Aaron Judge Says USA Will Get 'Taste of Playoff Atmosphere' vs. Dominican Republic in WBC Semifinals

Team USA captain Aaron Judge is looking forward to a semifinal clash with the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

"The boys are excited, that's for sure," Judge told reporters Friday. "Definitely getting a taste of playoff atmosphere in March. Definitely gets the juices flowing a little bit. We're excited to hop on the flight to Miami and get this rolling. We know what type of team they've got over there. Incredible offense, incredible pitching staff, bullpen, everything is just top-notch. So, we're looking forward to it."

The United States advanced to the WBC semifinals with a 5-3 win over Canada on Saturday.

Judge went 1-for-3 with one walk in the victory.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic punched its ticket to the semifinal round following a lopsided 10-0 victory over South Korea in which the mercy rule was used to end the game after seven innings.

The United States is attempting to make its third consecutive appearance in the WBC title game, but it'll have to beat a Dominican Republic squad filled with MLB stars.

This includes Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

Paul Skenes will start for Team USA in the upcoming matchup, while the Dominican Republic is expected to utilize Luis Severino on the mound.

The two teams are set to face off on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.