Venue: loanDepot Park — Miami, Florida, USA
Just four teams remain where once there were eight in the knockout stage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. These final four teams will fight tonight and tomorrow to determine who will face off in Tuesday’s championship bout.
It has been a tournament of upsets and surprises. Following Japan’s elimination on Saturday at the hands of Venezuela, only one of the top four teams from the 2023 World Baseball Classic is still in contention. That one team—the United
States—may find themselves on the back foot if they’re not careful against a Dominican Republic squad that has been firing on all cylinders throughout the tournament.
On the verge of elimination at the end of the group stage and their fate entirely out of their own hands, Team USA made it to the Quarterfinals thanks to a win over Mexico by the Italians. The United States then successfully fended off Team Canada in a 5-3 victory where they dominated early, but didn’t feel quite in control until the final three outs were tallied. Now Team USA faces their biggest challenge of the tournament in the form of the Dominican Republic.
Pittsburgh Pirates wunderkind Paul Skenes will toe the rubber tonight as Team USA’s most dominant starting pitcher. Skenes pitched four shutout innings in a win over Mexico during pool play with seven strikeouts to one walk and giving up just one hit.
The United States has showcased mostly strong pitching with a .184 batting average against, a 0.84 WHIP, and a tournament-leading 68 strikeouts to only eight walks. However, where they have gotten punished frequently is via the home run. Of the 30 hits allowed by American pitching, 10 of them have been home runs.
Skenes is the best chance USA has to keep a high-powered Dominican Republic team at bay.
It’s not hyperbolic to say the Dominican Republic is far and away the best offense of the 2026 tournament so far. They’ve scored 11 more runs than the next best team and lead the pack in virtually every offensive category save for stolen bases and doubles. Hitting a combined .312/.453/.637 with 14 home runs and more walks than strikeouts, the Dominican Republic sent Korea home in the quarterfinals via the mercy rule and are hungry for more.
The Dominican Republic also has a strong pitching staff, leading the tournament with a 1.98 team ERA. They will be led tonight by veteran righty Luis Severino of the Sacramento Athletics. Severino pitched four innings against The Netherlands during pool play, giving up just one earned run—via a home run—on three hits and striking out five batters.
First Pitch: 6:00 PM MDT
TV: FS1
Radio: MLB Audio; Sirius XM
Lineups:
RHP Paul Skenes vs RHP Luis Severino
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