Colombia and Brazil will meet during the nightcap of day 1 of the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Tucson. It will be a rematch of the 2023 Pan American Games gold medal game. Colombia won that game 9-1 for a historic gold medal. This time around, the matchup takes even greater meaning. The winner of this game takes a massive step toward qualifying for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
For Colombia, manager José Mosquera announced that former major leaguer Julio Teherán will get the ball. He had a 3.85 ERA in 255 career appearances at MLB level. He pitched against Canada at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and got the win with 5 innings and 1 run allowed.
One of the players to watch offensively for Colombia is Mariners second base prospect, Michael Arroyo. He had a .915 OPS and 12 HR for A+ Everett. He was one of two 19 year olds to have an OPS over .900 at A+ in 2024.
Gio Urshela is another name to watch. The only active major leaguer in this qualifier. He had an OPS of .711 and 4 HR with the Braves after being released by the Tigers. He’ll hit in the middle of the order and start at third and be counted on to be a run producer.
Brazil enters the qualifiers and looking to make the World Baseball Classic for the first time since 2013. They lost their final 2 games of qualifies 3 years ago to narrow miss a return to the WBC. This time they’ll look to finally get back.
One of the pitchers to watch is Bo Takahashi. He plays for the Seibu Lions of NPB. In 2024, Takahashi had a 3.22 ERA in 72 2/3 innings with 48 strikeouts. He should be Brazil’s best starter in the qualifier.
Eric Pardinho will be a notable reliever. He’s the likely closer for Brazil.
