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By Cole Sullivan
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In one of the greatest games in recent memory, Team USA baseball outlasted the Dominican Republic, 2‑1, in the World Baseball Classic semifinal on Sunday night to secure a spot in the championship game, where they’ll face the winner of Italy and Venezuela.
However, Sunday’s game didn’t end without controversy. The home plate umpire’s strike zone was widely debated after several pitches well below the zone were called strikes — most notably on Juan Soto in the bottom of the eighth and again on Geraldo Perdomo with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Perdomo’s called third strike came on a full-count pitch that was clearly below the strike zone and, with the game‑tying runner on third and the top of the order coming up, effectively ended the game.
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After the game, Soto added fuel to the controversy with a brief, confident comment, subtly taking a jab at Team USA.
“We showed the world who’s the best team in baseball,” Soto said. “That’s all I got to say.”
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Soto faced intense backlash from U.S. fans, who, unsurprisingly, disagreed with the New York Mets superstar’s claim about which team is the best in the WBC — especially given his 0-for-4 performance, which included grounding into a double play with two runners on to end the fifth inning.
"Juan Soto is the biggest baby in sports. ‘Cry baby Juan.’ Big baby!" one fan wrote.
Another added, "Why do losing teams keep saying they are the best when they lost? I don’t get it. First Canada says this after losing Gold, and now this clown."
Someone else commented, "You’re right, you showed the world that USA is the best team in baseball."
"Or being humble and admitting you were beaten by the better team would have worked too," another fan said.
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