A pair of Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitchers fueled the Dominican Republic to a one-hitter in a 10-0 mercy-rule win over Israel on Tuesday in the World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Starter Roansy Contreras allowed one hit and recorded four strikeouts in throwing 28 of his 41 pitches for strikes in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Luis Ortiz didn’t give up a hit while fanning three in throwing 16 of his 21 pitches for strikes in two scoreless innings of relief. Four Dominican pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts in the seven-inning shutout.
Nuestro abridor Roansy Contreras ponchó a 4 bateadores en tan solo 2.2 entradas. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/V5a7Vn68CC
— MLB Dominicana (@MLBDominicana) March 15, 2023
Throwing fire.
Luis Ortiz made his #WorldBaseballClassic debut for the Dominican Republic. ???????? pic.twitter.com/7Y3d78JsbK
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) March 15, 2023
Contreras, 23, was 5-5 with a 3.79 in 21 appearances, including 18 starts, for the Pirates last season. The 24-year-old Ortiz, who made four starts last year, was added to the Dominican roster last week after Pirates lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia withdrew because of left arm soreness.
It marked the second consecutive game that Israel lost by mercy rule, as it failed to have a batter reach base Monday night in a 10-0 eight-inning loss to Puerto Rico. The victory sets up a winner-take-all matchup in Pool D play Wednesday between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, which features Pirates reliever Duane Underwood Jr.
