USA ADVANCES, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FACES DEFEAT
by: Ismael Valdez
This past Sunday March 15,2026 as the United States of America watched the Academy Awards the anticipated game between Team USA and Team Dominican Republic took place. For many fans(like your truly) was expecting Home Runs, extra base hits: Especially when team USA had sluggers Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt JR, Kyle Schwarber, and Team Dominican Republic in their lineup featured: Fernando Tatis, Juan Soto, Vladmir Guerrero, Manny Machado yet in this game neither came thru.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning Junior Caminero Hit a Solo Home Run yet team USA responed: Gunnar Henderson Third Baseman for the Baltimore Orioles would hit a solo Home Run in the 4th inning and then Roman Anthony Outfielder with the Boston Red Sox would hit another Home Run in the the same inning and that was all Team USA wrote.
The rest was up to their defense and pitching which did one of hell of job. In almost every inning leading up to the 9th inning Team DR would have one or two runners on base in almost inning yet despite their feared hitters Tatis, Guerrero, Soto, Machado they could not come thru in the clutch.
One saw this as “The Athletic” reported “ David Bednar pitcher for the New York Yankees escaped another seventh-inning jam, stranding two runners in scoring position. Garrett Whitlock from the Boston Red Sox pitched a clean eighth and in the ninth, Mason Miller pitcher from the San Diegoe Padres came in and did a Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera performance with Center Fielder Julio Rodríguez on third base and the tying run Miller struck out Shortstop for the Arizonza Diamondbacks lucky on a called strike three Geraldo Perdomo to end the game.
Besides the fine pitching performance by both teams there was some fine defensive plays made. Outfielder and current Most Valuable Player award Aaron Judge in third inning threw out hat Fernando Tatis Jr. on his attempt to go from first to third on a two-out single, stifling what could’ve been a big rally for team DR. Then Julio Rodriguez got into the performance with Judge coming to bat he hit a ball which most likely would’ve been a HOME RUN yet Rodriguez performing a Hall of Fame Willie Mays the catch As yahoo sports reported “
He timed his jump perfectly, snatching the ball before it scrapes past the centerfield wall in LoanDepot Park”
As in every Baseball Game classic this game had controversy, exciting plays, good pitching. Yet everyone knew the winner of this game most likely has good chance of winning this WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC! TEAM USA IS A SURE FAVORITE!
