USA beats Canada 5-3 to advance to 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinals

Team USA defeated Canada 5-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with Paul Skenes delivering the kind of pitching performance that makes a roster built around young talent look like it was assembled correctly. Skenes threw four scoreless innings, striking out seven of the 14 batters he faced, which is a strikeout rate of exactly 50 percent for his time on the mound. That is not something you see in the quarterfinals of a tournament where hitters have been locked in for weeks.

Bobby Witt Jr. went 2-for-4 at the plate, contributing to an offense that got significant power contributions from Aaron Judge and Roman Anthony, both of whom hit home runs. Judge's home run was his second of the tournament. Anthony, at 21 years old, is the youngest player to hit a home run for Team USA in a WBC knockout game since the tournament format was restructured in 2017. The United States will face the Dominican Republic in the semifinals on Sunday night at LoanDepot Park in Miami.

Paul Skenes' performance in detail

Skenes was the Pittsburgh Pirates' first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in May 2024. He was named to the 2024 NL All-Star team in his first full season, posting a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. His inclusion in the 2026 WBC roster was straightforward given those numbers, and he has not looked out of place pitching in international competition.

Against Canada, Skenes worked primarily with his fastball and slider. Canadian batters made contact only twice in fair territory during his four innings, with both balls being routine fielding plays. He threw 58 pitches in total, with 40 strikes. That efficiency, getting outs without extended at-bats, is what allowed the USA pitching staff to keep a fresh bullpen available for the later innings when Canada made a minor push, scoring three runs in the seventh and eighth off relief pitching.

How the offense built the 5-3 lead

The United States scored twice in the first inning and once each in the third and fifth before the Judge home run in the sixth extended the lead to five. Canada's pitching held reasonably well in the middle innings, which is part of why the game stayed close enough for Canada to make it uncomfortable late. Canada's starting pitcher, who entered the game with a 1.62 ERA in the WBC group stage, retired the side in order twice before USA broke through for the multi-run first inning.

Roman Anthony's home run came in the fifth inning off a 93 mph fastball that he pulled to left field. Anthony is a Boston Red Sox outfield prospect who made his MLB debut in September 2025 and played only 22 games in the regular season before the roster was announced. His selection for Team USA generated some discussion given his limited MLB experience, but his tournament performance has quieted that. Through three games including the quarterfinal, Anthony is batting .364 with two home runs.

Canada's competitive push and how the game nearly tightened

Canada entered the quarterfinal having won four of five games in the group stage, with their only loss coming against Venezuela by a single run. Their lineup included several active major league players, including shortstop Bo Bichette, who went 1-for-3 with a walk, and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning that cut the USA lead to 5-2 at the time.

Canada added another run in the eighth before USA's bullpen closed the door. The 5-3 final was tighter than Skenes' early dominance suggested it might be, which is common in WBC knockout games where both rosters are pulling from major league talent. The United States' bullpen used three pitchers over the final five innings, none of whom allowed more than one earned run in their individual appearances.

USA vs Dominican Republic: what the semifinal matchup looks like

The Dominican Republic qualified for the semifinals by defeating Cuba in their quarterfinal. The Dominican roster includes several of the most recognizable names in current baseball, including Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Their pitching has been inconsistent through the tournament, with their group stage performance relying heavily on offensive output rather than dominant starting pitching.

The US versus Dominican Republic matchup at LoanDepot Park on Sunday night is scheduled for an 8 PM Eastern start. The Dominican Republic won the 2013 WBC, the last time they reached the final, going undefeated through the tournament. The United States won the 2017 edition at Dodger Stadium and finished as runners-up in 2023 after losing to Japan in the final. A USA win on Sunday would set up a final against whichever team emerges from the other semifinal between Japan and Mexico.