There was no helmet to tap, no modern technology to swoop in and keep alive the Dominican Republic’s hopes in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Just a good old-fashioned blown call that the most passionate team in this World Baseball Classic might be stewing about for ages.
With the tying run at third and Team USA closer Mason Miller clinging to a 2-1 lead in this World Baseball Classic semifinal, No. 9 hitter Geraldo Perdomo milked eight pitches out of the All-Star closer, his 102 mph fastball beginning to tick down a bit.
So Miller threw a slider on that eighth pitch, an offering he failed to land earlier in the inning on several occasions. And this one, according to pitch-tracking systems, tumbled far below the bottom of the strike zone as well.
Perdomo prepared to toss his bat and jog to first. The lineup would turn over, two runners on for leadoff man Fernando Tatís Jr., Miller’s pitch count soaring to 22.
