The only thing that can defeat Team USA in the World Baseball Classic is its own players. We saw it against Italy, where the batters simply could not get hits. While we have seen some great glove work from Brice Turang, he has not been perfect. And against Puerto Rico, he almost cost the team big time.

“Did Brice Turang lose it on the transfer, or should the runner have been safe?” asked Barstool Sports after a fumble by Brice Turang.

In the 4th inning of the game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado had the runners on 1st and 2nd base. Then Junior Caminero hit a routine groundball, but Brice Turang had a major fumble and could have made the inning huge for the Dominican Republic.

Instead of an inning-ending double play, Turang could only record the force out at 2nd. It got worse when Julio Rodriguez came up to the plate; he had runners at the corners. And when Paul Skenes hit Rodriguez, things shifted big time because the bases were loaded.

Skenes was able to get out of the inning unscathed as Austin Wells hit a flyball to end the inning. Paul Skenes finished the game 4.1 innings, 6 hits, and 1 earned run.

This mistake becomes bigger because he made an error even against Mexico in their close encounter. In that game, Turang also mishandled a grounder that allowed Joey Ortiz to get on base. But Turang has also shown what he can do with his glove, making a diving stop on Juan Soto’s groundball. Those flashes remind fans why the same glove produced 22 Defensive Runs Saved during the 2024 season.

But with the USA winning the game 2-1 against the Dominican Republic and heading to the Final for the third straight time, the fans are not happy with Turang’s glove.