The 2026 World Baseball Classic featured several decisive victories on March 8, with Japan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Italy securing wins to bolster their quarterfinal hopes. Israel also shut out Nicaragua, while other matchups remained pending. These results advanced key teams in their pools as the tournament progresses toward the knockout stages.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic reached a pivotal point on March 8 with seven scheduled games influencing quarterfinal qualification. While Team USA had the day off, action spanned multiple venues, including the Tokyo Dome, Miami and Houston.
In Pool C, Japan rallied to defeat Australia 4-3 at the Tokyo Dome before a sellout crowd. Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning off left-hander Jon Kennedy, securing the win after Australia had taken a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Aaron Whitefield's double, stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Kenya Wakatsuki. Japan, now 3-0, clinched the top seed in Pool C. Australia, at 2-1, can still advance with a victory over South Korea on March 9.
Pool D saw the Dominican Republic rout the Netherlands 12-1 in seven innings in Miami, invoking the mercy rule after leading by 11. The team hit four home runs, including a two-run shot by Juan Soto in the seventh, with Austin Wells, Junior Caminero and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also homering. The Dominican Republic improved to 2-0.
In Pool A, Cuba beat Colombia 7-4, scoring four runs in the first inning, three on Ariel Martinez's home run, and adding three more in the sixth to move to 2-0. Israel blanked Nicaragua 5-0 in Miami, powered by a big fifth inning. Noah Mendlinger went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Dean Kremer allowed two hits and struck out four in 4.1 innings.
Pool B action included Italy's 7-4 win over Great Britain, tying the game in the third with back-to-back home runs by Andrew Fischer and J.J. D'Orazio. Great Britain fell to 0-3 and was eliminated, despite an early lead. Italy remained undefeated.
Panama faced Canada at 7 p.m. ET in San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and Brazil met Mexico at 8 p.m. in Houston's Daikin Park. The top two teams from each of the four pools advance to quarterfinals starting March 13, with the championship on March 17 in Miami.
