Ozzie Albies made history for the Netherlands on Saturday.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and down two against Nicaragua, Albies blasted a walk-off three-run homer to give the Netherlands a 4-3 win in pool play.
Albies’ shot marked the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history. There has been 10 walk-off hits in the tournament’s history, which began in 2006.
Saturday’s win gave the Netherlands at a 1-1 record, with games against the Dominican Republic and Israel remaining in Group D pool play.
Prior to Albies’ homer, the Netherlands stranded 14 baserunners and was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, with Ceddanne Rafaela, Druw Jones and Xander Bogaerts each recording two hits.
“I just needed a hit to keep the rally going or tie the game because we have speed on the bases. I said if he brings his best pitches, the fastball, I’ve got to put my best swing on it,” Albies told reporters following the win, according to CBS Sports. “The moment I hit it — you know, when you swing and miss, you don’t touch the ball, I felt just like that.
“It hit the perfect spot on the bat so I was really happy it happened at the right time.”
Albies would not have even had the chance to hit if it weren’t for a lucky bounce on a grounder Bogaerts hit the at bat prior.
“Better to be lucky, you know?” Bogaerts said about his grounder which hit the third base bag. “It wasn’t looking good for us. It wasn’t. But a couple of guys in the lineup we have, you know who they are, and we have experience, and proved it today, and it was vital today.”
The loss is heartbreaking for Nicaragua, who still has yet to record a win at the WBC, holding an 0-6 record while getting outscored 38-10 in the tournament.
“You have no choice,” Nicaragua manager Dusty Baker said when asked how you move on after the loss. “It was a crushing defeat, not only for us but for the whole country of Nicaragua.
“You’ve got to lick your wounds and then come back tomorrow.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
