Juan Soto Throws Subtle Shade at Team USA After World Baseball Classic Loss

One of the greatest games in modern baseball memory took place on March 15, when Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic by a score of 2-1 in the semifinal for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

There was about as much talent on the field as one will see in any MLB All-Star Game, as both the USA and the Dominican Republic squads boast an insane amount of star power. When it comes to the Dominican Republic team, New York Mets star Juan Soto was a key part of their lineup and a big reason why they advanced to the semifinal in the first place.

Team USA has Mets ace Nolan McLean (who is starting the championship game on March 17) on its roster, and also had Clay Holmes before he returned to New York's spring training facility last week.

Dominican Republic left fielder Juan Soto | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Soto went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his squad's semifinal loss to Team USA on Sunday. And while the only run the Dominican Republic scored was a solo home run by Junior Caminero in the second innings off Paul Skenes (all three runs scored in the game were from solo home runs), they arguably had more scoring opportunities than Team USA throughout the game but couldn't capitalize.

Add on the controversial strike three call on Geraldo Perdomo on behalf of Mason Miller to end the game, and there's a case to be made that the better team did not win last night's WBC thriller.

MASON MILLER WINS THE BATTLE

TEAM USA WINS THE GAME! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/IJCG9vjv5r
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 16, 2026

Juan Soto Asserts Team USA Isn't World's Best Team

Frankly, the Dominican Republic looked like the world's best baseball team throughout the World Baseball Classic, as they were dominating essentially every opponent they'd faced until losing to Team USA.

And Juan Soto still believes his team is the best even after the loss, which he conveyed when speaking with ESPN's Jeff Passan postgame.

"We showed the world who's the best team in baseball," Soto said, per an X post from SNY.

Juan Soto told @JeffPassan following Team Dominican Republic's defeat to Team USA in the WBC Semifinals that the Dominicans proved they had the best team in the competition pic.twitter.com/FPWJQwXqOV
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2026

This comment is raising eyebrows, given that the Dominican Republic team lost fair and square. But one can't fault Soto for his unflinching belief in his team.

While many Mets fans might not have liked this comment from their star player, the bottom line is that he's now heading back to their club's spring training camp and appears poised for another MVP-caliber 2026 campaign.

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