Puerto Rico defeats DR 3-1

For the first time since 2009, the Dominican Republic suffered a loss in the World Baseball Classic. In a rematch of the last Classic's title game, Puerto Rico defeated the reigning champions, 3-1, on Tuesday night in the Pool F opener at Petco Park.

"The motivation was there," Puerto Rican manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "We were waiting for this for four years."

After a day of rest, the Dominican Republic resumes play Thursday against Venezuela at 10 p.m. ET. It's a must win for the Dominican team, which could fall out of contention with a second loss in Pool F.

A Friday evening matchup with Team USA looms for Puerto Rico after two days off.

DR, Puerto Rico face off in WBC 2017 Group F matchup

Tonight in San Diego, we'll see a 2017 World Baseball Classic Group F matchup between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Both teams are 3-0 in WBC 2017. Puerto Rico has outscored three opponents, 29-7.

The Dominicans are running their winning streak going back to the 2013 tournament to 11 games. In the 2017 classic, They trailed Team USA, 5-0, before rallying to win, 7-5, on Saturday. On Sunday, they needed seven runs in the 10th inning to beat the Colombian team, 10-3.

The last time these two teams faced in the Classic was in the 2013 Championship Game at AT&T Park. The Dominicans won 3-0.