Baseball World Stunned by Blown Call That Ended WBC Thriller Between US and Dominican Republic: ‘One of the Worst Calls of All Time’

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The baseball world was left fuming when the World Baseball Classic matchup between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic ended with a blown strike call.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the U.S. held a 2-1 lead over DR. With two outs and a man on third base, Geraldo Perdomo worked the count full against American pitcher Mason Miller. On a 3-2 pitch, Miller threw a slider that was several inches below the strike zone. Perdomo laid off the pitch, but the home plate umpire called it a strike for the third and final out. A stunned Perdomo dropped his bat and raised his arms above his head as the Americans began celebrating.

Had the pitch been correctly called a ball, Miller would’ve faced Fernando Tatis Jr.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was left disappointed by what should have been an exciting finish, declaring that the game “cannot end like that.”

CNN’s Elex Michaelson was happy the Americans advanced, but lamented the fact that the win came as a result of a “botched call.”

In another viral tweet, one user boldly declared the called strike “one of the worst calls of all time.” Included in the tweet was a graphic showing the ball was way below the zone.

Countless others shared similar thoughts.

Perdomo later told ESPN he “knew 100% it was a ball” on that final pitch.

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