Geraldo Perdomo 'Knew 100%' WBC Ump Missed Final Strike 3 Call in Dominican Republic's Loss to USA

Dominican Republic shortstop Geraldo Perdomo didn't need to consult the pitch-tracking data to correctly guess Mason Miller's slider was out of the zone to end the game.

"I knew 100% it was a ball. I knew it," he told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Instead of getting a free pass on a full count, Perdomo was visibly frustrated when what should've been ball four was instead called a strike, sealing Team USA's 2-1 win.

The moment served as a great advertisement for the Automated Ball-Strike system MLB is adopting for the 2026 season. The World Baseball Classic doesn't utilize ABS, which would've corrected the call on Sunday night.

Under MLB's new rules, Perdomo could've challenged the ruling.

Compounding matters, D.R. star Juan Soto was punched out in almost the exact same location in the eighth inning.

"It's part of the game," Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz said to Passan. "You lost by inches. We'll have ABS in a few years, so hopefully next time we can challenge plays like that."

By and large, umpires are better than a lot of fans realize, but it only takes one wrong decision to overshadow all of the right ones. Home-plate ump Cory Blaser could've nailed every other pitch on Sunday, yet the missed balls to Soto and Perdomo are what people will remember the most.

The Dominican Republic didn't lose solely because of the Perdomo's strikeout. The offense went scoreless after the second inning and batted 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight stranded overall. The D.R. had chances to tie the score and couldn't capitailize.

Still, we'll never know what would've happened if Fernando Tatis Jr. had stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and two out against his San Diego Padres teammate with the game on the line.