Home / Sports / Controversial Strike Call Sends USA to World Baseball Classic Final
Controversial Strike Call Sends USA to World Baseball Classic Final
16 Mar
Summary
- Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the WBC semifinals.
- The game concluded with a disputed strike call in the bottom of the ninth.
- Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony hit solo homers for the winning runs.
Team USA has advanced to the World Baseball Classic final following a hard-fought 2-1 semifinal victory against the Dominican Republic. The decisive moment of the game came in the bottom of the ninth inning when a controversial strike call was made on a pitch from closer Mason Miller to Geraldo Perdomo with the tying run on third base.
The American offense was powered by solo home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in the fourth inning, which were the only runs scored by the U.S. Starter Paul Skenes delivered a solid performance, allowing just one run on a solo homer. The U.S. bullpen maintained the lead, keeping the Dominican Republic scoreless through the final 4 2/3 innings.
Despite the controversy surrounding the final strike call, which was questioned by former players on air, Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols stated he would not dwell on the officiating. Team USA now awaits the winner of the Venezuela-Italy semifinal to determine their opponent in the championship game.
