MIAMI — There were no fancy bat flips heading into the night.
There were no dances on the basepaths or selfies in the dugout.
There was no loud music in the clubhouse, just a simple speech from Team USA captain Aaron Judge reminding his teammates that they hadn’t accomplished anything yet.
But did you know?
The Americans managed to have the time of their lives Sunday night, in the most unique environment Judge has ever experienced, and relying on pitching to shut down perhaps the strongest batting lineup ever assembled.
America 2, Dominican Republic 1.
“It’s a game that we’ll always remember, yeah,” said Mark DeRosa, the U.S. national team coach. “We knew this was going to be a high-profile game, probably one of the most-watched games of all time. … Win or no, baseball won.”
The crowd of 36,337 at Lawndepot Park were glued to every pitch, standing to their feet and cheering passionately throughout the night. Once that was done, Team USA returned to the clubhouse and reenacted the scene.
“It was bigger and better than the World Series,” Judge said. “The passion the fans have for representing their country and their favorite players is unmatched.
“I get chills now thinking about how special that was.”
The U.S. advances to the championship game on Tuesday night and will play the winner of Monday’s Venezuela-Italy semifinal at Lawn Depot Park on Monday night.
If America wins that title game, there could be a party that will make a South Beach club look like a senior citizen’s bingo night.
The team, which has been ridiculed for treating fights like business meetings, can’t wait to let everyone know that winning the WBC title allows them to let out all their emotions and celebrate in different ways.
So Team USA, please. Please stop telling the story.
They may not have an espresso machine in the dugout or wear a customized jacket after hitting a home run.
But please don’t joke. they are having a lot of fun.
U.S. center fielder Pete Crow Armstrong said, “I think this tournament went the way we wanted it to go.” “And that feels like we’re the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world.”
Team USA finds the stories about their attitude pretty ridiculous.
“It’s a lot of fun. I think it’s interesting,” Crow Armstrong said. “I just think we pick our positions. For example, if everyone shuffled like (Juan) Soto or Vladi (Guerrero) wiggled a little bit, it would be ridiculous, but that’s about it. And if I had enough swag to do it, I probably would do it too.”
“We all have fun in our own ways, but we definitely have fun outside.”
So why not do a 40-foot bat flip, bounce around the bases, or come up with your own gimmick like Fernando Tatis Jr.?
“Maybe we should,” said Crow Armstrong. “I don’t think that’s as authentic to them as being who they are. … Everyone expresses their passion in different ways, and that’s the best thing about this tournament.”
American first baseman Bryce Harper recalls when he first reached the big leagues at the age of 19, wearing a black suit, using a different colored bat and wearing brightly colored cleats. It was shut down immediately.
“I think every country has their own way of playing, right?” Harper said. “Obviously, Latin American countries are full of talent and energy. I love seeing that because that’s how I played when I was younger.”
“That’s why I was in trouble. When I came up, I was using a gray bat. I was using different cleats. I hung up my cleats. MLB told me I couldn’t use a gray bat. I couldn’t use a black eye and all that kind of thing. I kind of got beat up for that…
“But we have the utmost respect for people from all walks of life in baseball. That’s why our games are so cool and so fun to watch…Baseball is the best game in the world because it brings together so many different styles, especially in this tournament.”
The Dominican Republic advanced to the semifinals with an average of 10 points and 14 home runs per game. In the second inning, Junior Caminero’s home run allowed them to score only one run, and the rest were shut out by Paul Skeens and five relief pitchers.
And oh, that American defense. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was there all night. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson had a great performance as he hit the game-tying home run in the third inning. And no play changed the game more than Aaron Judge’s pitch in the third inning.
The Dominican Republic felt threatened, and Ketel Marte hit a sharp two-out double to right field, with Tatis at first base and Soto at bat, and the capacity crowd of 36,337 roared. But instead of staying at second base, Tatis advanced to third base and was easily thrown by Judge with his most forceful throw in three years.
Please come together. The inning is over.
In the 7th inning, the Dominican Republic still couldn’t get Judge’s throw out of their heads, and they were unable to score on a single from second base to center field, and suddenly became reluctant to play on base.
“I think that pitch definitely changed things,” Crow Armstrong said. “I don’t know if it was the base coach’s fault or the players’ fault, but somewhere there was a change.”
“You love hitting home runs, but that moment was pretty cool,” the judge said.
At the end of the night, Team USA sat in the clubhouse, trying to understand how it was possible that they could hit two home runs in three at-bats in the fourth inning, only have one hit the rest of the game, and still win.
“That means our bullpen is going to come in and do the job they’ve been doing,” DeRosa said. “The Dominican Republic never stopped. The traffic was constant and never relaxed. … I’m lucky to manage them. It was really fun.”
Skens pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, but the Dominican Republic put runners on base in all but two innings after that. At least two runners were on base in the fourth inning. The bases were loaded. However, with runners in scoring position, he had only two hits in nine at-bats, and did not have a single infield hit.
The game ended when closer Mason Miller, who had already thrown 21 pitches, struck out Gerardo Perdomo along with Julio Rodriguez at third base. The pitch looked low and Perdomo screamed in frustration, but since the WBC does not have an ABS challenge system, the call was held and the match ended.
“This is just an incredible experience,” the judge said. they have passion. they love games. They respect the game. I think the coolest part of this game is that we can go into the match and fight to the end. And just seeing the respect, the love, the passion that they have for this game, it’s what you dream of as a kid.
“What a game.”
