The Athletics do not have a game that counts yet, but Las Vegas still has skin in the World Baseball Classic.
As of March 13, five A’s players are still playing on the tournament’s biggest stage. Puerto Rico’s Darell Hernaiz and Carlos Cortes, Canada’s Denzel Clarke and the Dominican Republic pair of Luis Severino and Elvis Alvarado all carried their teams into the quarterfinal round.
Puerto Rico’s A’s duo helped light the fuse in San Juan
Hernaiz arrived as a late roster addition for Puerto Rico and promptly delivered one of the Classic’s signature moments, blasting a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to beat Panama in San Juan.
Hernaiz and Cortes also helped spark Puerto Rico’s tournament opener. Puerto Rico turned a scoreless game into a 5-0 win over Colombia, setting the tone for a pool run that pushed them into the knockout stage.
Puerto Rico’s reward is a quarterfinal matchup with Italy. That game is set for Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. ET.
Canada advanced and Clarke is still in it
Canada played its way into the bracket and now gets the biggest stage possible in the quarterfinals against Team USA. That game is Friday, March 13 at 8 p.m. ET at Daikin Park in Houston.
For the A’s, Clarke is the connection. Even without a loud box-score headline in pool play, he is still one win from a semifinal, and that is the only point that matters now.
Dominican Republic’s A’s arms are riding with the hottest team
The Dominican Republic went 4-0 in pool play and then punctuated it with a 7-5 win over Venezuela. Alvarado finished the job by inducing a game-ending double play in the ninth.
Severino is also part of that Dominican staff headed into the bracket, giving the A’s their biggest-name presence in the Classic field.
Dominican Republic’s quarterfinal is Friday, March 13 at 3:30 p.m. PT against Korea.
What it means for Las Vegas
For A’s fans in Las Vegas, this is the best kind of March appetizer: meaningful innings, high-leverage at-bats and players who will be asked to matter again in green and gold in a few weeks.
Hernaiz already delivered a country-stopping moment at home. Cortes helped crack open Puerto Rico’s first win. Clarke is still alive with Canada. Severino and Alvarado are riding with the tournament’s most dangerous roster.
Now the Classic turns into a bracket. The A’s presence turns into something even better: games that end somebody’s run.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
