Con Las Bases Llenas Podcast de Beisbol · Alfredo Alvarez

Arrancan los Cuartos del WBC ⚾ USA favorito | Dominicana vs Corea

March 13, 2026·55 min·4 clips

Why did Team USA reinforce with pitchers like Will Vest and Tim Hill instead of bigger stars for the WBC?

1. Alfred Álvarez and Carlos Parra Machado host a WBC quarterfinals preview on Baseball News, covering all four matchups starting March 13, 2026. 2. Alfred Álvarez is described as the lead host of the Baseball News daily show; Carlos Parra Machado contributes analysis and predictions from on-site WBC coverage in Miami. 3. The episode's central question is which four teams will advance from eight to the semifinals, and whether any upsets will occur. 4. USA-Canada kicks off today at 8pm with Logan Webb starting for the USA and Michael Soroka starting for Canada; both pitchers previously appeared in the Classic. 5. In Webb's WBC debut against Brazil, the Giants starter threw 4 innings, allowed 1 run, walked no batters, and struck out 6; Soroka went 3 innings against Colombia allowing 4 hits and 1 run with 2 strikeouts. 6. Alfred details Canada's bullpen statistical performance: 9 individual relievers combined to allow only 2 earned runs in the entire group phase, putting Canada second among all 20 teams with a 1.50 ERA. 7. Canada is reaching the WBC quarterfinals for the first time in six tournament editions, having previously been eliminated in the group stage every time. 8. The Korea-Dominican Republic quarterfinal starts at 6:30pm, with Christopher Sánchez opening for the Dominican Republic despite his rough debut against Nicaragua (1⅓ innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs). 9. Korea's opener Hyunjin Ryu is 39 years old and has not played in MLB since 2024, though he pitched 3 efficient innings against Chinese Taipei in the group stage. 10. Alfred argues that Dominican Republic is the most dangerous offensive team of the 20 entries, leading the tournament with a .313 batting average, 13 home runs, and 41 runs scored. 11. Korea's offensive lineup is described as thin outside of Yun Moon, who is batting .538 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI; the second-best hitter is batting .333 while most starters are under .250. 12. Both hosts predict Italy will defeat Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, with Carlos noting he made this prediction before the tournament began; Alfred agrees and says Italy is the tournament's biggest story. 13. Italian roster players named as genuine MLB talent include Cayne Upton (batting .375 in the Classic), Jon Vertig (.416 in the tournament), Dante Nori (46 RBI in triple-A in 2025), and Dean Kremer. 14. Carlos mentions that Italy's manager Francisco Cervelli is Venezuelan and that most of Italy's roster was born in the United States, prompting debate about whether they represent a genuine Italian team. 15. For Venezuela-Japan, Carlos names Yoshinobu Yamamoto as an extraordinary pitcher who won the 2025 World Series MVP, but notes his WBC debut against San Diego was poor (allowed runs in the Korea-based opener). 16. The Salvador Pérez controversy is discussed: some fans criticized Venezuela manager Omar López for not using Pérez as a batter in a key situation, though both hosts defend Pérez as Venezuela's soul and best offensive catcher. 17. The hosts' predictions for the quarterfinals: Dominican Republic beats Korea; USA beats Canada; Italy beats Puerto Rico; Japan beats Venezuela — leading to a predicted Dominican Republic vs. Japan final, which Carlos expects Dominican to win. 18. The tone is analytical and lightly banter-driven, with Alfred providing detailed statistics and Carlos offering broader narrative context and emotional engagement with audience comments. 19. Spanish-speaking WBC viewers, Venezuelan and Dominican baseball fans, and listeners following the 2026 MLB season build-up will find this most valuable. 20. Listeners who prefer concise game summaries or post-game analysis will find the pregame preview format less useful.

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