Dominican Republic pitcher Sandy Alcantara (7) walks off the field after the second inning during the World Baseball Classic against Venezuela at loanDept park on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
Sandy Alcantara wasn’t thinking about revenge, per se.
But validation? That was definitely on his mind.
Alcantara struggled in his World Baseball Classic debut three years ago for his native Dominican Republic, which didn’t advance out of pool play that year.
He wanted to do better this time around.
He wanted his team to do better this time around.
“We are focused on this goal,” Alcantara said, “which is to win.”
Mission accomplished on that front.
The production from the Miami Marlins’ ace individually on Wednesday was about the same as what he did three years ago.
The end result, though? Much better.
Alcantara threw three innings on Wednesday for the Dominican Republic, holding Venezuela to three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three.
Those aren’t numbers Alcantara, three seasons removed from winning a Cy Young Award and one season removed from the one he missed after undergoing Tommy John surgery, will be particularly pleased with.
“My performance today was not my best,” Alcantara said.
But what he will be pleased with? It was enough to help the Dominican Republic win.
Alcantara received plenty of support from his lineup in the form of four home runs and six strong innings from the bullpen tossed in a 7-5 win at Miami’s loanDepot park as the Dominican Republic went a perfect 4-0 in pool play.
For that, Alcantara will take solace.
He will also take solace in the fact that he will most likely be able to pitch again should the Dominican Republic keep advancing as it pushes for its second-ever World Baseball Classic championship and first since 2013.
While there’s no guarantee Alcantara will start another game for the DR in the tournament, which next plays against Korea in the quarterfinals on Friday (6:30 p.m., FS2), he said he plans to be available in whatever capacity his country might need him throughout the remainder of the tournament.
“I’ll be available to start or relieve, you name it,” Alcantara said. “We are here for one cause, to represent our country, the Dominican Republic. … I’m here.”
Dominican Republic pitcher Sandy Alcantara (7) pitches in the second inning against Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic at loanDept park on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
On Wednesday, Alcantara threw 44 pitches, 28 of which went for strikes. He ran into trouble in two of his three innings of work but was mostly able to minimize the damage.
Alcantara began the game with a first-pitch groundout to Ronald Acuna Jr. before allowing the next three hitters to reach base on a Maikel Garcia infield single, Luis Arraez walk and Willson Contreras RBI single that cut the Dominican Republic’s early lead to 2-1 — Juan Soto hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to give the DR an early cushion.
After a scoreless second inning by Alcantara, during which he erased a Wilyer Abreu leadoff single by striking out Ezequiel Tovar and getting Jackson Chourio to hit into an inning-ending double play, the DR padded its lead with solo home runs from Ketel Marte and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the top of the third.
Alcantara then faced trouble once more in the third. Acuna walked on five pitches to lead off the inning and then stole second. Garcia and Arraez followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to cut the Dominican Republic’s lead to one run, 4-3. Alcantara settled in from there to retire his final three batters — striking out Willson Contreras and then getting consecutive groundouts against Salvador Perez and William Contreras.
“This is not the first time that I’m in trouble,” Alcantara said, “I have faith. I know how to control myself. I trust my pitches. They were very aggressive in that situation. I was not consistent attacking the strike zone, but I believed in myself, and we were able to solve that problem.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. then bolstered the Dominican Republic’s lead with a three-run home run in the fourth and the bullpen held Venezuela off the board for five consecutive innings until a ninth-inning comeback bid fell short.
Three years ago in his first World Baseball Classic appearance, Alcantara gave up three runs on five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings in an eventual 5-1 loss to Venezuela to open pool play. Alcantara lamented not being able to do more for his country that night, especially given the magnitude of the moment. He entered that tournament coming off his Cy Young season with the Marlins and was set to be his country’s ace.
They didn’t advance out of pool play.
While Alcantara was far from perfect in his second WBC appearance, his team was successful on Wednesday.
“The game was very good, and the fans enjoyed it,” Alcantara said. “In the previous Classic, we did our best. We didn’t win, but it was a beautiful experience.
“But today, we won the battle.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 12:40 AM.
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.