Team USA may have won 2-1 in the end in their 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinal clash against Dominican Republic in a way that many deem to be controversial, but that won't matter to them in the slightest. They are now in the final of the competition and are now awaiting the winner of the Monday night semifinal clash between Italy and Venezuela.
There have been a few nervous moments for Team USA throughout the 2026 iteration of the WBC. They lost to Italy in pool play, which put their status for the knockout stage in doubt. They allowed Canada to cut their lead in the quarterfinal to just two runs before their bullpen shut down any thoughts of a comeback. And now, their pitching staff held a vaunted Dominican Republic lineup to just one run on the night.
There may not have been many runs during that game, but for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, that doesn't make the game any less thrilling or memorable.
“That will be a game we’ll remember forever,” DeRosa said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
DeRosa has also locked in after his calculation gaffe that had him thinking that Team USA had already punched its ticket to the knockout stage when they hadn't yet. And now, they are one win away from reclaiming WBC supremacy.
Team USA ekes out win in WBC semifinal vs. Dominican Republic
Having Paul Skenes on the mound was one heck of a luxury for Team USA to have, although Skenes did look mortal when he allowed a home run to Junior Caminero that gave Dominican Republic an early lead. But then Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony gave Team USA the lead in the fifth with home runs of their own, and they did not look back.
The major story coming out of the game is the questionable officiating from the home plate umpire, who called two controversial strikes on pitches that looked like they missed the strike zone — including on the final at-bat of the game from Geraldo Perdomo.
