The final day of pool play at the World Baseball Classic has concluded, setting the stage for the quarterfinal matches.
Canada Advances to Quarterfinals
Canada secured their place in the quarterfinals with a 7-2 victory over Cuba. This win also eliminated Cuba and allowed Canada to surpass Puerto Rico to win Group A. Owen Caissie and Otto Lopez each drove in two runs for Canada. Cal Quantrill pitched five innings, allowing only one run.
Team USA Qualifies After Italy’s Performance
Team USA needed Italy to beat Mexico, or for Mexico to score no more than four runs in a nine-inning victory, to reach the quarterfinals. Italy took a 5-0 lead through five innings against Mexico, which secured Team USA’s spot in the knockout rounds. Italy’s strong performance meant that either they would win or Mexico would need to score at least six runs for the US not to qualify.
Italy took a 5-0 lead on a bases-loaded single from Jakob Marsee. Italy’s captain, Vinnie Pasquantino, hit his second homer of the game, extending their lead. Jon Berti also contributed with a moonshot to the left-field bleachers in the fourth.
Tournament Overview
The reigning champion is Japan, who defeated Team USA 3-2 in the 2023 final. The Americans have one WBC title, won in 2017. Team USA’s roster includes 22 MLB All-Stars. Some of the stars representing Team USA include Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge.
- The quarterfinals will be on Friday and Saturday.
- The semi-finals will be on Sunday and Monday.
- The WBC final is on Tuesday at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Games will be broadcast across Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes. Streaming is available with a Fox One subscription.
Juan Soto hit a home run in the first inning.
Italian home runs have been a prominent feature of the World Baseball Classic. They have two against Mexico after Jon Berti’s home run. Italy has 10 home runs in three-plus WBC games.
Knockout Round Implications
Italy’s Dante Nori scored on a sacrifice bunt after Mexico pitcher Brennan Bernardino went for the hero play at home. Alejandro Kirk could not secure the ball.
With the pool play concluded, teams are preparing for the quarterfinal matches to continue their journey toward the WBC final.