Imago
Credit: MLB.com
Imago
Credit: MLB.com
Well, the World Baseball Classic final is underway, and everybody has picked their sides. But the umpires on the field mustn’t, like how that last call in the USA vs Dominican Republic ruined the game. And that is why it is very important to know who the umpires are on the field.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Umpire Channel on Facebook reported saying, “Congrats to the 2026 WBC finals umpire crew!” With that, they added a photo of the umpires.
Dan Bellino is going to be standing behind the home plate for the final game of the World Baseball Classic. he has has handled 29 games behind the plate in 2025 with an accuracy of 94.71%. Cory Blaser is going to be working first base alongside Jeremie Rehak at second. They are going to be backed up by Chris Graham at third, Delfin Colon at left field, and Cuti Suarez at right.
Imago
Major League umpires L to R Tony Randazzo, Phil Cuzzi, Dan Bellino and home plate umpire Alex Tosi gather at home plate for a photo before the start of the Milwaukee Brewers-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sunday, April 21, 2024. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY SLP2024042101 BILLxGREENBLATT
The happy news is that there have not been any controversial calls by Dan Bellino in the World Baseball Classic. And the hope is that the umpires are going to handle the pressure and have a positive impact on the game. Especially with no ABS in the WBC.
Calls for ABS in the World Baseball Classic are starting to gain momentum
The semifinal between the USA and the Dominican Republic ended on a bad call by Cory Blaser. Ball tracking showed that the pitch by Mason Miller missed the zone by a few inches. Earlier in the game, Juan Soto was also called out on a similar pitch. Statcast data placed both pitches outside the zone, making two missed calls in late innings.
Geraldo Perdomo, after the game, said that he knew it was a ball. Juan Soto reacted to this by shaking his head and and spoke to the umpire before leaving. Those moments added to the arguments of ABS in the World Baseball Classic.
Derek Jeter said in the postgame that ABS will likely be added to the 2029 WBC after this controversy. CC Sabathia posted online supporting the USA win but calling out the final call by the umpire. For decades, baseball accepted human error, yet technology now offers precise zone checks in seconds.
