Pool A of this year’s World Baseball Classic kicked off Friday at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with opening victories from Cuba over Panama and Puerto Rico over Colombia.
World Baseball Network writers picked Canada to win Pool A and advance to the quarterfinals. Each of the five teams in the pool received one selection to finish in second place and move on to the quarterfinals.
Let’s take a look at Tuesday’s results and the upcoming schedule in San Juan.
Canada (2-1) 3, Puerto Rico (3-1) 2 – A little rain never hurt anybody. Showers delayed the first pitch in San Juan by about 45 minutes, but it didn’t seem to bother Canada.
They are now one win away from advancing to the WBC quarterfinals as the top seed in Pool A. They’ll have to defeat Cuba on Wednesday to do so. If Canada loses against Cuba, the streak of five consecutive WBC tournaments without a quarterfinal appearance would extend to six.
“We’re expecting a good ballgame,” Canada outfielder Tyler O’Neill told MLB.com’s Matt Monagan. “We know they’re going to come out firing, but so are we. We’re looking forward to Game 4 in this tournament. Hopefully, we go a lot further than that.”
Nolan Arenado kick-started Tuesday’s matchup at Hiram Bithorn Stadium with a rope to center field to put Puerto Rico ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The lead was short-lived, however, as starter Jose De Leon and reliever Rico Garcia lost the strike zone. De Leon was replaced by Garcia in the third after he hit Josh Naylor with a fastball to load the bases.
O’Neill battled back from a 0-2 count and drew a walk against Garcia for Canada’s first run of the night. First baseman Tyler Black also walked, giving Canada the early 2-1 advantage. Abraham Toro drove home Canada’s third run in the fourth following Owen Caissie’s leadoff double.
Puerto Rico’s second and final run was scored a half inning later on Martin Maldonado’s RBI groundout, but Logan Allen and Brock Dykxhoorn threw six efficient relief innings for Canada, combining to allow just the one run on four hits with three strikeouts.
A berth in the quarterfinals was clinched by Puerto Rico following their victory over Cuba on Monday.
Wednesday’s Pool A Schedule
All Times Eastern Standard Time
3 p.m. – Canada (2-1) vs. Cuba (2-1) – Hiram Bithorn Stadium – TV: FS2 – A spot in the quarterfinals is on the line as Cal Quantrill takes the mound for Canada with 10 ⅓ innings of Major League postseason experience under his belt. Perhaps the best starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball, left-hander Livan Moinelo, gets the nod for Cuba.
Photo: Brock Dykxhoorn, left, shakes hand with the catcher Liam Hicks at the end of a World Baseball Classic game against Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
