D-backs star Geraldo Perdomo warmly greets umpire who erroneously rung him up in World Baseball Classic
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Arizona Diamondbacks star Geraldo Perdomo and umpire Cory Blaser both had unfortunate roles to play in the final out of Team USA’s memorable win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic semifinals.
It was Perdomo who took strike three to end a thrilling game, with a runner on third and a one-run deficit. And it was Blaser who thought a pitch well under the strike zone was a ball.
It was the lowest called strike of the past two WBCs, by more than two inches.
TEAM USA IS HEADED TO THE WBC FINAL 🇺🇸
(via @WBCBaseball)pic.twitter.com/d7cKXjQKhX— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 16, 2026
Perdomo wasn’t happy with the call, letting out a yell and squatting in frustration as Team USA celebrated the 2-1 win. He wasn’t happy after the game either, telling reporters he “knew 100% it was a ball.”
Fortunately, it was a friendlier situation two weeks later.
In a heck of a coincidence, it was Blaser behind the plate for Perdomo’s second game of the season. It was even the same catcher, too, Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It could have been an awkward situation, but Perdomo made the classy gesture of offering Blaser a half-hug before his first at-bat.
Arizona Diamondbacks player Geraldo Perdomo of the Dominican Republic greeted home plate umpire Cory Blaser before his first at bat.
This is the same umpire who rang Perdomo up to end the WBC semifinal vs the USA 👀 pic.twitter.com/eRd4HG3DYY— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) March 28, 2026
It was quick, but no likely less meaningful for the men involved.
Perdomo went 1-for-4 in that game, with a double in the fourth inning. The Dodgers won 5-4, leaving the D-backs with an 0-2 record and needing a win Saturday to avoid a three-game sweep to open the season.
