The only thing that can defeat Team USA in the World Baseball Classic is its own players. We saw it against Italy, where the batters simply could not get hits. While we have seen some great glove work from Brice Turang, he has not been perfect. And against the Dominican Republic, he almost cost the team big time.

“Did Brice Turang lose it on the transfer, or should the runner have been safe?” asked Barstool Sports after a fumble by Brice Turang.

In the 4th inning of the game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado had the runners on 1st and 2nd base. Then Junior Caminero hit a routine groundball, but Brice Turang had a major fumble and could have made the inning huge for the Dominican Republic.

Instead of an inning-ending double play, Turang could only record the force out at second. It got worse when Julio Rodriguez came up to the plate; he had runners at the corners. And when Paul Skenes hit Rodriguez, things shifted big time because the bases were loaded.

Skenes was able to get out of the inning unscathed as Austin Wells hit a flyball to end the inning. Paul Skenes finished the game 4.1 innings, 6 hits, and 1 earned run.

This mistake becomes bigger because he made an error even against Mexico in their close encounter. In that game, Turang also mishandled a grounder that allowed Joey Ortiz to get on base. But Turang has also shown what he can do with his glove, making a diving stop on Juan Soto’s groundball. Those flashes remind fans why the same glove produced 22 Defensive Runs Saved during the 2024 season.

But with the USA winning the game 2-1 against the Dominican Republic and heading to the Final for the third straight time, the fans are not happy with Turang’s glove.

Team USA fans’ anger over the Brice Turang is through the roof

Brice Turang cannot catch a break in the WBC. He makes one great play, and the next minute is getting slammed by fans because he missed an easy double play.

“Brice Turang continuing to start despite s—ing shows DeRosa plays friends,” wrote one fan after seeing the errors Turang has made in the last two games.

Frustration is higher because we can see that DeRosa has chosen players in the team even though they have not had any significant impact in games. Some even questioned DeRosa as to why players like Gunnar Henderson are not on the team, especially after having a better offensive and defensive record than Turang in this WBC.

“Nico Hoerner would have got on in front… over Turang,” one fan pointed out after an almost costly mistake against the Dominican Republic. That frustration made sense when you look at the numbers of Hoerner. In 2025, Nico Hoerner had 17 defensive runs saved and +14 outs above average at second. Those numbers also gave him the Golden Glove for the season.

During the 4th inning, Vladdy doubled and Manny Machado singled, which had runners at 1st and 2nd base. With that bobble, Turang got the out as 2nd of Machado, but couldn’t get the out at first. And the tensions escalated after Skenes hit Julio Rodiguez with a pitch, and the bases were loaded. This made one fan say, “Brice Turang to Guantanamo Bay if that run scores,” and fortunately, Team USA escaped.

“Brice Turang is having himself a tournament,” a fan wrote, watching his rollercoaster moments unfold. He opened strong, going 3 for 6 with 4 RBIs during Team USA’s 15-5 win. Yet against Mexico and the Dominican Republic, defensive mistakes briefly put Team USA under real pressure. Still, Turang answered with sharp stops and a key ninth-inning play securing victory.

As Manny Machado charged toward second base, his slide came aggressively, studs up toward Brice Turang’s leg. In a split-second decision, Turang shifted away, fearing contact similar to Dustin Pedroia’s painful 2017 knee injury.

That quick move caused the bobble, stopping a double play as the Dominican Republic threatened. “Manny Machado was gonna slide right into Brice Turang’s Achilles if he didn’t bobble,” one fan noted.

Now, as Team USA marches into the final, all eyes will be on Brice Turang and his glove. This will not only test Turang’s mentality but also question Mark DeRosa and whether he will stick with his starter or go for a sure thing in the biggest game of the tournament.