So far in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it’s only been a matter of “when” for Team USA following a 9-1 win over Great Britain on Saturday.
The tournament favorite spent half of its second group play game trailing the British, courtesy of a dormant offense and a surprise leadoff homer allowed by the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal. Two pitchers, indy ball veteran Tyler Viza and Los Angeles Angels minor leaguer Najer Vector, shut down the Americans across four innings.
And then, carnage.
It took only one error from Great Britain to open the floodgates. Ernie Clement reached first on a bad throw from GB third baseman Ivan Johnson. He moved to third on a double from Pete Crow-Armstrong. He scored on a wild pitch.
Two pitches later, Kyle Schwarber hit the ball 427 feet, deep into the second deck.
More runs followed. Gunnar Henderson brough int two more with a bases-loaded single. Alex Bregman, Aaron Judge and Will Smith all notched RBI in a sixth-inning rally. Bregman got another sacrifice fly an inning later.
The vaunted American lineup ground down Brazil in its first game with 17 walks in its first game. It was a bit more aggressive in this one, but maintained an identity of slowly breaking pitchers with little MLB experience.
On the pitching side, Skubal was on the mound for what will be his only start of the tournament. As few expected, he left the game facing a loss. The reason why: Boston Red Sox utility man Nate Eaton, who ambushed a fastball on the first pitch of the game for a double that evolved into a homer after replay review.
Skubal shook that off and put down nine of the 10 remaining batters.
From there, the American bullpen took over and maintained dominance. Skubal, Clay Holmes, David Bednar, Griffin Jax and Brad Keller combined for 17 strikeouts while walking none. The only British hitter who managed a hit was Eaton, who was 3-for-4 while his teammates were 0-for-25.
Now 2-0, Team USA is virtually guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds. However, it will soon face its biggest test against Mexico on Monday, with first place in Pool B likely on the line. Mexico defeated Great Britain 8-2 on Friday.
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