The Dominican Republic's first World Baseball Classic semifinal appearance since their 2013 title ended in heartbreak, as they fell 2-1 to Team USA on Sunday in a controversial finish.
Everything came down to the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the tying run perched on third. Facing U.S. closer Mason Miller, Dominican shortstop Geraldo Perdomo battled through an eight-pitch at-bat and worked the count full. Miller's final offering, a pitch that appeared well below the strike zone, was ruled strike three by home-plate umpire Cory Blaser, ending the game immediately. The call quickly spread across social media as replays and pitch-tracking data suggested the pitch was outside the zone.
In his postgame press conference, Dominican manager Albert Pujols shared his raw feelings about the painful ending:
“I don't want to focus on the last pitch. .. I'm not going to criticize any of that. It wasn't meant to be.”
Close strike-zone decisions became a theme of the game despite Blaser's 94% accuracy rate in 2025. Among them was a disputed eighth-inning call that ruled Juan Soto out on a low pitch.
The Dominicans entered the semifinal averaging 10.3 runs through their first five games and led the tournament with 14 home runs before the semifinal. Their only run against the United States came on a solo homer by Junior Caminero in the second inning, the team's 15th long ball of the tournament.
Team USA responded in the fourth inning with solo home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony. Those two swings provided the entire offensive output for the Americans.
Starting pitcher Paul Skenes held the Dominican lineup to one run on six hits over 4⅓ innings with two strikeouts. After he exited, the U.S. bullpen, including Tyler Rogers, Griffin Jax, David Bednar, Garrett Whitlock, and Miller, combined for 4⅔ scoreless innings, allowing two hits and six walks.
The Dominican pitching staff was also effective. Starter Luis Severino allowed one run on five hits with six strikeouts in 3⅓ innings, while the bullpen struck out nine American hitters.
With the win, Team USA booked its place in the WBC championship game and will face the winner of the semifinal between Italy and Venezuela.
