Happy Friday, all! The Yankees played earlier today in spring training against the Braves, but a few other Yankees are actually playing tonight. And since the World Baseball Classic is now in the knockout stage, how about we have a game thread for tonight’s two contests?
First up is the Dominican Republic, who looked an absolute powerhouse while steamrolling to a 4-0 record in Pool D. They obliterated Nicaragua, Israel, and the Netherlands by a combined score of 34-5 before beating rival Venezuela
in the last game to earn the top spot in the pool. The 7-5 final score doesn’t reflect how in control the D.R. felt, as it was 7-3 for most of the game until Venezuela scratched off some runs in the ninth.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero, Ketel Marte, and that familiar Juan Soto fella all had OPS’s north of 1.000 during the four games, and Yankees catcher Austin Wells chipped in a homer, too. They are hungry to match the feats of the the undefeated, Robinson Canó-led 2013 Dominican Republic squad, their only champions in tournament history.
The D.R. is a force to be reckoned with, but it also doesn’t matter how overwhelming they were in pool play. If they slip just once and they lose, it’s over. And South Korea is no foe that should be easily dismissed. They finished second to Japan in Pool A play, but they put a scare into the defending champions during their head-to-head. A narrow extra-innings loss to Chinese Taipei meant that they had to both defeat Australia in their last game, and do so by a wide enough margin to overcome the tiebreakers.
Korea did the job, with a timely sacrifice fly in the ninth giving them that last run they needed to push by the Aussies in a 7-2 triumph. They have a few MLB players on their club in Jung Hoo Lee, Shay Whitcomb, and 2024 Yankees bench player Jahmai Jones, but the true star in pool play was 25-year-old masher Bo Gyeong Moon, who homered twice and posted a 1.779 OPS across the four games. Although Korea is respected as a baseball power and won an Olympic gold medal in 2008, this is actually their first appearance past the WBC’s first round since the tourney’s early days, when they were knocked out by Japan in both the 2006 semifinals and the 2009 championship game.
The starting pitching matchup for this is a fun one too, as 2025 NL Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sánchez squares off with one of the few active players remaining from Korea’s Olympic heroes, former Dodgers/Blue Jays standout Hyun Jin Ryu.
How to watch
Dominican Republic vs. Korea
Pitching Matchup: LHP Cristopher Sánchez vs. LHP Hyun Jin Ryu
Time: 6:30 pm ET
TV: FS2
Location: loanDepot Park — Miami, FL
Oh, Team USA. They should be thanking their lucky stars (and stripes) that they’re still alive in this thing. Manager Mark DeRosa nearly screwed the pooch the other day when he signaled that he was punting the Pool B finale against Italy when the Americans were not, in fact, guaranteed of a quarterfinals spot just yet. Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman, and Cal Raleigh all sat, and for as much as I think he’s a decent pitcher, DeRosa stuck with Yankees swingman Ryan Yarbrough for too long in the middle innings despite better bullpen options as the Italians built just enough of a surprising lead that it was too much to overcome. If Mexico had beaten Italy the next day by the right score, then this dream team would’ve had its WBC end in a nightmare.
But hey! It’s all in the past now, and if they win three games, then Team USA will be WBC champions and that will all be a dumb footnote. We’ll see if baseball karma exists and gives underdog Canada a little extra pep in their step against the Aaron Judge and the Americans tonight. Judge had a rough final game of the pool and struck out to end it, but he was also essential to their win over Mexico and ended that first round with a 1.054 OPS. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong homered twice against Italy, and the USA offense has also seen great work from Roman Anthony, Gunnar Henderson, and Kyle Schwarber.
To their credit, Canada outright won Pool A with W’s over Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Panama, advancing to the knockout stage for the first time since the WBC began in 2006. It was an overdue achievement for a country that has produced stars like Fergie Jenkins, Larry Walker, and Joey Votto. Josh Naylor and his brother, Bo, are among the more recognizable faces on this Canadian club, in addition to Tyler O’Neill and old friend Jameson Taillon. The retired James Paxton is also in their bullpen, amusingly. Pool A’s best hitters were the Royals’ Abraham Toro (late of the 2025 Red Sox) and Marlins prospect Owen Caissie (who led the Cubs’ package for Edward Cabrera), who both topped the 1.450 OPS mark.
The Giants’ Logan Webb will get the ball for this one after four innings of one-hit ball against Brazil in the WBC opener, the only blemish a leadoff solo shot by Manny Ramirez’s son, Lucas. (Yes, my back just suffered a twinge writing that. Don’t get me started on actual child Joseph Contreras.) Canada’s pitching is its weak point, as Arizona’s Michael Soroka doesn’t exactly measure up to Webb, who has earned Cy Young votes in four consecutive seasons. Maybe the 2019 Braves version of Soroka could measure up, but he’s had a rough go of it since brutal injuries ravaged his promising career. Then again, the Americans looked like crap again Michael Lorenzen, who had to settle for a contract with the Rockies. You never know with baseball, Suzyn.
How to watch
United States vs. Canada
Pitching Matchup: RHP Logan Webb vs. RHP Michael Soroka
Time: 8:00 pm ET
TV: Fox
Location: Daikin Park — Houston, TX
