Karl Anthony Towns
Getty
Karl Anthony Towns provided NSFW recap of WBC semifinal ending
Karl Anthony Towns didn’t mince words Sunday after the Dominican Republic’s nail-biting semifinal loss to Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Towns, who has proudly embraced his Dominican heritage and represented the country in international basketball, blasted the final play of the 2-1 defeat in Miami, a loss many observers felt was dictated by questionable umpiring.
While addressing reporters after the game, the New York Knicks center couldn’t hold back his frustration: “Hell yeah, that was a ball, man! That was some bulls**t. They should have had a chance. They had [Fernando]Tatis Jr. coming up. Come on, man,” Towns said.
Jomboy Media
Karl-Anthony Towns says the ending of USA vs. DR was “some bullshit”
Towns’ frustration wasn’t rooted in his fandom, either, as the pitch zone reflected that the final strike call against the Dominican Republic’s Geraldo Perdomo was incorrect.
Jomboy Media
Very questionable strike three call ends an unbeliveable game
The Athletic
This was the strike 3 call that clinched Team USA’s win over the Dominican Republic.
Will World Baseball Classic Convert to Robo Umps?
World Baseball Classic 2026
GettyTeam USA advances to WBC 2026 final following questionable strike call
Longtime New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter weighed in on the controversial strike call postgame and suggested that ABS — the replay system coming to MLB officially in 2026 — be implemented for the next World Baseball Classic.
“You can pretty much guarantee they’re going to have the challenge system in place for the next WBC, right?” Jeter said on Fox after the game. “You hate to end a game that way, but you give credit to the U.S. They not only pitched well, they hit two home runs, they played great defense.”
That’s Baseball, Suzyn
Derek Jeter: “Well you can pretty much guarantee they’re going to have the ABS challenge in place at the next WBC. You hate to see a game end that way.”
An absolutely vicious indictment of home plate umpire Cory Blaser.
Beginning with the 2026 MLB season, players will have the power to appeal the strike-zone judgments of human home-plate umpires by turning to the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, powered by T-Mobile.
This technological advancement will help ensure the most important calls are made correctly and adds an interesting wrinkle to America’s pastime.
The ABS Challenge System will make its formal debut on Opening Night when the San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees at 8:05 p.m. ET in the first-ever live MLB broadcast on Netflix.
The ABS Challenge System monitors the exact location of each pitch, relative to the specific batter’s zone.
Players can request a challenge of a ball or strike call they feel the umpire got wrong, and when they do, a graphic displaying the result is transmitted and shown nearly instantaneously to both home viewers via the broadcast and those in attendance via the videoboard.
Hopefully, after the infamous blown call during the Dominican Republic’s 2-1 semifinal loss against Team USA, a similar challenge is added to the next World Baseball Classic, too.
Team USA Seeks Historic WBC Championship Win
Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson
GettyTeam USA advances to third consecutive World Baseball Classic final
After coming up short in 2023, Team USA has a shot at redemption in this year’s tournament.
Having punched their ticket to their third consecutive World Baseball Classic final, Team USA seeks to clinch its second tournament championship.
“It’s bigger and better than the World Series,” Team USA captain Aaron Judge said of the WBC after a 2-1 semifinal win over the Dominican Republic. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.”
The 2026 World Baseball Classic final is on Tuesday, March 17, at 8 p.m. ET. The championship game will be held at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, featuring Team USA against the winner of the Italy-Venezuela semifinal.