In what some might say was the de facto World Baseball Classic championship with the star-studded lineups Team USA and the Dominican Republic assembled for this year’s global tournament, it was the pitching and defense that shined Sunday night as Team USA prevailed in a thrilling 2-1 win Sunday night to advance to the championship game Tuesday night.
In a game that was expected to be high scoring, it was anything but.
Team USA struck out 15 times, the most in any game in the tournament, for the impressively talented lineup. The Dominican Republic lineup, which averaged 13 runs per game in the tournament and outscored their opponents 52-10, only mustered one run against Team USA's pitching.
The red, white and blue put two runners on in its first look against Luis Severino with two outs, but Gunnar Henderson grounded out to end the inning.
Paul Skenes, the starting pitcher for Team USA, made quick work of the top three in the relentless Dominican Republic lineup, retiring Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte and Juan Soto on just nine pitches to set the tone.
In the bottom of the second, Junior Caminero got the Dominicans on the board, crushing a hanging sweeper in a 1-2 count to take a 1-0 lead.
Team USA was poised to tie the game and perhaps put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. With one out, Bobby Witt Jr. singled, and Bryce Harper followed with a double down the right field line to put runners in scoring position. However, Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber both struck out to end the threat and the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, the captain of Team USA provided a spark. Judge came up charging on a two-out Marte single to right field and threw a strike to third base to nab Tatis Jr. attempting to go from first to third for the final out of the inning.
That momentum carried to the plate in the top of the fourth. Henderson bashed his first homer of the tournament to tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Boston’s young phenom Roman Anthony blasted a go-ahead solo shot that traveled 421 feet to give the stars and stripes a 2-1 lead.
The heavyweight tilt continued to provide theatrics.
In the visiting half of the sixth, Judge was robbed of a solo shot to dead center field as Julio Rodríguez timed his leap perfectly to rob the reigning American League MVP to keep it a one-run game.
The Dominican Republic threatened in the bottom of the frame, putting a pair of runners on with one out to chase Skenes after 4⅓ innings of work.
Mark DeRosa opted to go with the soft-tossing submarine righty Tyler Rogers to face the left-handed Soto, and it worked to perfection for Team USA’s manager. Soto bounced into an inning-ending double play to end the threat and the inning.
Team USA’s offense was held in check the rest of the way, with 12 of the final 13 batters being retired. Kyle Schwarber, who walked in the eighth, was the only batter to reach against the Dominican Republic’s bullpen.
The Dominican Republic once again threatened in the seventh inning against the Yankees' closer, David Bednar. His teammate, Austin Wells, smacked a one-out double to right field and Geraldo Perdomo singled to put runners at the corners. Perdomo stole second base without a throw to put runners in scoring position. Bednar proceeded to strike out Tatis Jr. and Marte in succession to end the threat and preserve the one-run lead.
Padres’ closer Mason Miller came in to slam the door in the ninth but had to do so, stranding the tying run at third base, getting a favorable called strike three against Perdomo to end the game and send Team USA to the championship game for the third straight WBC.
Team USA looks to win the tournament for the second time in the history of the global tournament and the first since 2017.
