The Dominican Republic absolutely steamrolled Korea to punch their ticket to the WBC semifinals. And a big part of that dominance came from Yankees catcher Austin Wells.

If you remember, last season wasn’t anything spectacular for Wells, as he finished with just 13 HRs. But in the WBC quarterfinal, he just gave everyone a glimpse of what he might bring this year. In the seventh inning, Wells launched a towering three-run shot that basically slammed the door on Korea, putting the game out of reach and sealing the win for the Dominican Republic.

“AUSTIN WELLS MERCY RULE WALK-OFF 3 RUN HOMER!” SNY shared via X.

Notably, Wells made the most of his only opportunity against South Korea’s So Hyeong-jun, crushing the very first pitch he saw over the right-field wall for a three-run rocket with two outs in the seventh. Result? With the win, the Dominicans, arguably the most explosive offense in the tournament, move on to the semifinals in Miami.

Now, apart from Austin Wells, it was an all-around show by the Dominican Republic. They jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the second inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked and came around to score on a double from Junior Caminero. Next, Caminero later crossed the plate on a Julio Rodríguez groundout. Then Agustín Ramírez drew a walk, moved to second on a Geraldo Perdomo single, and scored on a base hit from Fernando Tatis Jr.

Still, they kept piling on in the third. Juan Soto singled and later scored on Guerrero’s double to center, slipping past a tag attempt at the plate. Guerrero then moved to third and scored on a Manny Machado single. Caminero added another hit, and walks to Perdomo, Tatis, and Ketel Marte forced in two more runs, stretching the lead to 7–0.

Thus, by the time Wells stepped up later in the game, the stage was already set, and his towering three-run shot simply put the stop sign on a dominant all-around offensive performance. What’s more, the domination not only routed Korea but also forced them to end the game by mercy rule.

Well’s blast pushed the Dominican Republic ahead by 10 runs by the seventh inning, triggering the tournament’s mercy rule. It closes the game early if a team leads by 10 or more after seven innings.

Austin Wells is just another American shining in the Dominican colors

Considering how Austin Wells is riding high with the Dominican Republic, could it be a regret for Team USA? Probably because Wells was born and brought up in the US, and was just playing for the Dominican side by the WBC rules.

So, it’s mainly due to Austin Well’s family connection with the Dominican Republic. Well’s mother, Michelle Fernandez, has Dominican descent, and that makes him eligible to represent them in the WBC. Remember how Jazz Chisholm represented Great Britain in the WBC?

Now, just as Austin Wells forcing mercy rule in the quarterfinals, surely Team USA is missing him. Team USA’s struggle to score runs against Italy, and currently leading 5- 3 in their semifinal game against Canada, would make them feel more about Wells. However, above all these, it’s the Yankees who would have the last laugh.

Their starting catcher is riding high in the WBC, and if anything, this could be a hint at what the Yankees could expect from Austin Wells this year.