Pasquantino has WBC's first 3-homer
game to lead Italy over Mexico, advancing US to quarterfinals
[March 12, 2026]
Vinnie Pasquantino had the World Baseball Classic's first
three-homer game, leading Italy over Mexico 9-1 on Wednesday night
to win Pool B and advance the United States to the quarterfinals as
group's second-place team.
Italy's victory ended a day of uncertainty for the Americans, who
needed help to reach the quarterfinals after losing to Italy 8-6 on
Tuesday night.
Pasquantino, who opened the tournament 0 for 12, homered leading off
the second, sixth and eighth innings to propel Italy to the
quarterfinals for a third time and the second tournament in a row.
Jon Berti also homered for Italy to help build a big lead early.
The Italians will face Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals in Houston
on Saturday, a day after the U.S. plays Canada, which advanced past
the first round for the first time.
Mexico's loss eliminated it from qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles
Olympics, a disappointment for a team that finished third in the
2023 WBC, losing to eventual champion Japan in the semifinals.
Italy went 4-0 in pool play after no other European team had won
more than two WBC games in a row.
Pasquantino celebrated with an espresso shot from the dugout machine
after each homer, Italy’s fitting celebration after home runs.
He tried to bunt on his first pitch, then homered to the first row
of the right-field seats off Javier Assad in the second inning.
Berti’s shot to to left doubled the lead in the fourth.
Dante Nori's run-scoring sacrifice bunt extended the lead in a
three-run fifth capped by Jakob Marsee’s two-run single for a 5-0
lead.
Pasquantino homered starting the sixth against Daniel Duarte and
again off Robert Garcia in the eighth.
Winner Aaron Nola allowed four hits and struck out five in five
scoreless innings. Assad took the loss, permitting four runs and
four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Mexico loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but managed just
one run on a groundout by Alek Thomas.
Canada advances past World Baseball Classic first round for first
time, beats Cuba 7-2
Canada advanced past the first round of the World Baseball Classic
for the first time, beating Cuba 7-2 Wednesday in a winner-take-all
game at San Juan, Puerto Rico, behind Abraham Toro's homer and Otto
Lopez's two-run single.
Brothers Bo Naylor and Josh Naylor drove in runs, Owen Caissie had
two RBIs and reliever James Paxton struck out six over 2 2/3
scoreless innings for Canada (3-1), which eliminated the Cubans
(2-2) and won Group A over Puerto Rico (3-1). Cuba was knocked out
in the first round for the first time.
Cuba finished with three errors, and left fielder Ariel Martinez
allowed Toro’s catchable fly starting the seventh to fall for a
double. The Canadians broke open the game with a three-run sixth
inning that included a dropped popup, a foul pop that fell, a wild
pickoff throw and a catcher's interference call on Andrys Perez,
whose passed ball led to Canada's first run.
Cuba escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first when Matt Davidson hit
an inning-ending popout off loser Livan Moinelo, but Canada went
ahead in the third on Caissie's sacrifice fly. Toro homered in the
fifth on a splitter from Yariel Rodríguez, a 420-foot drive to
right.
Cuba scored in the bottom half on Yoelkis Guibert's run-scoring
groundout off winner Cal Quantrill, who allowed an unearned run and
two hits over five innings.
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Italy first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino runs the bases after a home
run in the eighth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against
Mexico, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley
Landis)
Canada opened a 3-1 lead in the sixth on Bo
Naylor's RBI double.
Martinez drove in a run in the bottom half with his third hit and
Josh Naylor had an RBI single in the seventh on a soft fly to left
that popped up of the glove of Martinez, who tried for a sliding
catch.
Cuba went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
Adam Macko escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when Yiddi Cappe
swung over a curveball and James Paxton struck out Moncada in the
seventh to leave runners at the corners.
Dominican Republic beats Venezuela 7-5, goes unbeaten in Pool D
Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
— the top four hitters in the order — all homered, and the Dominican
Republic finished off an unbeaten run through Pool D.
Both teams entered the game — played before a sellout crowd of
36,230 in Miami — knowing they were headed to the quarterfinals.
Tatis, Marte, Soto and Guerrero were a combined 9 for 18 for the
winners, driving in all seven runs and scoring five of them.
The Dominican Republic (4-0) takes on South Korea in a quarterfinal
on Friday, while Venezuela (3-1) will face Shohei Ohtani and Japan
on Saturday. Ranger Suarez starts for Venezuela and World Series MVP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Samurai Warriors.
Maikel Garcia was 4 for 4, scored two runs and had an RBI for
Venezuela, while Luis Arraez drove in a pair of runs — including a
sacrifice fly in the ninth. Venezuela loaded the bases, down by
four, with no outs, and Arraez made it 7-4 with a liner to left.
Willson Contreras hit a grounder on the next pitch that could have
been turned into a game-ending 1-6-3 double play, but Elvis
Alvarado’s throw sailed into center field and Ronald Acuña Jr.
scored.
But that would be it for the rally: Salvador Perez grounded into a
game-ending double play.
Soto hit a two-run home run in the first inning off loser Eduardo
Rodriguez, his second of this year’s tournament and the fourth of
his WBC career — tying Nelson Cruz and Adrián Beltré for the most in
his nation’s history.
Marte and Guerrero connected on solo shots in the third inning, then
Tatis hit a three-run homer in the fourth for a 7-3 lead.
Venezuela came in having allowed five runs in its first three WBC
contests; it gave up seven in the first four innings Wednesday. The
Dominican Republic outscored its four pool-play opponents 41-10.
Winner Sandy Alcantara — the Marlins’ ace, pitching in his home
ballpark — gave up three runs and five hits while striking out three
in three innings.
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