Geraldo Perdomo moving on from controversial call to end WBC: ‘At least Venezuela won’

SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has had a few days to digest and move on from what he and many others felt was an unjust ending to his World Baseball Classic run for Team Dominican Republic.

Perdomo was back at Diamondbacks camp on Wednesday after he was rung up on a breaking ball below the zone to cap an eight-pitch at-bat against Team USA closer Mason Miller, which ended the semifinal game with the tying run on third base.

The U.S. then lost the championship to Venezuela on Tuesday, 3-2, with D-backs starter Eduardo Rodriguez tossing 4.1 scoreless innings.

Perdomo glowed about his first WBC experience as a whole, saying each night felt like playing Game 7 of the World Series. But it was difficult in the moment to come to terms with what just happened on Sunday night, given the passion and stakes of the game in Miami.

“It happens. It sucked because it was at that moment, but it’s part of the game,” Perdomo said Wednesday. 

“I always say they’re human and they’re going to make mistakes, miss some calls. It’s like us, sometimes we make a mistake, but I don’t judge them for that. It was a hard moment, but it is what it is.”

Perdomo stayed diplomatic, but he had to throw an “at least Venezuela won,” comment at the end of his answer.

He’s a competitor, after all, and the Dominican and Venezuelan teams have a bond as the two most prominent Latin countries in terms of major league ballplayers.

Geraldo Perdomo on the called third strike:

“It happens. It sucks because it was at that moment, but it’s part of the game.”

Interesting note at the end, too pic.twitter.com/dzyP5GfFjy

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) March 18, 2026

Ketel Marte, Perdomo’s Arizona and Dominican teammate, also went with the “we’re human, things happen” answer when the topic came up Wednesday. Asked whether the pitch was a strike, he smiled and asked the media if the pitch was a strike.

Most of the WBC players are back with their clubs and making final preparations for the 2026 season, as Opening Day is next week. The plan for Perdomo is to take the experience from the WBC and playing on what looked like an All-Star team on paper with him into the rest of his career.

“Everybody was having fun, played hard and it sucked that we lost, but I take the spirit and the moment with that group,” Perdomo said. 

After a marathon at-bat on the grand stage in the semifinal, Perdomo uncharacteristically swung at the first pitch in Cactus League against the Chicago Cubs. He roped a single to right field.

Perdomo finished 2-for-3 in his spring training return with a strikeout looking. It was on the eighth pitch of the at-bat and clearly in the strike zone.

WOW.

Miller gets the call and USA is going to the Final!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/98RfvXKzHb

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 16, 2026

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