Juan Soto Claiming DR As “Best Team” in Baseball After Loss Against USA Has Fans Trolling Him: “Channeling His Inner Nathan MacKinnon”

Juan Soto and the Dominican Republic were eliminated from the World Baseball Classic (WBC) after a 2-1 loss against Team USA in the semi-finals.

Juan Soto Claiming DR As “Best Team” in Baseball After Loss Against USA Has Fans Trolling Him: “Channeling His Inner Nathan MacKinnon”

Juan Soto (Image via Yahoo Sports)

On Sunday, Juan Soto and the Dominican Republic suffered a heartbreaking loss against Team USA in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic. After the loss, the outfielder made a bold “best team” in baseball statement, which sparked some wild reactions on social media.

Soto and his side had been on a dominant run in the WBC this year. They finished on top of Pool D with 4 wins from 4 games. In this pool stage, they scored 41 runs and allowed just 10.

They continued their hot streak in the quarter-finals against South Korea. A three-run shot in the bottom of the 7th inning from Austin Wells capped off a 10-0 win for them through the mercy-run rule. This victory saw them book a date in the semi-finals against the United States.

In the battle of the heavyweights, it was DR who struck first. A solo home run from Junior Caminero in the bottom of the 2nd inning against Paul Skenes gave them a 1-0 lead.

The Americans fought back with two solo home runs of their own in the 4th inning. After Gunnar Henderson tied the game against Luis Severino, Roman Anthony went yard against Gregory Soto to turn the game around.

A tight game between these two countries came all the way down to the 9th inning. With two outs away and the tying run 90 feet away, there was a huge call that went in favor of the United States.

On a full count pitch, Mason Miller would throw an 89 mph slider that would drop down a little. Hitter Geraldo Perdomo would let it go by him, thinking it would be called a ball and result in a walk. However, home plate umpire Cory Blaser would call it a strike, thus ending the game and leaving Soto and his teammates heartbroken.

There was a close call regarding Soto as well. In the bottom of the 8th inning, he was called out on strike after he did not swing his bat at a pitch that dipped low at the end.

There was no Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system in Miami on Sunday. Had it been there, the DR could have challenged the call.

After the dust had settled, Juan Soto would make his feelings known regarding his team’s performance. The New York Mets star would boldly claim that he and his team showed the world who the “best team” were.

We showed the world who’s the best team in baseball. That’s all I got to say.

Juan Soto said via Jeff Passan

As per the stats, the Dominican Republic had 8 hits in this game while the USA had 7. Soto’s team did have some great opportunities to score, but they failed to capitalize on that.

The DR, who won the WBC in 2013, will have to wait another few years to get a chance to add a second title to their name. The Americans, on the other hand, will play in their 3rd consecutive WBC final.

Social media reacts to Juan Soto’s bold words regarding DR despite loss against USA

The Dominican Republic were eliminated from the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Sunday after a 2-1 loss against the United States. Following this loss, Juan Soto found himself under the spotlight after making some bold comments regarding the DR baseball team.

Juan Soto
Juan Soto (Image via X/@SNY_Mets)

Fans on X would troll him for his comments. Many pointed out his performance in the game and called him out. One user compared his words to NHL star Nathan MacKinnon and wrote, “channeling his Nathan MacKinnon“, while taking a swipe at him.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Last month, MacKinnon made a similar statement after Canada lost in the gold medal game against the USA in men’s ice hockey. He got trolled after he asked the reporters to be the judge of who the better team was.

Juan Soto’s bat went cold in semi-final showdown against USA

Juan Soto suffered a huge WBC disappointment as the Dominican Republic lost against Team USA. Soto, who had some strong words for this team, did not have a good game in the semi final as his bat went cold.

Juan Soto
Juan Soto (Image via MLB)

Soto went 0-for-4 in this game with one strikeout and one Ground Into Double Play (GIDP). Soto, however, was not the only big name who had a poor showing in this clash.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would all have just one hit in their at-bats. These 4 stars would combine to go 3-for-16.

The WBC now comes down to its final clash. After their win over Italy in the second semifinal, Venezuela will take on the United States on Tuesday and hope to add their name to the list of champions.

Also Read: