Welcome to Pinstripe Alley’s coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic! We previewed Pool A, Pool B, Pool C, and Pool D in the linked articles. Since the first several days of the WBC feature a bevy of games, we’ll be recapping them in batches. Enjoy!
Sunday wasn’t the most action-packed day at the WBC on paper. Favorites Team USA got the day off, while the other expected powers of Japan and the Dominican Republic had seemingly straight-forward days. However, the night set of games on Sunday ended
up producing arguably the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
Pool D: Israel 5, Nicaragua 0
Dean Kremer allowed just two hits and the Israel bullpen allowed none as they combined to shutout Nicaragua.
Kremer retired the first seven hitters he faced before Nicaragua finally got a baserunner, and the Israel offense had already taken the lead in that time. Noah Mendlinger’s RBI single in the second inning gave Israel the lead, and as it turned out, that would’ve been enough.
Israel did go on to tack on four more runs in the fifth, with Harrison Bader among those to drive in a run in the frame. Meanwhile, Israel’s bullpen combined to retire the last nine batters they faced, ensuring they had no nervy moments.
Pool A: Panama 4, Canada 3
Panama pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the tournament so far, as they managed to hold a pretty solid Canadian lineup to just three runs, despite nine hits.
Canada held the lead at two different points, going up 1-0 on a Abraham Toro single in the second, and then going up 2-1 thanks to Denzel Clarke’s RBI single in the fourth. However, that didn’t hold up after a big sixth inning.
With one on and one out in the sixth, a Josh Naylor error allowed Panama to stay in the inning when Rubén Tejada was sent up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and two outs. A Tejada infield single was then compounded by an error by pitcher James Paxton on an attempted relay throw home. Two runs scored there, and another followed when Enrique Bradfield Jr. then added a single. Panama picked up three runs in the inning and had flipped the score in their favor. In total, Canada committed three errors on the game, which didn’t help their cause.
Late in the game, Owen Cassie got Canada back within a run via an RBI double in the eighth. Then in the bottom of the ninth, following a brief rain delay, Naylor singled and stole second to threaten. However, Panama’s Dario Agrazal shut the door to seal the victory.
Pool B: Mexico 16, Brazil 0 – 6 innings
A two-run homer from Julian Ornelas gave Mexico the walk-off win over Brazil. It’s just that said walk-off took Mexico over the mercy rule total in a game they controlled from start to finish.
For the game, Mexico hit four home runs, and none of them even came in the four-run first inning to get them off to a big start. Eventually, the homers did come though, ensuring that this game was over before it really got going. Jaren Duran hit one in the second and Alejandro Kirk added one in the fourth to get Mexico into double digits for the game.
With the offense going like that, Mexico was unlikely to ever lose, but they also mostly cruised on the mound. Taijuan Walker allowed just two walks in 3.1 hitless innings. Brazil did eventually get a couple hits, but none went for extra bases as they were thoroughly crushed.
Here’s what’s in store for Monday in the WBC:
South Korea vs. Australia (Pool C)
Pitching Matchup: Ju Young Son vs. Lachlan Wells
Time: 6:00 am ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Tokyo Dome — Tokyo, Japan
Dominican Republic vs. Israel (Pool D)
Pitching Matchup: Brayan Bello vs. TBD
Time: 12:00 pm ET
TV: FS1
Venue: LoanDepot Park — Miami, FL
Colombia vs. Panama (Pool A)
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. TBD
Time: 12:00 pm ET
TV: FS2
Venue: Hiram Bithorn Stadium — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Brazil vs. Great Britain (Pool B)
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. TBD
Time: 1:00 pm ET
TV: Tubi
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, TX
Cuba vs. Puerto Rico (Pool A)
Pitching Matchup: Julio Robaina vs. Elmer Rodríguez
Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Hiram Bithorn Stadium — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Venezuela vs. Nicaragua (Pool D)
Pitching Matchup: Yoendrys Gómez vs. TBD
Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: FS2
Venue: LoanDepot Park — Miami, FL
Mexico vs. USA (Pool B)
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. Paul Skenes
Time: 8:00 pm ET
TV: FOX
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, TX
