Yankees

Team USA Advances in WBC Showdown vs Dominican Republic, After Controversial Ending

By ••Updated March 16, 2026•5 min read
Team USA Advances in WBC Showdown vs Dominican Republic, After Controversial Ending

This game had everything.

Superstars. October-level tension in the middle of March. Defensive gems. Massive pitching moments. And unfortunately, a controversial ending that has Dominican fans furious.

When it was all over Sunday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, Team USA escaped with a dramatic 2–1 victory over the Dominican Republic in what many fans had already labeled the real championship game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

After Japan was eliminated earlier in the tournament, attention quickly shifted to this semifinal showdown. On paper, it looked like two of the most loaded rosters ever assembled in international baseball.

And for nine innings, it absolutely delivered.

Team USA now advances to Tuesday night’s WBC Championship Game where they will face the winner of Italy vs. Venezuela.

Dominican Republic Strikes First

The Dominican Republic wasted little time electrifying the crowd.

After Paul Skenes cruised through the first inning on just nine pitches, the young flamethrower made one mistake in the second.

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That’s all it took.

Rising star Junior Caminero crushed a hanging slider into the left-field seats to give the Dominican Republic an early 1–0 lead. The blast continued a historic power surge for the Dominican lineup, which had already set a single-WBC record for home runs earlier in the tournament.

For a moment, it felt like the Dominican Republic offense might start rolling.

But Skenes settled in and kept one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups from breaking the game open.

The Fourth Inning Changed Everything

Team USA had struggled to capitalize on opportunities early, even stranding runners after Bryce Harper doubled in the third inning.

But the fourth inning flipped the entire game.

Gunnar Henderson stepped to the plate and delivered a massive swing, launching a home run into the upper deck in right field to tie the game.

The stadium barely had time to settle before another big swing arrived.

Moments later, top prospect Roman Anthony crushed a towering shot to center field off Gregory Soto, suddenly giving Team USA a 2–1 lead.

Just like that, two swings had completely shifted the momentum.

Defense Quietly Won This Game

If you only look at the box score, you might think this game was decided by home runs.

It wasn’t.

Defense played a massive role in keeping the Dominican offense from exploding.

Early in the game, Brice Turang made a diving stop at second base to rob Juan Soto of a hit that could have set up a dangerous inning with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. coming up.

Later, Aaron Judge showed exactly why opposing teams respect his arm.

When Ketel Marte singled to right field in the third inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. attempted to test the Yankees captain’s arm.

That didn’t go well.

Judge unleashed an absolute laser to third base that cut Tatis down and ended the inning.

Game-changing plays like that kept the Dominican Republic from gaining momentum.

Skenes Escapes A Massive Threat

The most dangerous moment for Team USA came in the fourth inning.

The Dominican Republic loaded the bases after singles from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado, followed by a hit-by-pitch that brought Julio Rodríguez aboard.

The stadium was roaring.

One swing could have completely flipped the game.

Instead, Skenes calmly induced a flyout from Austin Wells to escape the jam and preserve the 2–1 lead.

That moment may have saved the game.

The Bullpen Slams The Door

From there, Team USA turned the game over to its bullpen.

And the relief corps delivered.

Tyler Rogers came in and produced a critical double play off the bat of Juan Soto that erased another Dominican threat.

Griffin Jax followed with a quick sixth inning.

Then came a massive 7th inning escape.

With runners on the corners and one out, David Bednar struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. before getting Ketel Marte to swing through a curveball to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock then dominated the 8th inning, striking out Soto, retiring Guerrero Jr., and getting Manny Machado to end the frame.

That sequence kept the Dominican Republic from tying the game.

At that point, the stage was set for the ninth.

A Wild Ninth Inning Ends In Controversy

Closer Mason Miller took the ball in the ninth inning with the Dominican Republic still trailing by one run.

Things immediately got tense.

Julio Rodríguez worked a walk and eventually advanced to third base, putting the tying run just 90 feet away.

With two outs, Geraldo Perdomo stepped to the plate.

The at-bat quickly turned into the moment everyone is talking about.

On a full count, Miller fired a slider that appeared to miss the strike zone low.

Many expected ball four.

Instead, home plate umpire Cory Blaser rang him up.

Strike three.

Game over.

Immediately, Dominican players and fans erupted in frustration as replays showed the pitch appearing to be outside the zone.

The incredible game ended with controversy hanging in the air.

Team USA Is One Win Away

Regardless of the controversy, the result stands.

Team USA moves on.

And they did it by holding a lineup featuring Soto, Tatis, Guerrero Jr., Machado and Julio Rodríguez to just one run.

That’s not easy to do under any circumstances.

Doing it in the World Baseball Classic semifinals?

That’s something special.

Now the Americans are one win away from another WBC title.

And if Sunday night proved anything, it’s this.

This team knows exactly how to win tight games when it matters most.

The USA takes on the winner of Venezuela vs Italy March 17, at 8PM EST for The WBC Final.

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