How Are USA Stars Taking Criticism Over Style of Play At WBC? 'It's Hilarious'

LoanDepot Park (Miami) – Hours after the Dominican Republic was eliminated by the United States, players walked out of the clubhouse blasting a high-energy Dominican Dembow song. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto strutted through the tunnel of the Miami Marlins stadium unable to mask their expressions of disappointment and frustration. Yet, despite their 2-1 defeat to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic semifinal, the Dominican Republic tried their best to leave the tournament the same way they entered it. As Soto said a day before the WBC started: "We're going to have fun, and we're going to be loud." The Dominican Republic team paraded its distinctive style of playing baseball with fun and flair from beginning to end in their undefeated run to the semifinals. Players lifted a dumbbell adorned with plantains to celebrate hitting home runs. They danced and took fake selfies at home plate. They pounded their chests while running the bases. They smiled. They laughed. They hugged. They sent 40-foot bat flips into the air. Every swing was dramatic. Every strikeout was aggressive. Every at-bat was a confrontation. This wasn’t fluff; they backed it up. The Dominican Republic this year set a record for the most home runs (15) by a single team in WBC history. Their celebrations were just as explosive as their offensive firepower. The festive atmosphere created by the Dominican Republic had a ripple effect across sold-out crowds and through social media as people watching the tournament worldwide experienced the joy that became the team’s identity. Passion was their personality. Entertainment was essential. And it's not just the Dominican Republic. Team Italy has an espresso machine in the dugout, and players drink a shot of java after hitting home runs. That style of play was so endearing and so infectious that Team USA fans wondered why players didn’t seem like they were having fun. Dugout celebrations were quieter. Their energy was consistent, if monotonous. There were no props to commemorate home runs. USA’s sense of been there, done that is in stark contrast to the way the rest of the countries in the tournament have openly shown emotion. The Americans took care of business, and played like businessmen. They know they’re being criticized for it. "For some reason, everyone thinks that we don’t have fun playing baseball," USA outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said outside the clubhouse after their win on Sunday. "I don't know if we make it look like we don't have fun or what, but our goal is to make it to the championship game. I don't think we want to get ahead of ourselves, and I think we understand that it's nine innings of baseball." Crow-Armstrong said the team is "having a blast out there." To prove his point, he posted on his Instagram story a picture of Gunnar Henderson’s home run against the Dominican Republic and Team USA’s excited reaction, accompanied by the song "Ain’t It Fun" by Paramore. The Chicago Cubs outfielder sounded almost offended as he defended the perception that the team isn’t having fun. "I'm not offended at all," he said. "I just think it’s hilarious. Really, I do." Crow-Armstrong continued: "You guys will think it's silly if we shuffled like Soto or did Vladdy's little whip move. That's them. And if I had enough swag to do that, I'd probably do that too. I think you guys would think it was funny if we were out there doing what they're doing. I don't think that'd be as authentic as it is for them to be who they are. And that's totally okay. We’ve won in our own way, but we definitely have fun out there." The USA might not have aura, but it does have immense talent. Manager Mark DeRosa compiled the most star-studded roster the tournament has ever seen. The offense is led by team captain and three-time MVP Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr., and Bryce Harper. And the pitching staff featured the reigning Cy Young award winners from each league in Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, alongside a lethal bullpen arm in Mason Miller. Twenty-one of the 30 players on USA’s roster have been MLB All-Stars, a total that led all teams in the tournament. USA is a juggernaut. After Sunday’s win over the Dominican Republic, USA advanced to the WBC final and will play the winner of Monday’s semifinal between Italy and Venezuela. As far as the Americans are concerned, they’re letting their winning pedigree speak for itself. "Japan plays a certain game. America plays a certain game. Latin American countries play a certain game," Harper said to reporters. "We're all in this tournament feeding off of playing a great game, and that's what makes our game so great, is there's so many different cultures that play this game. "I can't dance a lick like Tatis can, but I have fun playing this game. So I think it's such a storyline for all you guys, compared to us. We're just going out there and enjoying the game that we play, and that's kind of how we feel." It’s fascinating that Harper, of all people, is on the team that's receiving criticism for not showing enough emotion. Back when he won National League Rookie of the Year in 2012, Harper received backlash for playing the game with intensity and passion. He often challenged America’s traditional unwritten rules and tried to make the game exciting with emphatic bat flips and his signature fiery competitiveness. "Latin American countries play with a lot of flair, a lot of energy," he said. "And I love watching it because that's how I played when I was younger. I got in trouble for it." Harper used to be bold. He played with different colored bats and unique styles of cleats. He smeared way too much eye-black on his cheeks, starting from just underneath his eyes and going all the way down to his neck. He used it as war paint. In 2024, after hitting a home run in the MLB London Series against the Mets, Harper hit a soccer-style knee slide on the turf, complete with his arms wide open while pumping up the crowd. But, about 10–15 years ago, that display of emotion wasn't popular. MLB told him he couldn’t use gray bats, he couldn’t use eye-black. Eventually, now entering his 15th season in the major leagues, he stopped playing the game with as much passion and flair. Harper said he doesn’t really miss doing that stuff, because it wasn’t fun getting yelled at for showing his personality. "I kind of got pounded for it," Harper said. "It got beat out of me a little bit, where I didn't want to do it anymore. The game has changed, and I like that. I love the way that Ronald Acuña [Jr.] plays the game. I love the way that Tatis goes about it. [Shohei] Ohtani, obviously, brings his style of the game, too. Everybody has their certain style from different countries, and that's why baseball is the greatest game in the world, because you bring so many different styles together, especially in this tournament. And it's so much fun to watch." At times, it’s been difficult to understand the USA’s identity. Players salute each other in celebration. They’ve talked about how meaningful the tournament is to them after the sacrifices that service men and women have gone through to defend the country. While videos of Dominican Republic players dancing and being goofy in the clubhouse went viral, Team USA players were shown quietly listening to former Navy SEAL Robert J. O’Neill delivering a pregame speech. As far as USA players are concerned, though, whatever they’re doing is working. They don’t need to match or copy someone else’s identity to win. "What we're good at on our side is, if the crowd wants to be big and loud and all that, we will keep that steady heartbeat until the pop happens," Crow-Armstrong said. "The Gunnar homer, the Roman [Anthony] homer. David Bednar getting out of a big inning. [Garrett] Whitlock shutting it down — three up, three down. I think we just pick our spots. You get to see us play our style, and that’s OK. "We’ve carried ourselves this tournament the way that we wanted to, and that is feeling like we’re the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world."