MIAMI — There were no majestic bat flip into the night.
There was no dancing on the basepaths or selfies in the dugout.
There was no blaring music in the clubhouse, just a simple speech byTeam USA captain Aaron Judgewho reminded his teammates that they haven't accomplished anything yet.
But you know what?
The Americans managed to have the time of their lives Sunday night, relying on their pitching to shut down perhaps the most powerful lineup ever assembled, in the most unique environment that Judge has ever experienced.
USA 2, Dominican Republic 1.
"Just a game we'll remember forever, right," USA manager Mark DeRosa said. "We understood this was going to be a talked-about game, probably one of the most watched games of all time. … Whether we won or didn't win, baseball won.'"
The crowd of 36,337 at loanDepot Park hung on every pitch, stood on their feet, passionately cheering throughout the night. When it was over, Team USA went back to the clubhouse re-living the scenes.
"It was bigger and better than the World Series," Judge said. "The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there's nothing like it.
"It gives me chills right now thinking about how special that was."
USA now moves onto the championship game Tuesday night where it will play the winner of Monday's Venezuela-Italy semifinal game on Monday night at loanDepot Park.
If USA wins that title game, you just may see a party that will make South Beach clubs look like a senior citizen bingo night.
The team that has been ridiculed for treating games like a business meeting, can't wait to unload all of its emotions with a WBC title, letting everyone know there are plenty of different ways to celebrate.
So, please, Team USA pleads: stop with the narrative.
They may not have espresso machines in the dugout and they're not donning customized jackets after hitting home runs.
But, don't kid yourselves, they're having a blast.
"I think we've carried ourselves this tournament the way we've wanted," USA center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. "And that is feeling like we're the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world."
Best moments as Team USA takes on Dominican Republic in WBC semifinal
Team USA just finds the talk about its demeanor to be pretty silly.
"I'm having a blast out there, I think it's hilarious," Crow-Armstrong said. "I just think we pick our spots. Like, I think you guys would think it's silly if we all shuffled like [Juan] Soto, or did Vladdy's [Guerrero] little wiggle, but that's them. And if I had enough swag to do that, I'd probably do that too."
"We have fun in our own way, but we are definitely having fun out there."
Advertisement
So, why not try to do a 40-foot bat flip like Fernando Tatis Jr., prance around the bases, and come up with some gimmicks of their own?
"Maybe we should," Crow-Armstrong said, "I don't think that would be as authentic as it for them to be who they are. … Everybody expresses their passion in different ways, and that's the best part about this tournament."
USA first baseman Bryce Harper remembers when he first reached the big leagues as a 19-year-old wearing eye black, using different-colored bats, and wearing brightly-colored spikes. That quickly got shut down.
"I think every country has the way they play, right?" Harper said. "Obviously, Latin American countries, a lot of flair, lot of energy, and I love watching it because that's how I played when I was younger.
"I got in trouble for it. When I came up, I used gray bats. I used different cleats. Got my cleats cut. MLB told me I couldn't use gray bats. Couldn't use my eye-black, and all of that kind of stuff. I kind of got pounded for it. ...
"But we have the utmost respect for people in all walks of life with baseball. That's why our game is so cool and so much fun to watch … Baseball is the greatest game in the world because you bring so many different styles together, especially in this tournament."
See energy and national pride overflow at World Baseball Classic
The Dominican Republic came into the semifinal averaging 10 runs a game, with a record 14 homers. They managed to score just one run, on a second-inning home run by Junior Caminero, and were shut down the rest of the way by Paul Skenes and five different relievers.
And, oh, that USA defense. There was shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. all night long. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who homered to tie the game in the third, made some fabulous plays. And no play changed the game more than Aaron Judge's throw in the third inning.
The Dominican Republic threatened and when Ketel Marte hit a sharp two-out single to right field with Tatis on first base, and Soto coming to the plate, they had the sellout crowd of 36,337 roaring. Yet, instead of staying on second base, Tatis took off for third, and was easily thrown out by Judge on his hardest throw in three years.
Rally over. Inning over.
The Dominican Republic suddenly became passive on the bases, not scoring from second base in the seventh inning on a single to center, with Judge's throw still on their minds.
"I think that throw definitely changed it," Crow-Armstrong said. "I don't know if it was the base coaches or maybe it was the players, but it made a shift somewhere."
Said Judge: "You know, you love hitting the homers, but a moment like that was pretty cool."
When the night ended, Team USA sat around in the clubhouse, trying to comprehend how it was possible that it hit two home runs in a span of three at-bats in the fourth inning, produced only one hit the rest of the game and still won.
"I mean, for our bullpen to come in and do the job they did," DeRosa said. "Dominican Republic never stopped. It was like constant traffic, never relaxed. … I'm blessed to be able to manage these guys. I've had an absolute blast."
Skenes pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, but the Dominican Republic had runners on base in all but two innings afterwards. Four times they had at least two runners on base. They had the bases loaded. But they went only 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and one of the hits didn't leave the infield.
The game ended with closer Mason Miller, who had already thrown 21 pitches, striking out Geraldo Perdomo with Julio Rodriguez on third base. The pitch appeared low, and Perdomo screamed in frustration, but with no ABS challenge system in the WBC, the call stood, and the game was over.
"This is just an incredible experience,'' Judge said. "Man, that's baseball right here. You know, they have passion. They love the game. They respect the game. I think that's the coolest part about this thing is that we can go out there and fight all of the way to the end, and just seeing the respect and love and passion they have for this game, that's what you dream about as a kid.
"What a game."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:USA baseball WBC win leaves Aaron Judge in awe: 'Gives me chills'
MIAMI — There were no majestic bat flip into the night. There was no dancing on the basepaths or selfies in the...
