The Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic campaign ended in frustration after a controversial game-ending call in their 2-1 loss to the USA. Despite the defeat, players emerged from the team’s clubhouse with smiles and music, keen to focus on their overall performance in the tournament.
Star player Juan Soto said, “We showed the world who’s the best team in baseball. That’s all I got to say.”
Contentious Strike Call Decides the Game
The controversial moment occurred when home-plate umpire Cory Blaser called a full-count slider from U.S. closer Mason Miller a strike against D.R. shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. The pitch appeared to be below the strike zone. This call came an inning after Soto was caught looking on a slider that was also below the zone. Perdomo had battled through a seven-pitch at-bat before the call ended the Dominicans’ hopes of reaching the WBC final.
“I knew 100% it was a ball,” Perdomo said.
Absence of Automated System Fuels Debate
The victory sparked celebrations for the Americans, but the ending left a sour taste for Dominican fans. The absence of the automated ball-strike challenge system, which is set to debut in Major League Baseball this season, was a point of contention. The system is designed to address such blown calls. The WBC did not implement the pitch clock in 2023, the year it was introduced in MLB.
According to Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz, “It’s part of the game. You lost by inches. We’ll have ABS in a few years, so hopefully next time we can challenge plays like that.”
Dominican Republic’s Strong Showing
The Dominican Republic attracted significant attention during the WBC. Junior Caminero hit a home run against U.S. ace Paul Skenes to give the D.R. a 1-0 lead. The U.S. responded with home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony. Team USA’s relief pitching then shut down the Dominican Republic.
The crowd of 36,337 booed the blown third-strike call on Soto.
“This event is really good for baseball. You have regular fans that love the game — and you have people who don’t pay attention and you’re attracting them,” said Nelson Cruz.