Gunnar Henderson had words for Aaron Judge after beating the Dominican Republic

Team USA is moving on to the championship game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic after passing a tough test in the semifinal.

Against the loaded Dominican Republic side, the Americans leaned on their strong pitching, which did not need a fat run support to get the job done in a 2-1 victory over Juan Soto and company.

Solo home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in the fourth frame proved to be enough for Team USA to get past the Dominican Republic. But Henderson also credited their captain, Aaron Judge, with giving Team USA a big spark with his defense.

“[Aaron Judge’s throw] got the boys fired up right there and then me and [Roman Anthony] were able to get the two home runs, so that was pretty cool,” Henderson told Jon Morosi of the MLB Network during a postgame interview.

In the bottom of the third inning, and with the Dominican Republic ahead, 1-0, Judge made a highlight throw from right field to Henderson at third base to nail Fernando Tatis Jr. 

If Judge botched that throw, the Dominican Republic would have had Soto at the plate with two men on base – a scenario that probably would have dug Team USA a deeper hole.

But that’s all behind Team USA now, as it now looks to get the job done that it failed to accomplish three years ago, when the Americans lost to Shohei Ohtani and Japan in the title game.