Getty Images Aníbal Sánchez of Venezuela.
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are set to face off on Saturday at Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán in Mexico with a spot in the Olympics on the line.
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In the United States, the game (2 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Venezuela vs Dominican Republic live on ESPN+ right here:
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You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Dominican Republic vs Venezuela Preview
Baseball will be back at the Olympics this year for the first time since 2008 and the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are hoping to snag the final spot when they face off on Saturday.
The Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Netherlands took part in the final qualifier, with the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Israel already qualifying. China, Taiwan and Australia have withdrawn from qualification due to COVID-19 issues.
“Attending the Final Olympic Qualifier in a Covid world was always going to present significant challenges,” Glenn Williams, the chief executive of Baseball Australia, said in a statement. “The planning for Taiwan was extensive and with the late change in location and dates, those plans became obsolete. We worked through multiple options and scenarios but the logistical challenges of providing a safe environment for the group were insurmountable.”
The Dominican Republic earned a bye in the elimination round thanks to a 2-0 record in the condensed round-robin. The team bested Venezuela 10-7 and snuck past the Netherlands 4-3.
Venezuela punched their ticket to the final with a 10-0 beat down of the Netherlands on Friday, following up a 9-3 victory in the round-robin.
The MLB has not taken a break for the qualifiers and will not for the Tokyo Games, meaning all the players on the rosters are not current major leaguers.
“I can’t imagine a situation where we would take the kind of break that would be necessary to have our best players in the Olympics,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in 2017. “As a result of that, we feel the [World Baseball Classic]. is crucial as a substitute, a premier international tournament that allows our players to play for their countries.”
Pitcher Aníbal Sanchez and catcher Robinson Chirinos are notable names on the Venezuela side, while the Dominican Republic boats former All-Stars Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera.
The Dominican Republic has won three of the last four matchups, including a 10-7 victory earlier this week.
Here is how the Olympic baseball tournament will function, per Reuters:
Six teams will be set into two groups for an opening round-robin stage: Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United States and Venezuela/Dominican Republic. It gets complicated from there. Second place from each group will square off, as will the third-placed teams. The loser of the third-placed match will be the first eliminated, and the rest of the tournament will be double-knockout.