USA shuts down powerful Dominican Republic lineup to reach World Baseball Classic final in thriller

MIAMI — The loanDepot crowd here was about 90 percent for the Dominican team.The game, happily, was a lot closer than that.This was a matchup of two of the most talented rosters ever assembled, and they did not disappoint a predictably raucous sellout crowd.

It took until their semifinal game in this World Baseball Classic, but Team USA finally played to its billing in its thrilling 2-1 victory over the Dominican Republic that sent them to the finals Tuesday night against the winner of Monday’s Venezuela-Italy matchup.Our band of All-Stars and all-timers, which seemingly sleepwalked through its first five WBC games, finally showed their real colors in a contest that resembled an All-Star game.The two teams and their star-studded rosters treated the crowd to big-time power, web gems and action galore.

They even matched the hype.“Tonight is going to be electric,” USA star Bobby Witt Jr.said before the game.“It should be a lot of fun,” USA’s Bryce Harper said.“This is what you dream about as a kid,” USA captain Aaron Judge said.There were monstrous bombs by both sides.

The D.R.’s Junior Caminero slammed one of the facing of the second decade off USA ace starter Paul Skenes, a rare pitcher to hold D.R.down (the Caminero drive was the only damage in Skenes’ 4 1/3 innings).

Gunnar Henderson rocketed one deep into the left-field stands for Team USA in the fourth inning, and Roman Anthony followed with a drive that easily cleared the wall in right-center field and turned out to be the game winner thanks to five Team USA relievers putting up zeroes.There were four-star plays.Judge gunned down an overexuberant Fernando Tatis Jr.

trying to take third with two outs and Juan Soto due up next.USA’s Brice Turang laid out to rob Soto of a hit.

The brilliant Witt Jr.turned a Soto bouncer into a 6-6-3 double play, then later made his patented dive in the shortstop hole to nail Manny Machado.Julio Rodriguez went over the center field wall to take a homer...