Fernando Tatis Jr. rose to the occasion — and delivered a bat flip as epic as the home run he hit.
The Padres star crushed a three-run home run in the fourth inning Wednesday for the Dominican Republic that put them ahead by four runs over Venezuela, and right after he sent the ball flying over the left field fence, he flipped his bat at the end of his follow through in one smooth motion that matched the energy of the raucous crowd in Miami.
The Dominican Republic went on to win, 7-5, to finish group play 4-0, and they will play Korea in the quarterfinals Friday in Miami.
Tatis, 27, went 6-for-13 with two homers, nine RBIs, six runs, five walks and three strikeouts across the four pool-play games, all while playing with a flair that has been infectious throughout the Dominican roster.
Mets star Juan Soto delivered a bat flip of his own after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning Wednesday.
Soto and Tatis Jr. are part of a stacked Dominican lineup that also includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Julio Rodriguez and Austin Wells.
Should the Dominican Republic defeat Korea Friday in Miami, they could face the United States on Sunday night in the semifinals if Team USA defeats Canada Friday in Houston.
Victory cannot be assumed for the U.S. after their disastrous loss to Italy on Tuesday left their fate hanging in the balance during Wednesday’s Italy-Mexico clash.
Italy’s win put the Americans through to the quarters.
The quarterfinals on the other side of the bracket, Japan vs. Venezuela and Italy vs. Puerto Rico, will take place Saturday.
The first semifinal will be Sunday, the second on Monday and the WBC championship game will take place Tuesday.
