USA and Dominican Republic Announce World Baseball Classic Semis Lineups; Cal Raleigh Absent
United States manager Mark DeRosa announced his lineup on Sunday for the World Baseball Classic semifinal against the Dominican Republic.
The list features Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Catcher Cal Raleigh is notably absent from the lineup.
U.S. lineup highlights
DeRosa kept many staples from earlier rounds. Judge, Harper and Schwarber have been regulars.
Raleigh enjoyed a massive MLB season. He hit 60 home runs and drove in 125 runs.
Those numbers helped the Seattle Mariners reach the American League Championship Series.
Catcher decision
In the Classic, Raleigh is 0-for-9 with five strikeouts. That played into the decision to leave him out.
Will Smith is 2-for-6 with a double. He has plenty of championship experience.
Smith won back-to-back World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last two seasons. He also won the 2020 championship.
In last season’s Fall Classic he hit a game-winning home run. It came in the 11th inning of Game 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Starting pitching
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes will take the ball for the Americans. Skenes is the reigning National League Cy Young winner.
What’s at stake
The semifinal is a single-elimination game. If the United States advances, it will play Italy or Venezuela in the championship.
Filmogaz.com will follow further updates and reaction. Lineups were announced by both USA and the Dominican Republic ahead of the semis, with Cal Raleigh absent from the U.S. lineup.
