Canada vs Cuba win or go home clash headlines World Baseball Classic action
Photo credit: Baseball Canada - https://x.com/baseballcanada
Here we go. It's Canada vs. Cuba with all the World Baseball Classic marbles on the line.
Everything comes down to one game.
Canada and Cuba will square off today with a spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals hanging in the balance.
After Italy stunned the United States with an 8-6 victory on Tuesday night, the tournament's final day of pool play arrives with multiple scenarios still in play and several teams fighting for survival.
At 3 p.m. local time in San Juan, Canada and Cuba will meet in a decisive Pool A matchup to determine who advances alongside Puerto Rico to the knockout stage.
Canada enters the game with a 2-1 record after defeating Colombia and Puerto Rico, while dropping a close contest to Panama.
Cuba also sits at 2-1, with victories over Colombia and Panama before falling to host Puerto Rico.
For Canada, the stakes are historic. The program has never advanced beyond the group stage in the tournament's history, but now has a golden opportunity to change that.
Canada will roll out their best lineup to face Cuba in this elimination contest.
Team Canada Starting Lineup
1. SS Otto Lopez
2. DH Josh Naylor
3. RF Tyler O'Neill
4. 3B Abraham Toro
5. LF Owen Caissie
6. 1B Matt Davidson
7. C Bo Naylor
8. CF Denzel Clarke
9. 2B Edouard Julien
SP Cal Quantrill
2. DH Josh Naylor
3. RF Tyler O'Neill
4. 3B Abraham Toro
5. LF Owen Caissie
6. 1B Matt Davidson
7. C Bo Naylor
8. CF Denzel Clarke
9. 2B Edouard Julien
SP Cal Quantrill
Port Hope, Ontario native Cal Quantrill will get the start for Canada in the win-or-go-home matchup.
Cal Quantrill 🇨🇦 will start tomorrow against Cuba and spoke about his current contract with the Texas Rangers and his decision to play in this tournament:
«You only have a short window in your career to play in tournaments like this, and I think the Rangers understand that.»
«You only have a short window in your career to play in tournaments like this, and I think the Rangers understand that.»
Cuba will counter with left-hander Liván Moinelo, widely regarded as one of the top pitchers in Japan after a standout season with the SoftBank Hawks.
Cuba will go with Livan Moinelo on Wednesday against Canada in a do-or-die game. Moinelo was the best pitcher in Japan in the 2025 season and is Cuba's ace.
Many different scenarios will play out over the course of today's WBC action
If Canada wins, the team will improve to 3-1, advance to the quarterfinals for the first time, and claim the top seed in Pool A.
Puerto Rico would move on as the No. 2 seed, while Cuba would be eliminated.
If Cuba comes out on top, it would also finish 3-1 and secure the second quarterfinal spot from Pool A, sending Canada home while Puerto Rico advances as the group winner.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the day's drama continues later in Houston. Italy and Mexico will meet at 6 p.m. local time in a game that could also determine the fate of Team USA.
The United States faces a potential elimination scenario if Mexico defeats Italy while scoring four runs or fewer.
In that case, the three teams would finish with identical 3-1 records and the standings would be decided by the tournament's runs-allowed tiebreaker.
The final matchup of the evening takes place in Miami at 8 p.m., where the Dominican Republic and Venezuela will battle for Pool D seeding.
Both teams have already secured their places in the quarterfinals, but the winner will earn a more favorable path in the knockout rounds.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 11|49 ANSWERS Canada vs Cuba win or go home clash headlines World Baseball Classic action Who will win todays WBC matchup Canada or Cuba? | ||
| Canada | 45 | 91.8 % |
| Cuba | 4 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||