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SF Giants closer Camilo Doval has an electric outing in World Baseball Classic

While the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday, SF Giants closer Camilo Doval had a dominant performance.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants closer Camilo Doval has an electric outing in World Baseball Classic
SF Giants closer Camilo Doval has an electric outing in World Baseball Classic /
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The Dominican Republic was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic in a 5-2 loss to Puerto Rico on Wednesday. However, SF Giants closer Camilo Doval had an electric outing representing his home country before the game was over. Doval made two appearances over the course of the tournament, recording three strikeouts without allowing a baserunner over 2.1 innings of work.

SF Giants closer Camilo Doval throws a pitch against the Cubs. (2022)
SF Giants closer Camilo Doval throws a pitch against the Cubs. (2022) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Doval needed just 14 pitches to strikeout three batters over 1.1 innings of work. With the baseball world's attention on him, Doval had his best stuff on display. The 25-year-old righty's fastball was routinely eclipsing 100 mph on the radar gun while his slider induced a swinging strike on the two occasions he threw it.

Doval entered with the Dominican Republic already trailing 5-2 in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on first base. He struck out Mets All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor on four pitches to end the inning. Then, in the eighth, he struck out Red Sox outfielder Enrique Hernandez and Royals catcher MJ Melendez before inducing a groundout from Diamondbacks infielder Emmanuel Rivera.

Doval was the only current member of the Giants organization to appear in Wednesday's game. However, former Giants starter Johnny Cueto got the start for the Dominican Republic and ended up with the loss. Cueto struggled over two innings of work, allowing three runs on four hits, including a home run.

Camilo Doval will now rejoin the Giants in Scottsdale and continue ramping up for the start of the regular season. Barring injury, Doval will reprise his role as the SF Giants closer. In 2022, his first full MLB season, Doval recorded a 2.53 ERA in 67.2 innings pitched with 80 strikeouts and 27 saves. If his appearance on Wednesday night for the World Baseball Classic was any sign of his preparedness, Doval is absolutely ready to get the regular season started.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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