Eight nations remain in the World Baseball Classic, and all teams will travel to the United States for the quarterfinal round on Friday and Saturday.
Following Italy’s dominant win over Mexico on Wednesday, Team USA narrowly escaped elimination to claim Pool B’s runner-up spot. The U.S. will face North American rival Canada at Houston’s Daikin Park on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Team USA enters — listed as the road team — enters as a heavy -800 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Canada sits as a +500 underdog.
The U.S. brought a Dream Team-esque lineup to the WBC, following its championship loss to Japan in 2023. Led by reigning MVP Aaron Judge, Team USA boasts Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, and others.
But the team barely survived pool play after a shocking loss to Italy, compounded by a complete misunderstanding of the tournament’s tiebreaker rules. With a second chance, the U.S. will start All-Star righty Logan Webb against the Canadians.
Canada — headlined by brothers Josh and Bo Naylor — went 3-1 in Pool A and defeated Puerto Rico on Tuesday to claim the group’s top seed. The team posted a 1.50 team ERA across four games, and Diamondbacks righty Michael Soroka would be in line to face the Americans.
The winner would face either South Korea or the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s semifinal in Miami.
