Old friend Christian Vazquez got the party started for Puerto Rico during Wednesday's World Baseball Classic showdown with the Dominican Republic.

The former Boston Red Sox catcher opened the scoring in the third inning with a solo home run off Johnny Cueto. He was hyped up as he rounded the bases to a thunderous ovation from the Miami crowd.

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Watch Vazquez's blast below:

Vazquez's homer started a rally as Puerto Rico added three more runs to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the third. New York Mets star Francisco Lindor drove in a run with a single before Red Sox shortstop Kiké Hernandez notched an RBI single of his own.

Puerto Rico held on for a 5-2 victory to advance to the quarterfinals and eliminate the Dominican Republic from the tournament.

Vazquez was traded from the Red Sox to the World Series champion Houston Astros before the 2022 trade deadline. During the offseason, he signed a three-year deal worth $ 30 million with the Minnesota Twins.