Pirates Bullpen Duo Star in Dominican Republic Exhibition
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of Spring Training, but have a bullpen duo who are readying themselves for the World Baseball Classic.
Right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana and left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto are two Pirates pitchers with Team Dominican Republic and showed up against the Detroit Tigers in an exhibition match at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo on March 3.
Soto got in the top of the third inning and had issues initially, walking first baseman Spencer Torkelson and allowed a single to Tigers third baseman Colt Keith, putting two Tigers runners on.
He then got center fielder Max Clark to ground out into a force out, with Keith out at second base, then striking out both second baseman Zack McKinstry and designated hitter Thayron Lizano, shutting down the Tigers and keeping it a 3-3 game.
Gregory Soto tonight for Team Dominican Republic:
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) March 4, 2026
1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
19 pitches, 11 strikes, 5 whiffs
Sinker topped out at 97.1 MPH pic.twitter.com/8bmo7Uy9PR
Santana would come on in the top of the fourth inning in relief of Soto and struck out Tigers catcher Jake Rogers to start out.
Dennis Santana freezes Jake Rogers for a strikeout
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) March 4, 2026
85.1 MPH slider, 2468 RPM, 1 IVB, 38 inVB, 3 inHB pic.twitter.com/RHdRnUhdb2
He walked Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle and then committed a throwing error on the pickoff attempt, with McGonigle making it to third base.
Santana got left fielder Riley Greene to fly out, which ended up scoring McGonigle to make it 4-3 to Detroit, which was scored an unearned run.
This also ended Santana's night after just 18 pitches, with right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez coming in relief for him.
Big Season Ahead for Santana and Soto
Santana and Soto are two of the Pirates best bullpen arms and important pieces of one of the better pitching staffs in all of baseball.
The Pirates got Santana off of waivers from the Yankees in 2024 and he quickly improved with the team and had a strong year in 2025.
He finished with a 4-5 record in 70 appearances, a 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched, 13 holds, 16 saves in 19 opportunities, 60 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .179 opposing batting average and a 0.87 WHIP.
Santana also had a 1.36 ERA by the end of July, before becoming the full-time closer, after the Pirates traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees on deadline day, July 31.
He did have a 3.75 ERA over the last two months, but five of those runs came in the 17-16 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Aug. 1. He had a 1.90 ERA over his final 23 outings, with 21 strikeouts.
The Pirates signed Soto to a one-year, $7.75 million deal, made official on Dec. 15, giving them an important piece of their bullpen.
Soto is coming off of a 2025 season where he had a 3.96 ERA over 45 appearances and 36.1 innings pitched with the Baltimore Orioles, before they traded him to the New York Mets at the deadline.
He had his best seasons as a closer with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, earning back-to-back All-Star nods.
Soto posted a 3.39 ERA with 18 saves in 19 opportunities in 2021 and a 3.28 ERA and 30 saves in 33 opportunities in 2022.
The Pirates will utilize Soto in a variety of roles, including as setup man and closer, as they'll have him in different high-leverage situations.
Pirates Players Aim for Gold with Team Dominican Republic
Santana and Soto are joined with Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz on Team Dominican Republic, who came off the bench vs. the Tigers, who lined into a double play and hit a fly out in the eventual 12-4 win.
They will face Detroit again on March 4 with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m., also at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal.
Cruz will serve as an important bench piece, while Santana and Soto have big roles out of the bullpen for Team Dominican Republic, who are looking for their second title, last winning the WBC in 2013.
The World Baseball Classic starts on March 5 and runs through March 17, putting the best countries up against each other in an exciting and intense international competition.
Team Dominican Republic are in Pool D and will play all of their games at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.
Each team will face the other four teams in their group for Pool Play, with the Dominican Republic taking on Team Nicaragua on March 6, Team Kingdom of the Netherlands on March 8, Team Israel on March 9 and then the big matchup agains Team Venezuela on March 11.
Team Dominican Republic has some of the better players in baseball on its roster, which puts them in competition with the likes of Team USA and Team Japan.
Philadelphia Phillies left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez is the star ace, but the best stars are the position players, infielders in Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., plus both shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and second baseman Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Third baseman Manny Machado and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres also are a part of it, while star outfielders in Juan Soto of the New York Mets and Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners make for a great lineup.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.