New Punchy Headline: "Baseball's Next Big Thing: Juan Soto Explains His Ingenious Plan!
The Dominican Republic lost to Team USA in controversial fashion, but that didn't stop Juan Soto from claiming it's the best team in the world.
In the biggest game of the World Baseball Classic so far, Team USA held on for a thrilling (and controversial) win over the star-studded Dominican Republic team. The United States led 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, but the DR had a runner in scoring position down to its last out. With a full count, a clear ball was called a strike , and thanks to the lack of challenges in the WBC, that was the end of the game.
Though the Dominican Republic ultimately didn't win the title — or even reach the final — outfielder Juan Soto made a bold claim following the loss. "We showed the world who's the best team in baseball," Soto said after the game, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. "That's all I got to say.
" Soto also struck out looking in the eighth inning on a pitch that was below the zone. Look, the Dominican team was clearly loaded, and given the way the game ended, it has a claim to being the best team in the field. Still, it's a tough argument to make after losing a semifinal game in which you scored just a single run.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Juan Soto's bold claim after loss to Team USA in WBC semifinal