Team Puerto Rico throws first ever perfect game in WBC history originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
A perfect game, a walk-off hit and a mercy rule win.
Team Puerto Rico achieved all three on Monday in their 10-0 win vs. Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, simultaneously penning their name in the record books with the first ever perfect game thrown in tournament history.
Mercy rule in the WBC occurs if a team is up by 10 or more runs after the seventh inning, as seen in Team USA’s 12-1 win in seven innings vs. Canada on Monday.
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Up 9-0 in the top of the eighth with runners on second and first, Enrique Hernandez singled to left that sealed the perfect trio. Here’s how the miraculous feat unfolded:
The perfect game was completed by four pitchers: Jose De Leon (Minnesota Twins), Edwin Diaz (New York Mets), Duane Underwood Jr. (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Yacksel Rios (Atlanta Braves).
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De Leon pitched 5.2 innings and recorded 10 strikeouts. Diaz logged a strikeout in one inning pitched while Rios also had one in just one-tenth of an inning pitched.
The win pushed Puerto Rico to second in Pool D at 2-1, with Venezuela holding first with a 2-0 record. Israel is tied in third with the Dominican Republic at 1-1.
