Suddenly, the USA vs. Canada has become one of the hottest and most notable rivalries in sports. Less than a month after the United States defeated Canada in both the men's and women's gold medal hockey games in the Winter Olympics in Milan, it is now the World Baseball Classic version of the international rivalry that will take center stage.
The United States and Canada will meet Friday night (8 p.m. ET, Fox TV) in the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park in Houston. Team USA went into the WBC as the favorite to win the championship, but the U.S. lost to Italy in pool play put their advance to the elimination round appearance in jeopardy. However, when Italy defeated Mexico in the final game of Pool B, the U.S. advanced.
Canada advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in team history after going 3-1 in its Pool A round robin. The Canadians are clear underdogs in this game, but manager Ernie Whitt's team has played with confidence and clearly has a bit of revenge in mind after the two losses by Canada in the gold medal hockey games.
Team USA slugger Kyle Schwarber said the overtones of the men's hockey matchup will have an impact on this USA-Canada elimination game. “I just remember when the puck dropped and then seeing all those guys skating, it looked like they were skating for their lives, not just the USA and Canada,” Schwarber said, per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. “Now it’s time for us to go.”
Logan Webb will shut down Canada in the early innings
The United States clearly is under pressure to win the WBC, and while Canada has played well in their opening four games, it will be difficult for the Canadians to shut down the massive offensive attack of the Americans.
Pitcher Logan Webb will have the responsibility of closing down Canada's offense in the early going. He gets the start for manager Mark DeRosa. The 29-year-old Webb has become a star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants as he prepares for his eighth big-league season. He has been a National League All-Star each of the past two years.
After going 13-10 with a 3.47 earned run average while starting 33 games in 2024, he had his best season last year. Webb compiled a 15-11 mark with a 3.22 ERA as he led the National League with 224 strikeouts in 207.0 innings. He led the NL in starts in 2024 and '25 with 33 and 34, respectively.
It will be difficult for Canada to mount any kind of attack against him.
Michael Soroka of the Arizona Diamondbacks will get the call for the Canadians and he has six years of major league experience. He pitched for the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs last season, and he had a combined 3-8 record for those two teams along with a 4.52 ERA.
It will be difficult to slow down a lineup that includes Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr. Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper and Roman Anthony.
Abraham Toro will carry offense for Canada with 2 RBI
Team Canada has some offensive firepower with Josh Naylor and Tyler O'Neill serving as the team's biggest name performers. Both have performed well in the first four games, but Abraham Toro and Owen Caissie have been the team's best performers to this point. Toro has a home run, a triple and 3 doubles while Caissie has a home run and three doubles.
Toro is in camp with the Kansas City Royals and should have an excellent chance to make the team after spending the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox. Caissie is hoping to become an impact player for the Miami Marlins this season after having a cup of coffee with the Chicago Cubs last season.
Roman Anthony will deliver another home run for Team USA
The United States has been able to show off its tremendous firepower during the first four games of the tournament, but most of the scoring and the extra base hits have come in the late innings.
It took several innings against Great Britain and Mexico for the offense to get untracked. There have been a number of explosions from the American bats, including rocket shots from Judge, Schwarber and Anthony. Pete Crow-Armstrong belted two home runs for Team USA in the loss to Italy, and he has been squaring the ball up and showing off his great athletic ability.
Look for Anthony to demonstrate his tremendous skill set against Team Canada. Even though he is the youngest player on the team at 21, he shows tremendous poise and discipline at the plate. He will not swing at pitches out of the strike zone.
Look for Anthony to get on base three times and deliver another booming home run as Team USA advances to the semifinals of the WBC
