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Aaron Judge had a ton of praise for the World Baseball Classic’s environment after Team USA narrowly defeated the Dominican Republic, 2-1, at loanDepot Park in Miami on Sunday.
Judge made an incredible defensive play when he threw out Fernando Tatis Jr. trying to get to third base. The New York Yankees star also had a home run, or a likely double, taken away by center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
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United States right fielder Aaron Judge (99) runs after hitting a double during the first inning against Canada during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park on March 13, 2026. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
The atmosphere was electric and Judge told reporters after the game it was better than the World Series.
“It was bigger and better than the World Series,” he said. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.”
“You get chills standing there on the line, hearing them announce all the names,” he added. “It was like an All-Star team they got over there.”
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United States Aaron Judge reacts after striking out during the eighth inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
More than 36,000 packed the Miami Marlins’ stadium to watch the World Baseball Classic semifinal. The crowd got hot when Junior Caminero homered off Paul Skenes and roared a few more times when Team USA’s Gunnar Henderson tied the game and Roman Anthony hit the go-ahead dinger.
Anthony reminisced about the 2023 World Baseball Classic final, revealing he bought a ticket to watch the U.S., but they fell to Japan.
“Coming to the WBC here, you dream of representing this country and being here the next time around,” Anthony said.
United States’ Aaron Judge gestures to the team after hitting a single during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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The U.S. will now await the winner of the Venezuela-Italy game to see who they will face in the final.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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