MIAMI – Dominican pitcher Cristopher Sánchez etched his name in baseball history books on Friday night. During the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Sánchez achieved a rare feat: striking out four batters in a single inning, during the game between the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua held at loanDepot park in Miami. The Dominican left-hander started the game by striking out the first Nicaraguan batter, Chase Dawson, although he managed to get on base due to a wild pitch. Nicaragua’s offense capitalized on the situation, stringing together consecutive hits from Benjamín Alegría and Ismael Munguía, added to a walk given to Mark Vientos, which congested the bases with no outs and gave them an initial lead. Faced with this situation, Sánchez showed composure and control. The Philadelphia Phillies’ opener struck out the following three batters: Omar Mendoza, Emanuel Trujillo, and Melvin Novoa.
The exciting episode marked the beginning of an intense encounter between both teams, witnessed by a crowd of fans in Miami. Despite his historic performance, Sánchez’s participation in the mound was limited. The Dominican pitcher left the game after only 1.1 innings, in which he allowed two earned runs and six hits.With this outstanding performance, Sánchez became the first pitcher in the history of the World Baseball Classic to achieve a four-strikeout inning, a rarity that occurs when a batter reaches base after an uncaught third strike.
Alofoke Deportes
