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“The Most Overrated Team Ever”: Fans Bash Dominican Republic’s Baseball Team After Suffering a Shock First Round Exit From the 2023 World Baseball Classic

Published 03/16/2023, 7:14 AM EDT

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The World Baseball Classic has seen some fantastic power plays so far, with the status of relatively powerful teams upended. With MLB players lending their strength to different countries, watching baseball play out with different match-ups has been exciting. But there have been as many upsets as wins, too. The Dominican Republic, which was among one of the strongest teams, just lost to Puerto Rico.

With names like Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Nelson Cruz, the DR seemed unstoppable at first. But in the third inning, things went awry for them as Puerto Rico jumped back. It was baseball at its finest, and fans were excited. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t also turn out to be a disappointing game. The Dominican Republic team was more powerful than it has been in previous years. And yet, they’re stepping away after just four games.

Fans are enraged at the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic loss

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Safe to say, most people weren’t happy. While some did think it was an honorable loss to a stronger team, some fans can’t help but not feel happy with the players. Talkin’ Baseball even posted the team’s picture with the caption, “Most disappointing baseball team ever?”

Some Twitter users came to their defense.

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One fan couldn’t help but feel the glaring absence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had to bow out because of an injury.

Some are excited to see Machado and Soto back in San Diego.

Even though many were disappointed, it was a genuinely great time for baseball lovers.

Puerto Rico may have won the game but lost a player

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As the team celebrated their victory, Edwin Diaz had to be taken off the field in a wheelchair due to an injury. PR’s center fielder Kike Hernandez told MLB.com the situation at the clubhouse, “Quiet. As excited as we were about the game and all, it’s one of our brothers and some of us grew together and all that.… It definitely doesn’t feel like we just beat the Dominican Republic to advance.”

Diaz’s teammates watched him being led off the field with their hands over their heads, disbelief, and worry written over their faces. The brother of the Mets player, Alexis Diaz, and Francisco Lindor, were among the many concerned faces, with the younger Diaz in tears.

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Written by:

Arunima Bhanot

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Arunima Bhanot is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. Having earned an English literature degree from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Arunima has always been interested in writing. She's a fan of archery and was the captain of her college team for two years running. She's an avid reader who also loves photography and travel, and you can find her talking constantly about books and anime on her Instagram!
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar