Puerto Rico faced off against Israel Monday night in their 3rd game of pool play. They needed only eight innings to do it. Puerto Rico threw a combined walk-off perfect game, the first in World Baseball Classic history, in beating Israel 10-0 in their Pool D game Monday at loanDepot Park in Miami. Puerto Rico used three pitchers after José De León matched a WBC record in his start, and the team ended the game by hitting the mercy rule with a Kiké Hernández walk-off single in the eighth inning.
It is definitely weird to hear an 8th inning walk off win, but this is the WBC, where the pitch clock doesn't exist, the shift still exists, and you can mercy an opponent like you're in little league.
De León struck out 10 through almost six innings to get the night started. That matched Puerto Rico’s strikeout record and the record for strikeouts in a World Baseball Classic game. He hit his first-round pitch-count limit with one out in the fifth inning. While that was going on, Puerto Rico had no issue at the plate. They jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings off doubles from Javier Báez, Eddie Rosario and Hernández, as well as a triple from Emmanuel Rivera. They then pushed it to a nine-run game in the fifth when Francisco Lindor hit a three-run triple deep into right field.
After pulling De León late in the fifth, Puerto Rico turned to Yacksel Rios, Edwin Diaz and Duane Underwood to get through eight innings clean. That set up Hernández’s final single of the night, which hit the run rule and ended the game an inning early. The game was officially announced as a no-hitter, as the game didn't reach a full nine innings. It was also the first game without a hit in the event since 2006, the first year of the tournament. Puerto Rico now sits 2-1 in Pool D, just a half-game behind Venezuela. They play again Wednesday against the Dominican Republic, who sit 1-1 ahead of their game with Israel on Tuesday.
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