Robinson Cano drove in three runs and Jose Reyes had four hits as the Dominican Republic beat Venezuela 9-3 in their World Baseball Classic opener last night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“I think these men are on a mission,” Dominican Republic manager Tony Pena said. “They’re on a mission, and they don’t want to waste a moment.”
In the first game of Group C play, Hanley Ramirez hit a long home run and Cano went 3 for 5 with two doubles to help the Dominicans get off to a strong start in a first-round pool that also includes Puerto Rico and Spain.
Venezuela slugger Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4 with a walk and stranded three runners in a game that took three hours, 55 minutes — not including a 50-minute rain delay.
“He’s human,” Venezuela manager Luis Sojo said of Cabrera. “Baseball is an unpredictable game.’’
In other games, the Netherlands was a 6-2 winner over Cuba in Tokyo and Italy downed Mexico 6-5 in Scottsdale, Ariz.