Dominicans Win Baseball Championship in San Francisco

Update: Powerful pitchers for the Dominican Republic held Puerto Rico scoreless, while its batters brought in three runs to seal the championship.

San Francisco Giants figured prominently in the game, the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

[The Dominican's Santiago] Casilla, one of the mainstays of the Giants' bullpen, filled a central role. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Tuesday night's championship game - despite walking Giants teammate Angel Pagan - to hand the lead to indomitable closer Fernando Rodney.

Original post:

Quick, what country has the best baseball team in the world?

If you named an island off the East Coast of the United States, you've been paying attention. The Dominican Republic takes on Puerto Rico tonight in the World Baseball Classic at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

If the Dominican Republic triumphs, it will be the first team in the history of the tournament to finish undefeated.

Crowds have been streaming into the Giant's park, even without the Giants, over the past two days as the two Caribbean nations have slugged it out with Japan and the Netherlands.

As of 3:45 this afternoon, though, it was still possible to buy a ticket.

If you want to get caught up on the competition, you can see highlights or, if you have the right TV subscription, full games through the official website.

And just what should lure an American who has no dog in this fight? The  World Baseball Class purports to be baseball's answer to the World Cup of soccer — an expression of national pride in the context of sports.

At its best, the classic could offer a view of how various cultures from around the world have interpreted the U.S. national pastime.

Of course the two teams feature some of the best players from Major League Baseball, including the Giants' Angel Pagan for Puerto Rico and Santiago Casilla for the Dominican Republic. The Yankee's Robinson Cano plays for the Dominican Republic as well.

Another Dominican player, former Oakland and San Francisco shortstop Miguel Tejada drew cheers from Bay Area fans at Monday night's game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.