To say that Team USA’s advancement to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) came with some controversy would be a huge understatement.
Team USA’s Mason Miller was dealing from the mound to the Dominican Republic’s Geraldo Perdomo with two strikes, two outs, and a 2-1 lead with a runner on third.
Miller threw what appeared to most to be a ball that missed low. Indeed, it appeared to Perdomo that way as well, as he prepared to toss his bat and walk to first base. However, home plate umpire Cory Blaser decided otherwise and called Perdomo out on strike three, ending the game, the Dominican Republic’s WBC championship dreams, and sending Team USA into the championship game, where they will face the winner of Italy vs. Venezuela.
But fans and former MLB stars are not ready to let the controversial ending go just yet.
How could this happen in the era of the challenge system? Well, pretty easily, actually. Since the WBC doesn’t utilize the challenge system. A point alluded to by Yankees legend Derek Jeter during the post-game show.
“I’m pretty sure they’re going to have the challenge system in place for the next WBC,” Jeter said. “You hate to end a game that way.”
Jeter’s words are likely prophetic. As any casual glance at the replay will show, Miller’s pitch was low and would have been overturned.
Fellow Yankee legend Alex Rodriguez was equally direct with his comments.
“A ball that’s about four inches down,” Rodriguez said. “You just hate to end a game this big … on a pitch that’s not a strike.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Dominican manager Albert Pujols shunned the opportunity to blast the demonstrably bad call by the home plate umpire.
“I don’t want to focus on the last pitch,” Pujols said after the game. “It wasn’t meant to be.”
Pujols’ reluctance to blame the loss on the last pitch may be because he realizes that his team missed several opportunities to secure the win well before the final pitch.
The DR jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but whiffed, literally, on several opportunities to build on that run total. DR hitters struck out six times in the final three innings, perhaps being a bit too aggressive and desperate in their attempts to retake the lead after Team USA’s Roman Anthony hit the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning home run.
“I was here the last time around watching the championship game heading into my first Spring Training and heading into my first full year of Minor League baseball,” Anthony said. “So a bit of a full-circle moment, but a dream of mine since as long as I can remember watching this amazing event. You couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere this early in the year.”
In addition, the Dominican squad dodged a serious bullet when center fielder Julio Rodriguez narrowly robbed Aaron Judge of what would have been a back-breaking home run.
In the final analysis, the bad call and hurt feelings aside, Pujols is likely right: They had their opportunities, and it just wasn’t meant to be.
However, Jeter is likely right as well; the challenge system will be in place for the next WBC.
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