Canada vs USA: 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals Showdown
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com/
Here we go! Team Canada vs Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals!
Team USA, which backed into the second round when Italy beat Mexico, will take on Team Canada at Daikin Park in Houston on Friday night.
The winner will advance to the semifinals in Miami and play the winner of Friday evening's Dominican Republic vs. Korea game.
Canada is sending right-hander Michael Soroka to the mound. He's coming off a 4.52 ERA in 89 innings for the Nationals and Cubs last year.
Soroka scattered four runs and a walk across his three innings of one-run ball during his last WBC start. Soroka's opponent will be right-hander Logan Webb.
Webb, the two-time All-Star finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting last year and struck out six in four innings of work during his last WBC start, allowing only a solo homer in terms of damage.
Canada beat Cuba in a win-or-go-home game Thursday to reach the quarterfinals.
This is the first time Canada has advanced out of pool play, so it is fair to call Friday's game against USA the biggest game in Canadian baseball history.
They are major underdogs, though. Canada went 3-1 in pool play to improve its all-time WBC record to 8-11.
"We're going to go out and we're going to play the game the way we play it," Canada manager Ernie Whitt said Thursday. "We talk about playing clean. I mean, in international baseball, if you make mistakes, it's going to cost you. And so we just try to play a clean game and play it the way that we play it with passion and pride, and play it until the end."
And who would know more than the old pro Ernie Whitt, who has beaten the Americans before.
In 2006, in the inaugural WBC, Whitt and his crew played the game clean.
Surrey BC left-hander Adam Loewen held a USA lineup led by Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, and Chipper Jones scoreless for 3 ⅔ innings while Jason Bay, Justin Morneau and Co. tagged Dontrelle Willis for five runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Canada went on to win the game 8-6.
"They were very talented, but we had more determination and fire in our gut."
Ernie Whitt reflects on Canada beating the USA at the 2006 #WorldBaseballClassic
Ernie Whitt reflects on Canada beating the USA at the 2006 #WorldBaseballClassic
However, since then, it has been all USA. The Americans beat Canada in the 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2023 WBCs by a combined score of 35-10.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider is looking forward to the Canada/USA matchup
When asked what he thought about Canada's brand of baseball, Blue Jays manager quickly acknowledged that he liked group that they had assembled for the tournament.
"I know that Canada seems to take the underdog mentality when it comes to baseball, but they're grinders, man,» Schneider said. «I love that. It's an awesome staff over there, too, with the guys they've assembled with Ernie. You've got Stubby [Clapp, Cardinals' first-base coach] and Russ [Martin]. [Cal] Quantrill is over there, too. It's just great for the game.»
The Canadians are loaded with Blue Jays connections, too, throughout the coaching staff and onto the roster, where left-hander Adam Macko has been a key piece of Whitt's bullpen.
Also read on Blue Jays Central :
Toronto Blue Jays replacement for legendary broadcaster Buck Martinez announced
Toronto Blue Jays replacement for legendary broadcaster Buck Martinez announced
| POLL | ||
MARS 13|52 ANSWERS Canada vs USA: 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals Showdown Who will win tonight's WBC quarterfinal matchup between Canada and the USA? | ||
| Canada | 22 | 42.3 % |
| USA | 30 | 57.7 % |
| List of polls | ||