United States Edges Dominican Republic 2-1 in WBC Semifinal, Advances to Championship
The United States defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) semifinals on Sunday night, securing its place in the championship game. The game's conclusion featured a disputed strike-three call against Dominican batter Geraldo Perdomo on the final pitch, which resulted in the Dominican Republic's elimination from the tournament.
Game Overview
The United States secured a 2-1 victory over the Dominican Republic. This win advanced the U.S. team to the World Baseball Classic final, where they are scheduled to face either Venezuela or Italy. The Dominican Republic was eliminated from the tournament as a result of the loss.
In the ninth inning, U.S. pitcher Mason Miller delivered 13 of his 22 pitches at 100 mph or higher. He had previously walked Julio Rodríguez, who then advanced to third base on a wild pitch, creating a situation with the potential tying run on third during Perdomo's final at-bat.
Disputed Calls and Reactions
Home-plate umpire Cory Blaser made two strike-three calls during the game that generated discussion.
The most notable occurred on the final pitch: a full-count slider from Mason Miller to Geraldo Perdomo was called a strike, despite Perdomo stating he believed the pitch was outside the strike zone.
Perdomo acknowledged that such incidents are part of baseball. Earlier in the game, a pitch to Dominican slugger Juan Soto was also called a strike, despite its low location.
Following the game, Dominican manager Albert Pujols stated he would not criticize the officiating, attributing the loss to circumstances and commenting, "It just wasn’t meant to be for us."
U.S. manager Mark DeRosa expressed support for the future adoption of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system in baseball.
The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) System
The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, which uses a camera-based mechanism to determine ball and strike calls, is being implemented in Major League Baseball (MLB).
This system is scheduled to be used during the regular season and postseason beginning in 2026, and has already been utilized in MLB spring training games.
The ABS system was not in use for the current WBC tournament. However, an MLB official indicated that ABS is likely to be adopted for the next WBC, projected for 2029, pending approval from the players' union. The integration of new technology like ABS into the WBC typically requires significant lead time due to the tournament's multiple international sites. For example, the pitch clock was introduced in the current WBC following its initial implementation in MLB.