TUCSON, Ariz. – On the second day of the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, 2,193 fans gathered under breezy 56-degree conditions on Monday afternoon in the Valley of the Sun and witnessed Brazil getting to .500 with their 9-7 win over Germany at the Kino Sports Complex at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Germany dropped to 1-1 on Monday afternoon and Brazil improved to 1-1 in the second and final 2025 WBCQ in Tucson
This was the first time that Germany and Brazil faced off in an international senior event on Monday afternoon during the 2025 WBCQ in Tucson.
Brazil’s pitching staff threw nine innings, allowing seven hits, five earned runs, 11 walks, and 10 strikeouts.
“Were not exactly happy with the bullpen today, there were a lot of walks, but the group came together and at the end we had this good result along with making adjustments to the next game,” Brazil manager Daniel Yuichi Matsumoto said during the postgame.
Germany’s pitching logged nine innings, allowing nine hits, nine earned runs, four walks, and seven strikeouts during Monday’s loss.
Germany stranded five runners in the first two innings before a 17-minute sprinkler delay halted play at the start of the third. The delay occurred along the first base foul line, with the four umpires and the grounds crew working alongside Major League Baseball and World Baseball Classic Inc. officials to resolve the issue.
Germany’s starting pitcher, Tommy Sommer, entered the third inning with 25 pitches for 16 strikes after retiring the first six batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
Following the delay, Sommer quickly retired the side in order, forcing Gabriel Carmo and Gabriel Maciel into groundouts to shortstop Alex Schmidt before striking out Vitor Ito to end the inning.
Germany manager Jendrick Speer turned to his bullpen to start the fourth, bringing in reliever Jaden Agassi to replace Sommer.
Sommer completed three scoreless innings, facing nine batters, striking out three, and throwing 39 pitches, 25 for strikes.
Lucas Ramirez recorded the team’s first hit with a ground ball single to right field, advancing Gabriel Gomes to third with no outs.
With Leonardo Reginatto batting next, Gomes scored on a wild pitch with Agassi failing to cover home, allowing the ball to bounce in front of catcher Vincent Ahrens, and giving Brazil a 1-0 lead.
With 1 out, Lucas Rojo doubled off the wall in center, driving in Ramirez to extend the lead to 2-0.
LUCAS ROJO AMPLIA A VANTAGEM DO BRASIL COM UMA REBATIDA DUPLA! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🔥🔥
📽 @WBCBaseball #BeisebolNaESPN pic.twitter.com/VrzAjupuAM
— BMA – Beisebol Mundo Afora 🌎 (@beisebolmafora) March 3, 2025
The next batter, Victor Mascai crushed a two-run single to right, scoring Dante Bichette Jr. and Rojo to stamp a 4-0 lead.
Victor Mascai drives in two runs for Brazil and they're up 4-0 in the 4th inning. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/MXpj07LsjW
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 3, 2025
“After last nights’ game we got together and discussed how to make the adjustments against Germany and I think we’re getting a good rhythm on how we can click together coming into Wednesday, to face China’s pitching staff,” Mascai said during the post game.
Speer turned to his bullpen again, bringing in Jordan Martinson to replace Agassi.
Agassi exited after ⅔ of an inning, allowing three hits, four earned runs, and two walks.
In the bottom of the fourth, Matsumoto made a move, calling on reliever Oscar Nakaoshi with two outs to replace starter Enzo Yusuke Sawayama.
Sawayama threw 3 ⅔ innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, four walks, and six strikeouts, while creasing 73 pitches, 38 for strikes.
Germany finally broke through in the fourth when Lou Helmig drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in Donald Lutz to put Germany on the board at 4-1.
In the fifth, Germany capitalized on another bases-loaded walk, this time by Alexander Schmidt, bringing home Simon Baumgardt to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Brazil answered in the sixth. Mascai grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Bichette scored from third to restore the three-run lead.
Ramirez kept Brazil’s bats rolling in the seventh, pounding an opposite field RBI double into left field, scoring Gomes to extend the lead to 6-2.
Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, drives in a run for Team Brazil 😤#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/T1epfYmjh6
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 3, 2025
“I felt we came out aggressive today and we played hard today alongside coming out hustling. It felt great to put the barrel on the baseball there and to help the offense out, and coming out on the left side of the win column,” Ramirez said during the postgame.
The next batter, Leonardo Reginatto smacked an RBI ground ball double to right field, scoring Ramirez to staple a 7-2 lead.
Germany creeped back in the seventh inning as Lutz drove an RBI double into left, scoring Tristian Russell to make it 7-3.
Vincent Aherns grounded to Rojo, scoring Yannic Walther and trimming the deficit to 7-4.
Alex Schimdt, rounding out the lineup, lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Lutzand tightening the score to 7-5.
Brazil would answer in the eighth. Gabriel Maciel reached on a fielder’s choice, with Lutz firing to Schmidt in an unsuccessful attempt to cut down Daniel Yonemura, who slid headfirst safely ahead of the tag to pin, 8-5 Brazil.
Germany kept pressing in the bottom of the eighth. Lutz worked yet another bases-loaded walk, forcing in Lou Helmig to make it 8-6.
Aherns followed with another bases-loaded, bringing home Lucas Dunn to inch the board to 8-7.
Brazil reliever Eric Pardinho needed just one pitch to escape the eighth, getting Schmidt to lift a first-pitch fly ball to Masaci.
In the ninth, Brazil added an insurance run as Reginatto drilled an RBI single into center, scoring Tiago Nishiyama to extend the lead to 9-7.
Pardinho returned for the bottom of the ninth and closed out the game in dominant fashion. He retired Germany’s offense in order, striking out Lucas Dunn on an 83.6 mph changeup for the final out as Brazil sealed a 9-7 victory, improving to 1-1 in the 2025 WBCQ.
Team Brazil slams the door on its first victory!#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Ht6nZzQVok
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 3, 2025
Germany struggled to capitalize on scoring chances, finishing 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranding 14 baserunners in the loss.
Germany’s pitching staff entered Monday’s game with a 2.57 ERA, after allowing just two earned runs on nine hits over seven innings in its 12-2 mercy-rule win over China. In that game, starter Markus Solbach and reliever Jordan Martinson were the only pitchers used.
Brazil’s pitching staff, coming off a 5-0 loss to Colombia, entered the game with a 5.63 ERA. Starter Bo Takahashi and relievers Tiago Da Silva, Hector Villarroel, Murilo Gouvea, and Arthur Tsujiguchi combined for eight innings, allowing 10 hits, five earned runs, seven walks, and six strikeouts in the defeat.
“I could notice since this morning, when we were practicing, the guys were loose and more relaxed than yesterday coming into today’s game and I think we can produce better results against China,” Matsumoto said during the postgame.
Brazil’s offense managed just three hits against Colombia’s pitching staff on Sunday night in a 5-0 loss before bouncing back with a win on Monday.
Brazil will play (0-1) China at 1 p.m. EST at Veterans Memorial Stadium on March 4 and Germany will go up against (1-0) Colombia at 8 p.m. EST on the final day of the scheduled games for the 2025 WBCQ.
The second and third place game of the 2025 WBCQ will be at 8 p.m. EST on March 6.
Colombia is ranked at No. 13 in the World Baseball Rankings, which are published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Brazil is ranked at No. 23, China is at No. 20 and Germany is at No. 17. Nicaragua ranked at No. 16 and Chinese Taipei ranked at No. 2 in the WBR, qualified for the 2026 WBC.
All WBC Qualifier games will stream live on the World Baseball Classic website, as well as on its Facebook page, MLB.TV, and YouTube channel, with coverage running through the final out of the second qualifier in Tucson, Ariz., on March 6.
2026 World Baseball Classic Information
The United States, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain and a Qualifier nation will compete at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas from March 6-11 in Pool B.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, and a Qualifier nation will compete in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium from March 6-11 in Pool A.
Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic, and a Qualifier nation will compete at the Tokyo Dome from March 5-10 in Pool C.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, and a Qualifier nation will compete at loanDepot Park in Miami in Pool D from March 6-11.
The Quarterfinals of the 2026 WBC will feature the Pool A runner-up facing the Pool B winner on March 13, while the Pool B runner-up will face the Pool A winner on March 14 at Daikin Park.
The other side of the Quarterfinals will be on March 13 with the Pool C runner-up playing the Pool D winner and the Pool D runner-up will play the Pool C winner on March 14 at loanDepot Park.
The 2026 WBC semifinals will be held on March 15 and 16 at loanDepot Park, with the championship game taking place on March 17.
2025 WBC Qualifiers Schedule – Veterans Memorial Stadium
All Game Start Times Are Listed Eastern Standard Time
March 3, 2025
Colombia vs. China – 8 p.m. EST
March 4, 2025
China vs. Brazil – 1 p.m. EST
Germany vs. Colombia – 8 p.m. EST
March 6, 2025 – Qualifier Game
2nd Place Team vs. 3rd Place Team – 8 p.m. EST
Two Or More Teams Tied Standing Scenario
If two or more teams have the same record, head-to-head results determine the higher rank. If three or more are tied, the team that allowed the fewest runs per out recorded against the tied teams advances. If still tied, earned runs per out recorded will be used. If a tie remains, the team with the highest batting average in head-to-head games moves on. If no winner is determined, World Baseball Classic Inc. will hold a drawing to decide.
