And then there were eight.
Following an electric group stage — complete with bat flips, diving plays, and complicated tiebreakers — the World Baseball Classic heads into its quarterfinal round across Friday and Saturday.
Team USA faced the risk of elimination Wednesday night, but managed to stay alive after Italy rolled to a 9–1 victory over Mexico behind a three-homer performance from Vinnie Pasquantino.
The Aaron Judge-led U.S. juggernaut (3–1) remains the odds-on favorite to win the global tournament, holding +140 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The electric Dominican Republic (4–0) squad, which crushed four homers Wednesday night to beat Venezuela, trails slightly behind at +230.
Japan (4–0), led by superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, holds +450 odds of repeating as WBC champs, after taking down the USA in the 2023 finale.
Here’s a look at this weekend’s schedule for the WBC quarterfinal:
Friday, March 13
- 6:30 p.m. ET: Korea vs. Dominican Republic — Miami
- 8 p.m. ET: USA vs. Canada — Houston
Saturday, March 14
- 3 p.m. ET: Puerto Rico vs. Italy — Houston
- 9 p.m. ET: Venezuela vs. Japan — Miami
The WBC semifinals will be held across Sunday and Monday, with the championship set for Tuesday night in Miami.
