Team USA needs Tarik Skubal to stay at WBC to better prepare for potential matchup against Dominican Republic

After Team USA beat Great Britain 9-1 on Saturday, pitcher Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) admitted he may change his World Baseball Classic plans. The Americans would love that.

Skubal was set to start one game in the tournament before returning to the Tigers for spring training. After experiencing the thrill of the WBC, though, he wants to pitch one more time. 

"This is going to be one of the toughest decisions of my career thus far," he said after pitching three innings on Saturday. 

The Americans could still win the WBC without Skubal. As of Sunday, DraftKings Sportsbook lists Team USA as the favorite (-115) to win the tournament ahead of the Dominican Republic (+350). The Dominicans, however, look like an even bigger competitor to the Americans after dismantling the Netherlands at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Sunday. 

The Dominican Republic crushed the Netherlands

Outfielder Juan Soto (New York Mets), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), third baseman Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), and catcher Austin Wells (New York Yankees) homered in a 12-1 win over the Netherlands to remain unbeaten in Pool D. 

The game ended under the mercy rule after Soto crushed an 85 mph slider from J.C. Sulbaran for a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. If a team leads by 10 or more runs at the WBC after seven innings, it triggers the mercy rule.