"Last ball, what do you think?" Controversy protagonist U.S. closing pitcher refuses to answer direct questions → Rampant

*This content was translated by AI.

On the mound, the "Light Speed Finishing", which was spraying a fastball close to 103 miles per hour (about 166 kilometers per hour), showed a "Light Speed Red Card" at the press conference. Although there are local criticisms that he took the victory due to his apparent misjudgment, Mason Miller (28, San Diego Padres), the closing pitcher of the U.S. national team, left behind the reporters' day question.

On the 16th (Korea Standard Time), Ron Depot Park is located in Miami, Florida. The official press conference of the U.S. national team, which beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the 2026 WBC semifinal, which received much attention around the world, to qualify for the final, was ablaze with more controversy than the joy of victory. This is because it was confirmed through the broadcast screen that the eighth slider of Miller, who struck out Heraldo Perdomo, was close to the "ball" in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and third base in the U.S. leading 2-1.

Reporters' questions poured out to Mason Miller, who came into the press conference as a coach after the game. In particular, one last reporter asked, "What do you think about the last ball? There are many voices calling for the introduction of an ABS (automatic pitch reading system) in this competition, but what is your opinion?" and the air in the conference hall cooled down in an instant.

The reporter also asked Paul Skins, who was a starting pitcher, "What kind of trouble did you have in dealing with Dominica's brilliant batting lineups from 1 to 9?"

But the answer was only Skins. Miller rose from his seat with his mouth shut as soon as Skins' response was over. There was no explanation of the ball's trajectory or his feelings as a pitcher who kept the victory. As if running into the dugout after escaping a run crisis on the mound, he exited the press conference at a rapid pace. It was a de facto 'refusal to answer' and a row.

Miller was the closer for the San Diego Padres during the 2025 season. In 60 regular league games, he recorded a record of 1-2 with 22 saves and a 2.63 ERA. Although there were four Blon saves that lost the opportunity to save, the WHIP (average on-base allowance per inning), an indicator of pitcher stability, is low at 0.83. He also has a good batting average of 0.161.

Miller, who boasts the highest ball power in the big league, was not free from criticism that he kept the victory with "luck" rather than "ball." Above all, considering that the equalizer was at third base, and that the next batter was Fernando Tatis Jr., it was an "unacceptable tragedy" for the Dominican Republic to end the game on a ball far out of the strike zone.

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*This content was translated by AI.