Dominican WBC loss ends on called strike that appeared low, a week before robot umps arrive in MLB

MIAMI (AP) 鈥� Ten days later, the United States and the Dominican Republic would have kept on playing.

Geraldo Perdomo watched Mason Miller’s full-count slider appear to drop just under the strike zone and took a step toward his team’s dugout on the third-base side, thinking he walked to put runners at the corners.

Then plate umpire Cory Blaser emphatically signaled strike three, stranding the potential tying run at third base and Sunday night that advanced the Americans to the World Baseball Classic championship game against Venezuela or Italy.

鈥淗e knew he was wrong,” Perdomo said. “I knew it was 100% wrong.鈥�

will launch when the season starts March 25, and it likely will be adopted for future editions of the WBC. The Dominicans would have been able to appeal to the so-called robot umpire if they had a challenge remaining.

鈥淚t looked a little down. Yes, I鈥檓 glad we had no ABS,鈥� U.S. outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy that the human element was in full effect.鈥�

Perdomo heard the call, found it hard to believe and while still holding his bat lurched it overhead in an arc, nearly tapping the wood against his butt.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 lose the game there,” the Arizona star said.

MLB announced in September that following testing that started in the minor leagues in 2019.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to focus on the last pitch,鈥� Dominican manager Albert Pujols said. 鈥淚鈥檓 disappointed about the way that the game ends, but I don鈥檛 want to criticize any of that. It just wasn鈥檛 meant to be for us.鈥�

One day later, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa credited catcher Will Smith for helping the pitch get called a strike, DeRosa said he thought the ball crossed some portion of the current human strike zone 鈥� a three-dimensional box rather than the straight line in the middle of the plate used by ABS.

鈥淚 can understand why Dominicans are upset about it,鈥� DeRosa said Monday. 鈥淭hat ball had a lot of plate, and Will does a hell of a job in framing, but yeah, I鈥檓 in favor of ABS coming into the game.鈥�

Miller threw 13 of 22 pitches at 100 mph or higher. He gave up a one-out walk to Julio Rodr铆guez, who advanced to third on a wild pitch and Oneil Cruz’s groundout.

Perdomo fell behind 1-2, worked the count full, then fouled off a pair of triple-digit heaters. Miller followed with his second slider of the at-bat.

鈥淗e called strike three. That’s all I care,鈥� American first baseman Bryce Harper said.

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