Ozzie Albies delivered a dramatic walk-off moment for the Netherlands at the World Baseball Classic, crushing a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat Nicaragua 4-3. The Braves star connected on the first pitch from reliever Angel Obando, capping a two-out rally that began with Ceddanne Rafaela's single and Xander Bogaerts' double.
Jeter Downs had put Nicaragua ahead with a two-run homer in the eighth off Netherlands reliever Lars Huijer, but Albies' heroics turned the game around. The Netherlands had struggled offensively, stranding 14 base runners and going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position before the dramatic finish. Rafaela, Bogaerts, and Druw Jones each contributed two hits for the Dutch team.
The victory improves the Netherlands to 1-1 in Group D play, while Nicaragua falls to 0-2 in the tournament. Erasmo Ramirez started for Nicaragua, hitting Albies with the bases loaded in the third for a 1-0 Netherlands lead. Jaitoine Kelly threw two scoreless innings for the Dutch in relief.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing