— In a World Baseball Classic semifinal in Miami, Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 after home-plate umpire Cory Blaser called a game-ending third strike on Geraldo Perdomo that pitch-tracking data showed well below the zone. The call came with the tying run at third and followed a long, eight-pitch at-bat against USA closer Mason Miller, whose fastball earlier in the game reached 102 mph. Miller finished the appearance with a 22-pitch outing; Perdomo and Dominican players immediately and vocally questioned the final call. The ruling eliminated a Dominican lineup that had averaged 10.3 runs in five tournament games and headlines a debate over technology and officiating in international play.
Key takeaways
- Final score: USA 2, Dominican Republic 1; the game ended on a called third strike to Geraldo Perdomo in the bottom of the ninth.
- Mason Miller threw eight pitches to Perdomo and was credited with the save after a 22-pitch appearance; his fastball had touched 102 mph earlier in the outing.
- Pitch-tracking systems showed the decisive slider well below the strike zone; replays also showed a similar borderline call earlier when Juan Soto was called out looking.
- The Dominican Republic entered the semifinal averaging 10.3 runs per game in five contests and led the WBC with 14 home runs; Team USA had seven homers entering the game.
- Home-plate umpire Cory Blaser was recorded at 94% accuracy in 2025 and is typically rated above average among major-league umpires.
- Major League Baseball introduced an automated ball-strike appeal system in 2026 that allows helmet-tap challenges; that system was not available to reverse this WBC call.
Background
The World Baseball Classic has increasingly brought together top talent from MLB and international leagues, raising expectations for consistency in officiating and technology. The Dominican Republic entered this year’s tournament as an offensive juggernaut, producing a tournament-high home run total and averaging more than 10 runs per game across five games. Team USA, by contrast, leaned on a deep pitching staff that included high-leverage arms such as Mason Miller and David Bednar.
Major League Baseball rolled out an automated ball-strike (ABS) review system in 2026 to reduce disputed calls in the regular season; the system allows managers to trigger an automatic review by tapping a helmet when a pitch is disputed. The WBC’s use of replay and technological supports, however, is governed separately by the event organizers, and this semifinal highlighted gaps between available tracking data and the on-field rulebook or review provisions applied in international play.
Main event
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the ninth with the Dominican Republic trailing 2-1 and the tying run at third. Geraldo Perdomo, batting ninth, worked an eight-pitch at-bat against USA closer Mason Miller. After a sequence of fastballs and sliders, Miller delivered a final slider that, according to pitch-tracking, crossed far below the calculated strike zone.
Perdomo began to drop his bat and jog toward first as he believed the pitch to be ball four that would load the bases and bring Fernando Tatís Jr. to the plate. Instead, home-plate umpire Cory Blaser signaled strike three. Team USA celebrated the out while the Dominican players and bench showed visible frustration on the field.
Earlier in the game, Juan Soto was called out looking at a Garrett Whitlock slider at the start of the eighth inning; replays and tracking data similarly showed that pitch below the knees. Dominicans had one run in the game—Junior Caminero’s solo homer off Paul Skenes—and missed other opportunities, including a bases-loaded double play induced by Tyler Rogers in the fifth inning that kept the USA in front.
Analysis & implications
The ending spotlights the tension between human umpiring and ever-more-precise tracking technologies. When pitch-tracking and replay align against an on-field call in a high-stakes international game, stakeholders often demand clearer, standardized review procedures. For the Dominican Republic, whose offense had dominated earlier rounds, the call will likely feel more consequential because it halted a probable comeback opportunity in a semifinal.
For tournament organizers, the incident raises questions about aligning WBC replay policy with the technological tools in use. If the WBC continues without an ABS-style automatic review, future disputed calls may produce similar controversies—especially in games featuring the tournament’s best hitters and highest velocity pitchers.
From a competitive standpoint, the outcome underscores the value of pitching depth. Even as the Dominicans led the event in runs per game and homers, Team USA managed to limit damage through timely relief appearances from Tyler Rogers, David Bednar and a final outing from Mason Miller. That combination of control and bullpen management proved decisive in a 2-1 contest ultimately decided by one pitch-call.
Comparison & data
| Metric | Dominican Republic | Team USA |
|---|---|---|
| Runs per game (through five games) | 10.3 | — |
| WBC home runs (through five games) | 14 | 7 |
| Final score (semifinal) | USA 2, Dominican Republic 1 | |
The table highlights the contrast between the Dominican Republic’s tournament-long offensive output and the single-run result in this semifinal. Despite a major home-run advantage and high run scoring in prior games, the Dominicans were stymied by a series of key relief outings and two inning-changing plays: a bases-loaded double play in the fifth and the disputed called third strike in the ninth.
Reactions & quotes
“I knew it was 100% a ball.”
Geraldo Perdomo (quoted to ESPN)
Perdomo’s remark to ESPN captured the immediate player-level disbelief after the called strike. His comment also drew attention to the pitch-tracking data that multiple broadcasters displayed in the moments after the play.
“I don’t want to focus on the last pitch. I’m not going to criticize any of that. It wasn’t meant to be.”
Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic manager, postgame)
Manager Albert Pujols offered a restrained response in his postgame remarks, signaling a reluctance to escalate the dispute publicly, while acknowledging the emotional weight of the defeat for his team and its passionate fan base.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the Dominican team had any formal review challenge available at the moment of the call is not confirmed in available reports.
- Plans by WBC organizers to adopt an MLB-style ABS review for future tournaments have not been publicly announced and remain unconfirmed.
- Any internal review, discipline, or official statement regarding Cory Blaser’s call has not been released publicly at the time of this writing.
Bottom line
The semifinal’s ending will likely be remembered as much for the disputed call as for the baseball played over nine innings. For the Dominican Republic, the loss is a stark reminder that even dominant offensive teams can be undone by a few pivotal plays and two high-leverage defensive outs. For the sport’s administrators, it is a renewed impetus to examine whether international competitions should more closely mirror MLB’s tech-and-review framework to reduce similar controversies.
Team USA advances from the semifinal and will face the winner of the other bracket with momentum and a bullpen that executed in high-pressure moments. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic leaves the tournament having demonstrated elite offensive firepower but also a vulnerability to late-game pitching and the consequences of an unresolved dispute over a single pitch-call.