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WBC 2026: Can pitching limits be improved for next tournament?

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MIAMI -- The ninth inning had arrived with the score tied after one swing of Bryce Harper's bat seemed to jolt the United States to life, a momentum shift that felt like the precursor for a championship.

Team USA needed three outs to take its turn on offense with a chance to walk it off. But Mason Miller, the world's best closer, remained idle.

In this setting, with save opportunities no longer available, Miller typically would've been the obvious choice to pitch the top of the ninth.