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I took a couple of days to let the quarterfinal round settle in, and it did not disappoint. That is just the facts.
Vinnie Pasquantino said something yesterday that actually captured the moment pretty well. He asked, “How many people had the United States, Dominican Republic, Japan, and Italy on their card for the Final Four?”
To Pasquantino’s credit, he came right into the media room afterward, found Jon Morosi of MLB.com, and said to all of us, “I want to apologize to Venezuela. I was not even thinking about it. I did not mean to offend them. Great players, great team.”
It was first class. One of those heat-of-the-moment things. Japan has been so dominant in this event historically that your mind automatically goes there when you are talking about the final stages. But that is the beauty of this tournament.
Venezuela turned around and beat them. And they beat them convincingly. Japan does not advance. Now the Final Four is set. The United States, the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Venezuela.
Italy vs Puerto Rico
Let us start with what we saw between Italy and Puerto Rico.
To be clear, Puerto Rico did not have their best group. They had very good players, several Future Stars Series alumni — which I am ecstatic about — but they did not have their full roster.
When you are missing Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Jose Berrios, and Javier Baez, that is essentially an entire infield plus another frontline starter. Over a 6-7 game tournament, that matters. For Puerto Rico to get as far as they did under those circumstances was excellent.
Canada’s Breakthrough
The day before, Canada reached the quarterfinals for the first time ever and ran into a very talented United States team. It was a big step forward for their program. You saw Bo Naylor, Josh Naylor, Adam Macko, Tyler O’Neill, and others. And Denzel Clarke is going to be a star. The athleticism, the energy, and the upside is real.
From a Future Stars Series perspective, seeing Macko and Bo Naylor on the same frame with Josh Naylor at first base does not hurt either. Noah went deep — way deep — on a breaking ball, showing the natural ability he has always had, and the ability to rise to the moment.
Macko has a big league-future. And he is a long way from the player I first saw throwing 84-86 mph in Kamloops at the Best of the West back in April of 2018. Spinning breaking balls, loose arm, projection everywhere. From there, he became a seventh-round pick after being part of Future Stars Series, developing through Vauxhall Academy with Les McTavish, and continuing to build. Seeing him strike out Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and getting a fly out from Aaron Judge on this stage is gratifying from a scouting and baseball operations standpoint.
Being part of those journeys and helping along the way is something you never forget.
Noah Naylor is another example of this. Years ago, I went on camera and torched the Houston Astros for taking Seth Beer ahead of Naylor in the draft. Those comments look pretty prescient now.
Puerto Rico Connections
On the Puerto Rico side, watching players like Elmer Rodriguez, Edwin Arroyo, and both Alexis and Edwin Diaz on this stage was rewarding, too. I was part of draft discussions involving several of those players.
Seeing Luis Fernandez on the roster and seeing those guys on the big stage was fun and gratifying.
It is good for the programs. Good for the international game. And selfishly, it is something I will always remember.
The Big Game: United States vs. Dominican Republic
Now we get to the matchup of the tournament Sunday. The one everyone expected at some point. Two of the most dominant teams in this event so far have been the Dominican Republic and Italy. That is not really debatable at this point.
But tonight is power versus power.
For the United States, it starts on the mound with Paul Skenes. Pure force. For the Dominican Republic, it is firepower in the lineup. Impact hitters from top to bottom.
That does not mean the U.S. lineup is not elite. It absolutely is. It is just a different style of game. Different rhythm. We will see how the Dominican hitters handle Skenes’ power.
And on the other side, we will see how the United States lineup handles Dominican pitching, starting with right-hander Luis Severino.
Overall, I would give the United States a slight edge against that pitching staff, but only slight. Margins are thin in games like this.
Italy vs. Venezuela
Then, on Monday, we get Italy versus Venezuela.
Italy is sound, aggressive, fearless, and hungry. Venezuela is back on this stage with nothing but energy. Love for the game, acceleration, joy, emotion.
And let us be honest: The environment in Miami tends to favor the Latin clubs. That crowd energy is real.
It is going to be electric. It is also going to be exhausting. Yesterday was exhausting. The day before that was exhausting. And it is only March whatever.
I say March whatever because I am not sure anyone here even knows what day it is anymore. Everyone is just showing up and competing.
Final Thought
This is exactly what the game needed.
The electricity. The intrigue. The explosiveness of international baseball at the highest level.
And over the next three days in Miami, we are going to see how the 2026 World Baseball Classic finishes. One pitch, one swing, one moment at a time.
- BOOTH: The WBC Matchups We’ve Waited For - March 15, 2026
- BOOTH: Big-Time Performances Set Up Bracket Play - March 12, 2026
- BOOTH: USA Needs Help After Loss To Italy - March 11, 2026
