Canada secured an 8-2 victory over Colombia in their opening Pool A game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Owen Caissie's second-inning home run provided an early lead and landed in a Canadian flag held by fans. The win moves Canada to 1-0, while Colombia falls to 0-2.
At Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Canada's manager Ernie Whitt's squad started strong against Colombia on Saturday. Owen Caissie, the Miami Marlins' outfielder and MLB Pipeline's No. 42 prospect, hit a two-run homer in the second inning, giving Canada a 2-0 lead. The ball struck a Canadian flag held by two fans, Owen Hart from Newfoundland and Shane Nimmo from Calgary, who had predicted the home run.
"You see, Owen Caissie hit it to his buddy Owen," Hart said, laughing. Nimmo added, "Yeah, surprising, I kinda called it."
Michael Soroka pitched three solid innings to set the tone, and five relievers limited Colombia to two runs on six hits. The game stayed close until the eighth inning, when Canada added four runs, including a run-scoring triple by Abraham Toro and an RBI single from Bo Naylor, sealing the 8-2 win.
Whitt praised his team's performance: "I was happy with the way we played. We grinded some at-bats out, some real good at-bats. Our pitchers threw strikes. That's what we want to do."
Caissie, who also homered in the 2023 Classic, noted the importance of the early lead: "[The homer] gives the boys a little push start. It never really hurts. And to really just get on the board first in these tournaments really matters."
Colombia struggled offensively, going 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position and leaving 17 on base. They scored their two runs on a third-inning RBI single by Michael Arroyo after an earlier missed opportunity. Manager Jose Mosquera emphasized resilience: "The message is we still have work to do. We can't hang our heads -- and [we] have to keep on competing."
Adding to Colombia's challenges, starter Julio Teheran was scratched due to a right shoulder impingement, with Austin Bergner pitching two innings in relief. Mosquera called it precautionary.
Canada, seeking their first Pool A advancement, rests before facing Panama on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Colombia meets Cuba at noon ET, where a loss could lead to elimination.
