This was one of the funnest baseball games I've seen in years. One team, the Netherlands, comprised of minor leaguers and a few players who aren't even good enough to get out of the Dutch League (which is hilariously called the Honkbal Hoofdklasse). The Dominicans, on the other hand, had All-Stars, not just Major Leaguers.
Now I'm not a huge fan of the World Baseball Classic. It comes at a horrible time (who isn't thinking about basketball these days), the pitchers are on pitch-counts, and the format is annoyingly complicated and difficult to follow.
Anyway, in 11 innings, the Dutch beat the Dominicans 2-1. It had been 0-0 going into the 11th, but Jose Bautista knocked in Jose Reyes with a triple in the top of the inning. In the bottom, Carlos Mormol of the Cubs gave up a leadoff double to Sidney de Jong of Honkbalclub Allen Weerbaar (that's his team). De Jong eventually scored on a bloop single by Gene Kingsale of Neptunus Rotterdam. After a wild pickoff attempt, Kingsale scored on an error when Yurendell de Caster bounced a ball down the first base line.
Greatest upset ever? No. But for 2009, this will be a tough one to top. Especially since the Netherlands beat the Dominican TWICE.
-The Commodore
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