On Friday night, Team USA defeated Team Canada 5-3 in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong provided support at the bottom of the lineup, each recording two hits and an RBI. Team USA will face the formidable Team Dominican Republic on Sunday at 8 p.m. with a spot in the WBC championship game on the line.

World Baseball Classic Results

Team Dominican Republic defeated Team Korea 10-0 by mercy rule in Friday night’s other quarterfinal matchup. Cristopher Sánchez tossed five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts while Juan Soto went 1-for-4 while also scoring a run with the help of a highlight-reel swim move.

Latest Mets News

The Mets played two split-squad spring training games on Friday. At home, the Mets lost to the Marlins 1-0. Kodai Senga provided three perfect innings with five strikeouts out of the gate, while Clay Holmes pitched five innings of one-run ball in relief. Devin Williams also pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

On the road, the Mets defeated the Nationals 8-3. Carson Benge had an RBI single, continuing his hot spring, while Carl Edwards Jr. threw four scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

The Mets signed outfielder JT Benson out of independent ball. Benson had an .889 OPS with 24 stolen bases in 80 Frontier League games this past season.

Latest MLB News

This year’s World Baseball Classic has already set an all-time attendance record for the tournament. Records have also been set for attendance for an individual pool (Tokyo) and attendance for a pool in the United States (Houston).

Latest on MMO

Kai Chang highlights how great Luis Robert Jr. looked at the plate for the Mets in his spring debut.

Robert Colonna analyzes the changes Tobias Myers has made ahead of his first season with the Mets.

Robert Colonna provides the latest injury update on Francisco Lindor.

On This Date in Mets History

1961: The Mets named George Weiss as the team’s first President. One of Weiss’s first moves to boost the new franchise was to hire Casey Stengel as manager.

Born on This Date: Josh Stinson (1988).

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Luckily for them, Italy kept them alive after they defeated Team Mexico by a score of 9-1 on Wednesday night.

Now, the United States have new life in the tournament and are set to face off against Canada in the quarterfinals at Daikin Park in Houston. Elsewhere, the electric Team Dominican Republic will take on Team Korea from loanDepot Park in Miami.

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Dominican Republic vs. Korea (6:30 p.m. EST, FS2)

After allowing three runs against Team Nicaragua last week, Cristopher Sanchez is back on the bump for the Dominican Republic. The Philadelphia Phillies ace will look to bounce back against a Team Korea lineup that features the likes of Jahmai Jones, Jung Hoo Lee, Bo Gyeong Moon and Hyeseong Kim.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays left-handed starter Hyun Jin Ryu will toe the rubber for Korea after giving up one earned run across three innings against Chinese Taipei in pool play.

Ryu has his work cut out for him, though, against a potent lineup that scored 41 runs in pool play thanks to the star power of Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Julio Rodriguez and Manny Machado, among others.

The winners of this contest would move on to play the victor of the USA vs. Canada matchup on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. EST in Miami.

USA vs. Canada (8:00 p.m. EST, FOX)

The U.S. will call on San Francisco Giants All-Star right-hander Logan Webb in an attempt to shut down Canada’s lineup. Webb allowed one run on one hit with six strikeouts against Brazil in the opener of pool play.

Canada, meanwhile, will send Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka out for the start. He gave up one earned run over three innings in a victory over Colombia last week.

Team USA is looking to make it back to the semifinals of the WBC for a third-straight time, while Canada has never made it that far in the tournament throughout its 20-year history up to this point.

The post WBC Game Chat: Dominican Republic vs. Korea & USA vs. Canada appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Dominican Republic left fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a two-run home run against Venezuela during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Friday’s games

Korea vs. Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2

Korea is the only team in the quarterfinals that lost twice, and it advanced by winning a three-way tiebreaker with Australia and Chinese Taipei. (Something seemed wrong to me at first about the runs allowed/outs recorded tiebreaker, but after some thought I like it.)

Korea is trying to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2009, when it lost to Japan in the finals. It is facing a deep Dominican Republic team, looking for its second WBC title (2013, Robinson Canó was MVP).

Juan Soto is 5-for-15 with two home runs, four RBIs, five walks and a stolen base. He is one of five players on the team with two home runs (Junior Caminero, Oneil Cruz, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.). The DR outscored its opponents 41-10 while going 4-0 in pool play. Huascar Brazobán has thrown 2 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless ball. He’s struck out four (including Nicaragua’s Mark Vientos) and walked one.

USA vs. Canada at Daikin Park in Houston, 8 p.m. ET on FOX

Team USA survived a scare, and now Nolan McLean (a shaky outing vs. Italy) might get to pitch again. McLean, before the tournament, was named the starter should the Americans make it to the final. Clay Holmes (three scoreless innings, six strikeouts vs. Great Britain) is returning to the Mets.  Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge have hit two homers apiece.

The United States is trying to win its second WBC (2017, Marcus Stroman was MVP) and it will have to go through Canada and Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (7-for-14, a home run, a 1.458 OPS). Jared Young is 1-for-5 with two strikeouts for Team Canada.

Saturday’s games

Puerto Rico vs. Italy at Daikin Park in Houston, 3 p.m. ET on FS1

Puerto Rico lost in this round in 2023 and in the finals in 2017 and 2013. In 2023, Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon while celebrating a win over the Dominican Republic. He is back and has thrown two scoreless innings with five strikeouts and a save. Italy pulled off the upset of the tournament so far with its win over the United States. Vinnie Pasquantino became the first player to hit three homers in a WBC game against Mexico.

Mets prospect Nick Morabito, seeing action as a defensive replacement in the Team Italy outfield, is 0-for-1.

Venezuela vs. Japan at loanDepot park in Miami, 9 p.m. ET on FOX

Shohei Ohtani is 5-for-9 with two homers, a double and four walks for defending champion Japan, and Seiya Suzuki has a couple of homers as well. Japan has won three of the five Classics and advanced to the semifinals every time. This will be its first time playing Venezuela, which had its best showing when it advanced to the semifinals in 2009.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is 4-for-13 with a home run, a double, six walks, a tournament-leading eight runs scored and two stolen bases. Luis Arraez has two home runs and nine RBIs. RHP Carlos Guzman (3.12 ERA in 49 innings combined at Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton in 2025), got into one game, recorded two outs and gave up a hit and a walk.

The winners of Friday’s games will play Sunday in Miami, and the winners of Saturday’s games will play there on Monday. The championship game is Tuesday in Miami at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Predictions

Anything can happen in one baseball game. But I don’t like the vibes from Team USA. I think it survives Canada and loses to the immaculately-vibing DR in the semifinals. I’ll take Italy to keep its magic going, Venezuela in an upset over Japan and DR over Venezuela in the finals. Soto will edge Brazobán for MVP honors.

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He started the first inning by pitching exactly how many expected: striking out the side on 11 pitches.

However, the second inning was a tale of two innings. Things unraveled for McLean in inning number two after getting the first two batters to ground out. The Mets’ 24-year-old pitcher surrendered a solo home run to Kyle Teel, then proceeded to hit Jac Caglianone. The blow of the inning came when Sam Antonacci took McLean deep to make it a 3-0 Italy lead.

McLean fared better in the third, escaping the inning without allowing another run. New York’s top prospect ended his night after throwing 55 pitches (34 strikes) across three innings. He allowed three earned runs on two hits, walked two and struck out four.

Over the course of his night, McLean got six whiffs and had a 29 percent called strikes plus whiffs percentage. According to Pitcher List Stats, he threw his breaking ball most, throwing 17 curveballs and 15 sweepers, which proved to be his strongest pitches on Tuesday night. Of note, both home runs came on the four-seamer

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Before we get into it, we also want to quickly share that we have some new WBC merch up on our website. Go check it out! 

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David Melendi

The Dominican Republic. And I learned while doing extensive research for the MMO’s WBC team previews that ex and future Mets have won a few MVPs. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Robinson Cano, and Marcus Stroman have all taken home the hardware. This time it’s Amed Rosario’s turn.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

The USA will defeat Japan in a rematch of the 2023 finals. Even with Tarik Skubal’s early departure, the Stars and Stripes have plenty of pitching depth in addition to their stacked lineup. I’ll go with Cal Raleigh for the WBC MVP.

Matt Mancuso

It’s difficult not to select the Dominican Republic, a squad that contains the offensive prowess of the 1927 Yankees. Betting against a team whose worst hitter was 30% better than league average last year seems like a fool’s errand. MVP: Juan Soto

Michael Mayer

I have a hard time picking between the US, Japan, the DR, and Venezuela. Those top four teams are really really good. I like the team the US has built quite a bit; it’s balanced well between offense and pitching. I believe they take home the WBC crown, and Bobby Witt Jr. will be the MVP.

Brandyn Pokrass

In a tournament with so much star power, I am going to go with the Dominican Republic. The U.S. would be my other pick, but I see the DR’s lineup having a huge impact game in and game out. As for the MVP, I’ll go with Fernando Tatis Jr.

Christian De Block

2026 will be the year the USA returns to the top. The Dominican Republic and Japan are deep, talented teams that will certainly have something to say. But in the end, USA will get it done, with Aaron Judge taking home the MVP.

Michelle Ioannou

DR isn’t going to be easy to beat, but I’m going to go with Team USA with Paul Skenes as the MVP.

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Japan opened the day with a 13-0 win over Chinese Taipei that was highlighted by a grand slam from Shohei Ohtani in Pool C, while Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico notched victories over Panama, the Netherlands and Great Britain, respectively.

There’s four more games set to commence tonight, including a Pool C matchup between both 0-2 teams up to this point in Czechia and Chinese Taipei.

Furthermore, two of the favorites to win the whole event in the United States and the Dominican Republic will head into their first contests of pool play against Brazil and Nicaragua, respectively, while Puerto Rico and Colombia are set to square off against one another.

With that, let’s take a closer look at those games before first pitch.

USA vs. Brazil (8:00 p.m. EST, FOX)

After losing in the 2023 WBC title game to Japan, the United States is looking to bounce back and win it all after doing so for the first time in 2017.

San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb will start for Team USA against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston.

Mets right-hander Nolan McLean is currently set to toe the rubber for the United States against Italy on March 10. He was late joining the team due to vertigo-like symptoms, though the 24-year-old threw four innings in a sim game on Wednesday and should be good to go moving forward.

Brazil does not have any active major league players on its roster and last appeared in the WBC in 2013, going 0-3. Bo Bichette was originally set to represent the country, though he withdrew upon signing a three-year deal worth $126 million with the Mets in January.

Both the United States and Brazil will be back in action against Great Britain and Italy, respectively, on Saturday.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic (7:00 p.m. EST, FS2)

Managed by Albert Pujols, Juan Soto and the Dominican Republic are looking for revenge after failing to make it out of pool play with a 2-2 record in 2023.

In a star-studded lineup that includes the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado, among others, Soto will bat third against Nicaragua.

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez will start for the Dominican Republic and face off against Mets infielder Mark Vientos, who will hit cleanup for Nicaragua at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Nicaragua’s lone prior WBC appearance came in 2023, and they went 0-4 in pool play.

The Dominican Republic, who last won the event in 2013, will next play the Netherlands on Sunday while Nicaragua will face the Netherlands on Saturday.

Two Former Mets Starters Face Off

A pair of former Mets starting pitchers in Seth Lugo and Jose Quintana will go to battle against one another for Puerto Rico and Colombia, respectively, tonight at 6:00 p.m. EST from Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Lugo last played for Puerto Rico in the 2017 WBC and posted a 4.20 ERA over three starts totaling 15 innings. That stretch included a four-inning, four-run outing in an 8-0 loss to the United States in the championship game.

Quintana, meanwhile, is Colombia’s team captain this year after not pitching for the country in the 2023 WBC due to a rib injury he suffered after signing with the Mets that same offseason. He gave up a single earned run over 5 2/3 innings in his lone start of the 2017 WBC, which came against the United States.

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Vinnie Pasquantino: William Purnell-Imagn Images

MiLB and MLB PLAYERS

Team Italy in 2026 features 25 MiLB and MLB players, including Sam Aldegheri of the Angels, Camden Minacci of and  Zach Dezenzo of the Astros, Andrew Fischer of the Brewers, Gordon Graceffo and Thomas Saggese of the Cardinals, Dylan DeLucia and Matt Festa of the Gardens, Dominic Canzone and Miles Mastrobuoni of the Mariners, Jakob Marsee from the Marlins, Joe Jacques and Nick Morabito of the Mets, Alek Jacob and Ron Marinaccio of the Padres, Aaron Nola and Dante Nori of the Phillies, Alessandro Ercolani, Joe La Sorsa, and Kyle Nicolas of the Pirates, Greg Weissert of the Red Sox, Jac Caglianone and Vinnie Pasquantino of the Royals, Dan Altavilla of the twins, and Sam Antonacci of the White Sox.

The two most notable players for this year’s team are the Royals’ right fielder, Caglianone and first baseman, Pasquantino. This will be Pasquantino’s second classic and Caglianone’s first.

Pasquantino missed a significant amount of time from 2023 to 2024 with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and then a fracture in his right thumb. He appeared in 17 major league games in 2025 batting .208/.216/.417, with a .733 OPS.

Caglianone is the Royals’ breakout rookie, who they drafted in 2024 with the first-round pick out of the University of Florida. He quickly surged through the minor leagues and made his way onto the major league roster in 2025. Last season, he appeared in 14 games for Kansas City. In 18 at-bats, he hit .500/.609/1.167, with a 1.776 OPS.

NOTABLE COACHES

Team Italy this season is coached by two former Yankees catchers. Both Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada will coach this year’s team, giving not just a great lineup of players, but veteran MLB legends coaching them as well.

Former Mets assistant GM Allard Baird is Italy’s first base coach.

METS PLAYERS

Mets minor leaguers Jacques and Morabito are also featured on the 2026 Italy roster. Jacques was acquired by the Mets in October after they signed him to a free agent contract. He received an invite to major league spring training camp.

In 2025, he split the season between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ and Seattle Mariners’ Pacific Coast League teams. Between Oklahoma City and the Tacoma Rainiers, he was 3-1 with a 6.02 ERA. Over the course of 52 1/3 innings, he struck out 61.

Morabito is the Mets’ No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline. In 2025, he played for Double-A Binghamton, hitting .273/.348/.385, with a .733 OPS. He hit 27 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He drove in 59 RBIs and scored 63 runs. He was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster earlier this offseason.

Former Met Adam Ottavino is in the Italian bullpen.

WBC HISTORY

Team Italy’s best finish was in 2013, when they finished seventh in the tournament. In the 2023 edition of the classic, the Team made it out of the group round but were eliminated in the first game of the quarterfinals, losing 9-3 to defending champions Japan. In 2013, they faced their toughest group stage, drawn into the same group as the powerhouse United States.

POOL

Italy opens its 2026 World Baseball Classic tournament on Saturday, March 7, against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. The other teams in Pool B are Great Britain, Mexico, and the United States.

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MLB PLAYERS

Panama’s 2026 World Baseball Classic team features 16 MLB affiliated players this year, including James Gonzalez of The Athletics, Leo Jimenez of the Blue Jays, Javy Guerra of the Braves, Leo Bernal and Ivan Herrera of the Cardinals, Miguel Amaya, Christian Bethancourt, and Erian Rodriguez of the Cubs, Logan Allen of the Guardians, Abdiel Mendoza of the Mariners, Jose Ramos of the Mets, Enrique Bradfield Jr. of the Orioles, Miguel Cienfuegos of the Padres, Edmundo Sosa of the Phillies, and Jose Caballero of the Yankees.

Former big league slugger Carlos Lee will serve as the hitting coach.

METS PLAYERS

The lone player from the Mets organization on Team Panama is center fielder Jose Ramos, who the Mets signed as a free agent in 2025. Last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. Between the two teams, he batted .251/.326/.456, with a .782 OPS. He had 14 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, driving in 59 RBIs, and 57 runs scored.

Former Mets Rubén Tejada, Alberto Baldonado, Ariel Jurado and Jonathan Araúz will be playing for Panama. This will be Tejada’s last hurrah as a player; he has retired and accepted a coaching position in the Phillies organization.

WBC HISTORY

Panama hopes this will be the year they finally make it past group play. They finished 14th in 2006 and 15th in 2009. They did not qualify in 2013 or 2017, but in 2023, they were one win away from advancing from group play. They got their first two wins of the classic, and after finishing with a 2-2 record, they were eliminated after a five-way tiebreaker decided Pool A.

POOL

Team Panama open their World Baseball Classic schedule on Friday against Cuba. They will be playing at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The other teams joining Panama and Cuba in Group A are Canada, Colombia, and Puerto Rico.

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Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Notable Players

Their lineup is about as star-studded as it can get. Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, Manny Machado, Austin Wells, and Junior Caminero. This is a lineup that would dominate in any World Series and is the true strength of Team Dominican Republic. Former Mets top prospect Amed Rosario is on the bench and young Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez is a player to watch for a potential 2026 breakout.

On the pitching side, Cristopher Sánchez and Sandy Alcantara are the rotations one-two-punch. Coming off a strong second half, Alcantara will be a name to watch. Former Met Luis Severino will look for a bounce back in 2026 so it will be interesting to see if he made any pitch changes in the offseason. The bullpen is arguably stronger than the rotation with Carlos Estévez, Camilo Doval, Seranthony Domínguez, Edwin Uceta, and Abner Uribe among the players in relief.

Notable Coaches

Manager Albert Pujols is one of the few players in the history of the sport to hit 700 homers and in his career, won three MVPs, two Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, and was an 11-time All-Star. He recently managed in the Dominican Professional Baseball League and will be managing there again in 2026. Plácido Polanco was a two-time All-Star and is a close personal friend of Pujols. Diamondbacks bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda will serve as the pitching coach and Astros minor league hitting coach Rene Rojas will serve as the hitting coach.

WBC History

Team Dominican Republic won the 2013 World Baseball Classic and will look to win it all again in 2026. That year, they went undefeated and five pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout in the championship game. They have taken part in five World Baseball Classics and will look to move further than 2023 where they failed to make it to the quarter finals.

Some notable players for past Team Dominican WBC teams are Albert Pujols, José Reyes, Alfonso Soriano, Adrian Beltre , Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Fernando Rodney, Carlos Santana, Nelson Cruz, Jeurys Familia, Robinson Canó, Starling Marte, Rafael Devers, and Teoscar Hernández.

Pool

Team Dominican Republic is in one of the more difficult pools in the WBC. They’ll be facing off against Teams Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua. It would be a true upset if they do not move forward, but their biggest challengers are Team Venezuela and Team Netherlands.

Their first game is Friday, March 6, against Team Nicaragua at Loan Depot Park in Miami.

For a ranking of all 20 teams by MMO, click here.

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Notable Players

Travis Bazzana, Liam Hendriks, Max Durrington, Curtis Mead, Mitch Neunborn, and Blake Townsend are all MLB affiliated players on Australia’s World Baseball Classic roster. Bazzana is a player to watch as he could be debuting in the majors as soon as this 2026 season. In 2025, his first professional season, he slashed .245/.389/.424/.813 with nine homers and 12 stolen bases in 84 games. He ended the season in Triple-A. He is expected to be the leadoff hitter.

Robbie Glendinning returns after his 2023 WBC heroics after splitting 2025 between the Australian Baseball League and the American Association Independent League. Former Rockies prospect Robbie Perkins will be catching behind the plate after slashing .311/.389/.598/.988 in the Australian Baseball League.

On the pitching side, 24-year-old Blake Townsend is coming off a season in the Pirates’ farm system where he threw 92 innings, posting a 1.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.

Lachlan Wells is expected to anchor the rotation. He pitched in Korea with the Kiwoom Hereos in 2025. He had a 3.60 ERA across 20 innings. Lastly, Liam Hendriks will join Team Australia in the bullpen again in 2026.

Liam Hendriks. Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Notable Coaches

Dave Nilsson will manage Team Australia. He spent eight years with the Brewers slashing .284/.356/.461/.817 with 105 homers and 470 RBIs. He represented Australia in the Olympics in 2000.

Bench coach Michael Collins was the catching coach for the Houston Astros 2022 World Series team, bullpen coach Graeme Lloyd became the first Australian born player to win a World Series ring when he pitched for the 1996 Yankees, and hitting coach Chris Adamson currently serves as the Phillies Triple-A bench coach.

WBC History

Australia has competed in the World Baseball Classic five times. They did not win a game in 2006 or 2013, but had one of their best games in 2009, triggering the mercy rule against Mexico with a 17-7 score in the eighth inning. In total they have triggered the mercy rule three times. In addition to 2009 they triggered it in 2017 against China, (11-0 in the eighth inning), and in 2023 against China as well (12-2 in the seventh inning).

In the 2023 World Baseball Classic Australia placed seventh and they will look to place even higher this year.

Pool

Australia is in Pool C with Japan, South Korea, Czechia, and Chinese-Taipei. Their first game is against Chinese-Taipei on March 4, in the Tokyo Dome.

It would be a surprise if Japan and Korea do not move to the next round, but last WBC Australia was full of surprises.

For a ranking of all 20 teams by MMO, click here.

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