7:49 AM UTC
The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua will be fighting for their tournament lives in a meeting that resembles David vs. Goliath.
Nicaragua came into this tournament with nothing to lose, often saying just qualifying for the 2023 World Baseball Classic was a success for the Central American country. The Dominicans, on the other hand, came into the tournament as co-favorites with Team USA.
But after a 5-1 loss to Venezuela in its first game, the Dominican Republic looks to get back on track against a Nicaraguan group that is trying to pull off one of the biggest upsets in international history.
Here’s what you need to know about Monday afternoon’s matchup:
How can you watch: The game is live on FS2. Games are available on FOX, FS1, FS2, Tubi or FOX Deportes, and every game can be streamed online in the FOX Sports App. For international viewing options, click here.
How can you listen: Live audio coverage of all games will be carried on Sirius XM, TuneIn, MLB.com and in the MLB App.
What’s at stake: The 20 teams have been placed in four pools of five teams for the first round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Each team plays the others in its pool once each and the teams with the two best records in each pool at the end of this round advance to the knockout stage. The Dominican Republic comes in with an 0-1 record while Nicaragua is still looking for its first win after dropping its first two games of the tournament. The other teams in Pool D are Israel, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Matchup history: This will be the first time the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua face off in the World Baseball Classic.
Juan Soto, OF: Soto was one of the few hitters who showed up in the Dominicans’ first game, going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.
Juan Montes, OF: Through two games, Montes has been Nicaragua’s most consistent hitter, posting a .286 average and recording a hit in each of the two games.
