Vladdy questions why WBC didn't use ABS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still perplexed by the way the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic after a controversial strike call ended Sunday's semifinal versus the United States.
The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman believes the WBC should've used the ABS system that MLB is implementing for the 2026 season. The tournament didn't employ the technology because some of the international host ballparks lacked the proper camera and radar setups.
"It's baseball. I'll say this - if we're going to use (ABS) this year in the regular season, why wouldn't we use it at the WBC?" Guerrero said Wednesday after returning to Blue Jays spring camp, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. "Everybody knew. (The umpire) thought it was a strike, he's human. But everybody that saw it knew what really happened."
Team USA advanced to the final after Mason Miller struck out Geraldo Perdomo on a full-count pitch that wasn't close to the zone. The Dominicans had the tying run on third base, and Fernando Tatis Jr. would've come up to bat with the winning run on first base if the pitch was correctly called a ball.
Guerrero went 8-for-18 with two homers and eight RBIs in the tournament following a historic postseason run that helped the Blue Jays reach the 2025 World Series.
The 27-year-old star acknowledged his strong WBC performance could be an indicator of what's to come this season.
"In a way, yes," Guerrero said, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "In a way, it's so-so because you still have spring training and you still have to get better at a few things for the season. Playing in a short tournament like the WBC, you don't have the chance to work on some things.
"When you're playing for your country, there's no time to get better, you just have to get out there and compete. But yes, I think it will help me a little bit."
Venezuela won its first-ever WBC title in Tuesday's final.