea over that span.

Relying on his devastating sinker-changeup mix, Sanchez struck out eight batters and induced six groundouts over five shutout innings. The left-hander struck out the last four batters he faced before handing things over to Albert Abreu to begin the sixth inning.

With the Dominicans leading 7-0, Jahmai Jones opened the top of the fourth inning with a single for Korea's first hit. But he was quickly erased on a double play ball by Lee Jung-hoo.

Replays showed Lee beat the throw from shortstop Geraldo Perdomo at first base, but Korea didn't have a challenge left. Korea had already used its lone opportunity in the bottom of the third to review Juan Soto's slide at the plate and lost that challenge when the initial safe call was not overturned.

Ahn Hyun-min hit a double to keep the inning going, but then Moon Bo-gyeong struck out to end the rally.

Sanchez then struck out the side in the fifth inning to keep Korea off the board.

Korea couldn't get to Abreu, either. The right-handed reliever struck out two batters in the scoreless sixth and then induced an inning-ending double play ball off the bat of Moon Bo-gyeong, the tournament RBI leader with 11, in the seventh.

Against Sanchez and Abreu, the only two Korean balls that left the infield were the two hits in the fourth inning.