Team USA advances to WBC finals in close win against Team Dominican Republic
Team USA has advanced to the finals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic in front of a packed house in loanDepot Park in Miami in what will go down as an instant classic.
The two most talented teams ever assembled played a game that lived up to the hype. The lineups were the selling point of the matchup, but as the old saying goes, good pitching always beats good hitting. Team USA starter Paul Skenes was phenomenal through 4 1/3 innings. The Team USA bullpen behind him was even better. The Dominican Republic pitching staff limited the U.S. to just seven hits in the loss.
There were defensive gems all around the field. Aaron Judge gunned down Fernando Tatis Jr. at third with a perfect throw to get the final out of the third inning. Team Dominican Republic center fielder Julio Rodriguez robbed Judge of a home run with a leaping catch over the wall in the fifth.
But it all came down to a bad call on the final pitch of the game. The DR had the tying run 90 feet away against Team USA star closer Mason Miller. Geraldo Perdomo, an MVP candidate last year who was hitting in the No. 9 spot for the Dominican Republic, worked out an excellent eight-pitch at-bat against Miller. But Perdomo was called out on a 3-2 pitch that was well below the strike zone for the final out of the game.
The automated ball-strike challenge system (ABS) is coming to MLB in 2026, but it was not used in this year’s edition of the World Baseball Classic.
All three runs were scored on solo home runs. Junior Caminero homered on a rare mistake pitch from Skenes to put the DR up 1-0 in the bottom of the second.
But the United States homered twice in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead. Gunnar Henderson tied it and Roman Anthony gave Team USA the lead with a home run off former Phillies reliever Gregory Soto.
Bryce Harper recorded his first big hit of the tournament in the top of the third, when he doubled off Team Dominican Republic starter Luis Severino. He was stranded at second after back-to-back strikeouts from Judge and Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber went 1-for-2 with a single and was lifted from the game in the eight inning for a pinch runner.
Team USA will face the winner of Monday’s Team Venezuela vs. Team Italy semifinal game on Tuesday, March 17 in Miami. The U.S. is looking for its second WBC title and first since 2017. If Team Italy advances, Aaron Nola is slated to face two of his longtime Phillies teammates in the WBC finals.