The Netherlands Shocks the Baseball World

Nobody — absolutely nobody — expected the Netherlands to beat the Dominican Republic in the 2009 WBC. The Dominican Republic had assembled a roster worth over $1 billion in MLB contracts. The Netherlands was a team of minor leaguers, Dutch league players, and athletes from the Caribbean territories of Curacao and Aruba. It should not have been close.

The Netherlands beat the DR twice. Not once — twice. In pool play, they stunned the Dominicans 3-2, then eliminated them with another victory in the second round. Sidney Ponson, the veteran pitcher who most MLB fans had written off, was brilliant. The Curacao connection — players like Andruw Jones and Kenley Jansen — brought MLB experience to a roster that otherwise would have been anonymous.

The upset sent shockwaves through the baseball world and became the definitive David vs. Goliath moment of the WBC. It proved that in a short tournament with passionate players, anything is possible. The Netherlands went from afterthought to legitimate contender overnight.