They say if you come to the ballpark, there’s always a chance you’ll see something new. Monday’s game between Puerto Rico and Israel in the World Baseball Classic proved that adage to be true—and provided a result that likely will never be seen in a competitive baseball game ever again.
Puerto Rico cruised to a 10–0 victory, which became historically notable by way of Israel failing to have a batter reach base. Add in the WBC’s mercy rule—which stipulates a game be declared over if a team takes a 10-run lead after seven innings—and you have what’s almost certainly the first-ever perfect game that ended on a walk-off hit by a team before the ninth inning.
Five pitchers combined for the historic performance, with starter José De León providing the bulk of the work with 5 2/3 innings and 10 strikeouts. From there, Yacksel Ríos, Edwin Díaz and Duane Underwood Jr. combined for the game’s final seven outs over just 24 total pitches.
Puerto Rico’s offensive outburst was spearheaded by Francisco Lindor, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs, and Javier Báez, who was 2-for-3 with two doubles. Puerto Rico (2–1) will play next in the WBC on Wednesday in a highly anticipated matchup with the Dominican Republic (1–1) that could doom one team to a first-round exit.
