The Athletic has live coverage of Korea vs. Dominican Republic and USA vs. Canada in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.
The World Baseball Classic has moved into its knockout stage. From a field of 20 teams, eight have advanced out of round-robin pool play and into the quarterfinals. From here on out, each game is a must-win, and three wins crown a champion. The quarterfinals begin on Friday and continue through Saturday.
United States @ Canada
Friday, March 13
8 p.m. ET
Daikin Park, Houston, Texas
How to watch:
TV: Fox
Streaming: Fubo
How they got here: You probably already know how Team USA got here. One of the biggest stories so far has been the Americans’ loss to Team Italy and the subsequent scoreboard watching they had to do in hopes of advancing. (Italy’s final win against Team Mexico gave the U.S. the second bid out of Pool B.) Despite the late tension, Team USA has been one of the most productive teams in the tournament. Its vaunted offense has scored the second-most runs, while its pitching staff has the lowest WHIP and the most strikeouts. The American pitchers have been homer-prone, though.
Team Canada, meanwhile, only hit two home runs during pool play, but it finished with back-to-back wins against Cuba and Puerto Rico to win Pool A and advance as the home team in this matchup. Canada’s only loss was by one run. It has major-leaguers all over its roster, but not with the same star power as its southern rivals.
Star gazing: Team USA manager Mark DeRosa was criticized for sitting some of his most notable players in Tuesday’s game against Team Italy. He presumably won’t do that again, meaning the Americans will roll out a lineup that includes Bobby Witt Jr, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber (each a top-four finisher in MVP voting last season). American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will not pitch for Team USA the rest of the tournament — he started his only game in pool play — but the team will have San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb lined up to start against Team Canada, and, if they advance, National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes could get the ball in the semifinals.
Great unknown: Team Canada doesn’t have any MVPs, but it does have plenty of big-league talent. Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor is perhaps their most famous name, but it was young Miami Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie and veteran infielder Abraham Toro who were the team’s top hitters in pool play. Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke can also be a difference maker, especially on defense. On the mound, Team Canada will turn to Arizona Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka, who allowed one run in three innings against Team Colombia in his first WBC start.