The semifinals of the World Baseball Classic between Team USA and the Dominican Republic was an all-time classic, but it certainly ended in controversy.
With the U.S. clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth and closer Mason Miller on the mound, the Dominican Republic were down to their last out, but had a runner on third with Geraldo Perdomo at the plate and the count full.
Miller’s pitch came in quite low — clearly out of the strike zone — but it was a location the umpire had been calling a strike for most of the night. He did exactly that once again, while Perdomo watched it pass by, effectively ending the game.
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The call quickly went viral on social media — and with good reason — as Dominican fans were understandably upset over how the game ended. However, manager and former MLB legend Albert Pujols took the high road during his postgame press conference.
Pujols didn’t blame the umpires or criticize the call in any way.
“I don’t want to focus on the last pitch,” Pujols said. “Obviously it didn’t go our way… I’m not going to criticize any of that. It wasn’t meant to be for us. I think both teams pitched well, played well… so I don’t really want to focus the whole game, especially a great game like it was tonight, on that last pitch.”
Pujols was praised for his response — but it still doesn’t take away the sting for a Dominican Republic team that boasted one of the tournament’s most explosive lineups and had a legitimate shot at competing for the WBC title before the controversial finish.
Now, Team USA will await its opponent in the championship game, with Italy and Venezuela scheduled to face off in the other semifinal on Monday night to determine who they’ll play for the title.
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