HOUSTON — David Bednar stood on the mound with the tying runs in scoring position in the seventh inning and the crowd at Daikin Park fully engaged.
“Just find a way. Bear down and get it done,” Bednar said during the on-field interview with Ken Rosenthal after Team USA’s 5–3 win over Canada in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal Friday night.
Asked about leaning on his splitter in that moment, Bednar pointed to catcher Cal Raleigh and the atmosphere inside the stadium.
“Honestly just trust what Cal was putting down, and the crowd really got into it toward the end. It was really electric.”
The win eliminated neighbor Canada from the 2026 World Baseball Classic and sends the United States to a semifinal matchup with the Dominican Republic on Sunday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, continuing a tough year for Canada against the United States after losses in both the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey gold medal games.
Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has represented Team USA Baseball since he was 12 years old, said the team welcomes the environment that comes with international baseball in Miami.
“I expect to be the away team for sure, that’s what we are looking for. We want the electricity, the energy in the crowd. That’s why we are throwing Mr. Skenes out there for whatever he is gonna give ’em. It’s gonna be good.”
For anyone glancing at the scoreboard, the result was straightforward: USA 5, Canada 3. The path was not.
The tournament arrived in Houston carrying its slogan across broadcasts and stadium signage: Expect Everything.
Through the first 40 games, it largely has. Italy stunned the United States earlier in Pool B. Tiebreaker scenarios nearly eliminated one of the tournament favorites. Around the bracket, games have turned on a single pitch or defensive play.
2026 World Baseball Classic: Pool Play Gave Us Some Unforgettable Moments, Now On To the Big Games
Oddsmakers expected a comfortable American win Friday night. FanDuel listed the United States as a 4.5-run favorite with a 9.5 total, pointing to something closer to 7–3 or 8–3.
Instead it played tighter. The United States scored early, a Canadian error widened the gap, Canada pushed back, and the bullpen finished it.
The box score will show a 5–3 game.
What it won’t show is how close one inning came to breaking open. During Phillippe Aumont’s appearance, Cal Raleigh drove a ball deep to right only moments after Alex Bregman nearly hooked one down the left-field line.
Both stayed in the park.
From the opening inning, the United States applied pressure.
USA Grabs the First Run — USA 1, CAN 0
Team USA put immediate pressure on Michael Soroka in the opening frame.
Bobby Witt Jr. drew a leadoff walk and Aaron Judge followed with a sharp double to left, putting runners on second and third with one out. Kyle Schwarber then brought Witt home with a groundout to second base for the game’s first run.
Photo: Fans cheer for the United States during the sixth inning of a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game against Canada, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Soroka limited the damage there, getting Alex Bregman to pop out and keeping the inning from turning larger.
Canada threatened in the bottom half when Otto Lopez and Tyler O’Neill both singled, but Logan Webb finished the inning by striking out Owen Caissie and freezing Abraham Toro with a called third strike.
Webb and Canada Trade Clean Outs — USA 1, CAN 0
The second inning moved quickly, and Webb stayed in control.
Tyler Black struck out to open the frame before Bo Naylor lined a single to left. Denzel Clarke followed with a ground ball that forced Naylor out at second, and Edouard Julien lined out sharply to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to end the inning.
Webb had not allowed Canada to string together enough contact to turn traffic into pressure.
Toro’s Error Turns a Manageable Inning Into a Hole — USA 3, CAN 0
With two outs and runners aboard, Alex Bregman chopped a slow ground ball toward third. Abraham Toro charged it and tried to rush a throw across the diamond, but the ball sailed high past first baseman Josh Naylor as Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge scored.
Shortstop Otto Lopez was shaded deep on the grass and appeared to have the better angle on the play, with time to secure the out or keep the ball in the infield. Instead, the hurried throw allowed Bregman to reach and pushed the United States to a 3–0 lead.
In pool play, a misplay like that can be absorbed across several games and run differentials. In a single-elimination quarterfinal, it felt far heavier.
Photo: Team USA’s Alex Bregman (2) is safe at first base as Canada first baseman Josh Naylor, left, reaches for a wild throw during the third inning of a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Roman Anthony struck out to finish the frame, but the error had already reshaped it.
Ashman Settles the Game — USA 3, CAN 0
After Soroka departed, Micah Ashman gave Canada exactly what it needed for a stretch.
He worked through the fourth and fifth without allowing a run, limiting the Americans to a Brice Turang single in the fourth and then setting down Harper, Judge, and Schwarber in order in the fifth.
That steadied the game and gave Canada a window to claw back, even if Logan Webb continued to keep the middle of the lineup from doing much with it.
Webb Hands It Off Cleanly — USA 3, CAN 0
Webb scattered four hits across 4 2/3 scoreless innings, struck out five, and kept control. When Edouard Julien walked in the fifth, DeRosa went to Brad Keller before anything developed further, and Keller got the final out of the inning by retiring Josh Naylor.
It was the sort of outing the United States needed from Webb: efficient, controlled, and long enough to hand the game to a rested bullpen with the lead intact.
Remember, the United States has remained in Houston at Daikin Park since its Pool B loss to Italy on Tuesday, March 10, avoiding travel while waiting for its quarterfinal matchup.
Aumont’s Inning Gets Away — USA 5, CAN 0
The sixth was where the game widened.
Phillippe Aumont, the 37-year-old veteran making his fourth World Baseball Classic appearance, entered trying to keep Canada within striking distance. He got Alex Bregman for the first out, then gave up an infield single to Roman Anthony and walked Cal Raleigh.
Adam Macko came on in relief and opened well enough, flipping an 83.7 mph slider over for a called strike. But the inning slipped from there. Brice Turang punched a single into center to score Anthony, and Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with another hit that brought home Raleigh.
PCA knocks in another run! pic.twitter.com/M9bblxyXv7
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 14, 2026
Bobby Witt Jr. grounded into a double play to stop the inning, but not before the United States had pushed the lead to 5–0.
Canada Finally Lands a Blow — USA 5, CAN 3
Canada answered in the bottom half and gave the game life.
Owen Caissie worked a walk and came around to score on Tyler Black’s two-out single to left. DeRosa then turned to Gabe Speier, but Bo Naylor jumped him for a two-run homer to right-center, cutting the lead to 5–3.
That was as close as Canada got, but it changed the shape of the game. What had looked comfortable for the United States suddenly carried pressure again heading into the seventh.
Bednar Escapes Canada’s Best Chance — USA 5, CAN 3
Canada’s last real opportunity came in the seventh.
Edouard Julien and Otto Lopez opened the inning with singles, and a passed ball by Cal Raleigh moved both runners into scoring position with nobody out. Suddenly the tying runs were on base and the crowd inside Daikin Park sensed the moment.
David Bednar steadied it.
Josh Naylor lifted a popout to third, Tyler O’Neill chased a high fastball for strike three, and Owen Caissie followed with another strikeout to end the inning. Canada had pushed the tying runs into scoring position but came away empty.
United States pitcher David Bednar reacts after striking out Canada’s Owen Caissie to end the seventh inning of a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
USA Pitching Slams the Door
From there, the American bullpen finished it cleanly.
Garrett Whitlock and Mason Miller combined with Bednar to retire the final nine Canadian hitters of the game. Canada never placed another runner on base after the seventh-inning threat.
Miller handled the ninth with authority, striking out all three hitters he faced — Jared Young, Edouard Julien, and Otto Lopez — to close the game.
The final stretch underscored the depth of the American pitching staff, which recovered quickly after the brief sixth-inning rally that cut the lead to two.
United States Advances to Semifinals
The win sends the United States to the World Baseball Classic semifinals, where it will face the Dominican Republic.
Semifinal
Sunday, March 15
United States vs. Dominican Republic
8:00 p.m. ET
loanDepot Park — Miami (FS1)
For a tournament built around the slogan “Expect Everything,” Friday night ultimately delivered something more controlled. The United States built an early lead, survived Canada’s push, and closed the door late to keep its championship run alive.
Photo: United States catcher Cal Raleigh, left, and pitcher Mason Miller, right, celebrate after their win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
