Dominican Republic's Albert Pujols Reacts to Ump's Final Strike 3 Call in Loss to USA in WBC Semis

While some fans questioned the final pitch in the Dominican Republic's 2-1 loss to the United States in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday, Albert Pujols didn't put any blame on the umpires.

"I don't want to focus on the last pitch," the Dominican Republic manager told reporters. "...I'm not going to criticize any of that. It wasn't meant to be."

The United States led 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, but the Dominican Republic was well within striking distance after a pitcher's duel. Junior Caminero struck out, but Julio Rodríguez got on base after a walk.

Rodríguez then moved into scoring position thanks to a walk, and he advanced to third on an Oniel Cruz groundout, putting the tying run 90 feet away with two outs.

Geraldo Perdomo hoped to be the hero for the Dominican side but was called out on strikes after an eight-pitch battle with Mason Miller. The Arizona Diamondbacks' shortstop was visibly upset with the call that ended the game.

Coming up short of knocking off the United States is disappointing for a Dominican team that features so much talent, but as Pujols said, it just wasn't meant to be. Still, the team has plenty to be happy about as it reached the WBC semifinal for the first time since 2013, when it won the tournament.

The influx of talent in MLB from the D.R. is likely to continue in the coming years, so it should be back in contention in the World Baseball Classic next time.

As for the United States, it will now face the winner of Italy and Venezuela in the WBC final on Tuesday.