The United States team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic advanced to the quarterfinals after a surprising loss to Italy, sparking fan outrage over lineup choices and managerial comments. The tournament, marking its 20th anniversary, has seen increased popularity in the US with high viewership for early games. Stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are participating, contributing to the event's success.
The World Baseball Classic, first proposed in 2005 by the MLB Players Association and announced by then-commissioner Bud Selig, began in 2006 amid skepticism from American fans who viewed it as a gimmick that could risk player injuries. Despite initial doubts, the event quickly gained traction internationally, with enthusiastic crowds in other countries, while US interest grew more gradually due to the abundance of domestic MLB viewing opportunities.
In 2026, on its 20th anniversary, the WBC has reached new heights in American sports consciousness. Team USA opened pool play with wins over Brazil on Friday night, which became the most-watched sporting event of the day despite competing with NBA and college basketball, and Great Britain on Saturday, drawing 2.98 million viewers—the highest for a non-final WBC broadcast ever.
A shocking upset came earlier this week when USA lost to Italy, which then defeated Mexico to win Pool B. Team USA advanced to the quarterfinals via tiebreaker rules. Controversy arose over the lineup, with fans questioning the inclusion of Paul Goldschmidt over Bryce Harper. Manager Mark DeRosa exacerbated tensions by stating on MLB Network that the team had already secured a quarterfinal spot; he later clarified he "misspoke" and described it as "just an overly confident statement."
The roster features nearly all top MLB stars, including five of the top six American League MVP vote-getters from last season—Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., Tarik Skubal, and Julio Rodríguez—as well as National League leaders Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and Juan Soto. Both Cy Young winners, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, are participating, along with other top pitchers like Cristopher Sánchez, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Logan Webb.
Players have shown heightened emotion, such as Junior Caminero's home run celebration for the Dominican Republic against Nicaragua and Gunnar Henderson's excitement on a two-RBI single for USA against Great Britain. DeRosa called the Italy loss a "huge wake-up call." Team USA now faces Canada in the quarterfinals, with roster adjustments made ahead of the matchup.
