United States defeats Dominican Republic, advances to the WBC Final

Miami.- The United States defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday at LoanDepot Park in Miami, advancing to the final of the World Baseball Classic for the third consecutive time after capitalizing on two fourth-inning home runs by Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony. The tightly contested semifinal remained tense throughout, with the decisive moment coming on the final play when a pitch from Mason Miller was called a strike, leaving Dominican switch-hitter Geraldo Perdomo out and sealing the American victory amid controversy.

The Dominican Republic struck first in the second inning when Junior Caminero launched a solo home run off Paul Skenes, giving his team an early lead. However, the Dominican offense was largely contained afterward. Skenes allowed one run on six hits over four and a third innings before handing the game over to a strong U.S. bullpen that kept the powerful Dominican lineup from mounting a comeback.

The United States turned the game around in the fourth inning when Henderson tied it with a home run off Luis Severino, and Anthony followed with the go-ahead blast against Dominican reliever Gregory Soto. Despite the presence of Dominican stars such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto, the U.S. pitching staff held firm. Team USA will now face the winner of the other semifinal between Italy and Venezuela for the championship.