Team USA hung on to beat Canada, 5-3, on Friday in a game that was much closer than most anticipated.
Now, Mark DeRosa’s team will square up Sunday against the most entertaining team in the WBC: the Dominican Republic.
The Caribbean nation is absolutely stacked with talent and has dominated all opposition thus far.
That’s why, when asked about their upcoming semifinals matchup, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge admitted that all players were excited for this playoff-like contest at this point in the year.
Aaron Judge says Team USA players are “excited” about facing the Dominican Republic
“Definitely getting a taste of playoff atmosphere in March. Definitely gets the juices flowing a little bit,” Judge said. “The boys are excited, that’s for sure.”
Team USA will send Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes to the mound to clinch a spot in the final. Should they advance, they’d meet with Venezuela, Japan, Puerto Rico or Italy.
DeRosa’s team hasn’t been as dominant as anticipated, dropping a game to Italy in the group stage and barely getting past Canada in the quarterfinals.
That said, it arguably has the most talented roster in contention, with the Dominican Republic a close second.
Judge already has plenty of experience going against the likes of Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Fernando Tatis Jr., so he knows the type of firepower they can bring to the table.
Anything can happen in a win-or-go-home scenario, but it looks like Team USA feels just as pumped as everybody else watching at home.