Team USA went 3-1 in the first round but had to sweat out its fate, then proceeded to knock out Canada with a 5-3 win in the quarterfinal on Friday. The Dominican Republic is 5-0 at this WBC, going 4-0 in pool play before destroying South Korea 10-0 to advance to the final four.

USA’s power arms, from Paul Skenes to Mason Miller, dominated the Dominican Republic’s vaunted lineup, and the Americans advanced to the WBC championship game with a 2-1 win in front of a sellout crow...

There was a point when it looked like USA might not make it out of the pool stage, but after Italy's victory over Mexico, USA did indeed advance to the knockout rounds.