Team USA’s roster is stacked with veteran stars, but it was their youngest hitter who propelled them into the World Baseball Classic finals with a larger-than-life home run Sunday night.

Facing the Dominican Republic’s Gregory Soto with one out in the top of the fourth, Roman Anthony‘s 421-foot solo shot to center gave Team USA their first lead of the semifinal game.

The deciding lead and final score, it turned out. Two hours after the Red Sox wunderkind’s blast Team USA won 2-1 to advance to the winner-take-all game for the third time in tournament history.

“When I hit it I kind of just blacked out,” Anthony told Kevin Burkhardt, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez on the FOX Sports postgame show. “I was, in my head (saying to the ball), ‘Just please go, please go.’ ”

Anthony, 21, has hit .318 with a 1.014 OPS in six tournament games thus far. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, there have been seven home runs by players younger than 22 in this year’s WBC. Two of them belong to Anthony, who was only invited to join Team USA in mid-February when Arizona Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll suffered a broken hamate and was forced to drop out.

“It’s been a blessing just to represent this country,” Anthony said. “Going into spring training (I) didn’t expect it. Heading into my first full year (in the majors) I thought was going to be in Fort Myers the entire time. And then when I got the call, it was a no-brainer.”

Just 71 games and less than half a season into his promising major league career, Anthony has already proven he can more than hold his own among the veterans, both on the field and in the clubhouse. That became clear almost immediately when he made his big-league debut in Boston last June 9, less than a month after his 21st birthday, and his reputation as a mature, even-keeled, and hardworking player and person has only spread around the league since.

“Some guys was asking about you,” Ortiz said to Anthony, “and I told ’em that you are the complete package. You are a great athlete, good listener, your work ethic is on another level.”

Rodriguez, whose near-trade to the Red Sox and subsequent redirect to the New York Yankees in February 2004 made him one of the most polarizing figures in the two teams’ storied rivalry, also had high praise for Anthony.

Quadruple Hall of Fame praise.

“When you see a kid like that, whether it’s Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams or Derek Jeter or Big Papi, there’s some people that just have the It Factor,” Rodriguez said.

Venezuela and Italy play their semifinal game Monday to determine who will face Team USA in Tuesday’s WBC final.