Controversial Strike Calls Overshadow USA vs DR Classic

The headline out of last night’s game is two strike calls that appeared to be balls on the broadcast. It simply shouldn’t be that. Far too often, we walk away from great games with a focus on calls that “decided” the game when that simply is not the case. Could those calls have changed the game? Of course. But if Fernando Tatis could run the bases well, that could’ve changed it, too. So let’s get to the good, the bad, and the ugly of this game.

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The Ugly

I actually want to touch on this first because I feel like it is something that will get looked over in the grand scheme of that game. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Junior Caminero was the leadoff hitter for the Dominican Republic in their comeback effort. He went down 0-2 in the count to the U.S. closer, Mason Miller, and then swung at a slider that Miller threw wide of the plate. The U.S. catcher Will Smith couldn’t handle it, so Caminero had a chance to reach first. In the process of this, Caminero decided to run far out of the baseline in an attempt to block the throw and reach safely. Caminero is young and will be a great player in the MLB for a long time. It was a big stage, but you cannot do this point-blank period. Not only did it reek of desperation, but it also put the U.S. first baseman Bryce Harper in harm’s way as well. Should be a learning point for the Rays’ third baseman of the future.

The Bad

Hitting. I mean, woof was this bad. For a game whose main attraction was the depth and power of both of these lineups, boy, was it a rough night at the plate. All three runs scored came off of solo home runs, and as far as situational hitting goes, there wasn’t any. There were situations for both teams where they had their “guy” up to the plate with runners in scoring position. Then both Aaron Judge and Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out swinging on bad pitches. An exciting game, but not one where you’re gonna show the tape to your high school team on how to hit situationally.

The other glaringly obvious thing is that the Dominican Republic could not run the bases well, whether it was Fernando Tatis Jr. going when he shouldn’t or not going when he should. You also had Austin Wells misread a line drive that he should have scored on. They lost some runs on the margins with their poor baserunning.

You also had the balls and strikes calls. The obvious ones are the two that went against the Dominican Republic in the 8th and 9th innings, but overall, the zone for most of the night wasn’t great.

Lastly, Juan Soto’s quote postgame, “We showed the world who’s the best team in baseball. That’s all I got to say.” What the hell does that mean, Juan? You lost the game.

The Good

Now it’s time for me to stop being a negative Nelly.

The pitching was great. Yeah, the bad base running and poor situational hitting aided it at times. But to have those two lineups thrown at you for 9 innings and the only damage being 3 solo homeruns is pretty impressive. I would say a bit more impressive on the part of the Dominican bullpen because they did not have the same depth as the U.S. did. Absolutely nails outing out of the final 3 relievers for the U.S. Bednar found it when it mattered, Whitlock was fantastic, and Miller found just enough control to get by.

The fielding on the back end was really good, too. Obviously, you had the catch by Julio Rodriguez to rob Judge of a home run. Then, for the entire game, the double play duo of Bobby Witt and Brice Turang continued to shine. One thing that probably got overlooked is that there were a couple of fly balls that PCA made look very easy due to the great jump he got on them.

Venezuela and Italy

Tonight at 8 pm, they will battle to decide who moves on to face the U.S. in the final. Venezuela will come into the game with the more star-studded lineup, but Italy gets the better of the pitching matchup on paper. Aaron Nola will go for Team Italy, and with the pitch restrictions raised to 80, the Phillies starter can go deep if he is in control.

A great matchup of two teams who were not expected to be here, with Italy’s unlikely run through pool play and Puerto Rico. Then you have Venezuela, which was probably expected to make it out of pool play but was not expected to get past Samurai Japan’s team.

If pitching wins out, expect the espresso to be flowing for the Italians, but if the bats get hot, then Venezuela will infuse the final with some of that South American spice.

First pitch is set for 8 pm on FS1.