March 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; U.S. right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a home run in the first inning during a game against Brazil at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Team USA captain Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Logan Webb led Brazil to a 15-5 win in the Group B opener of the World Baseball Classic on Friday night in Houston.
Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a single and a stolen base at second as Bryce Harper struck out in his WBC debut and set the tone for Team USA with a 405-foot blast over Bo Takahashi.
Kyle Schwarber scored on a wild pitch in the third, Byron Buxton loaded the bases in the fifth and Brice Turang hit a three-run double for the United States, which is seeking its first and second WBC title since 2017.
Roman Anthony had an RBI single in the eighth and Team USA scored in the seventh and ninth. Anthony and Harper had run-scoring singles, Alex Bregman, Cal Raleigh and Pete Crow-Armstrong had bases loaded walks, Raleigh scored on a balk and Turang collected an RBI grounder.
The U.S. team recorded 17 walks against 9 Brazilian pitchers.
Turang finished 3-for-6, ranked 9th.
Lucas Ramirez, the son of former big league slugger Manny Ramirez, hit two home runs, including a leadoff hit in the bottom of the first inning, against Webb against Brazil, who is playing in the WBC for the second time after losing 0-3 in a pool game in 2013.
Lucas Rojo had an RBI single in the seventh before former Houston Astros farmhand Victor Mascai hit a two-run home run.
San Francisco Giants ace Webb struck out the last 12 batters (6) he faced. Michael Wacha gave up three runs in three innings, Gabe Speyer gave up Ramirez’s second home run, and Mason Miller pitched a no-hitter ninth inning with three strikeouts.
Takahashi, who pitched in Asia for the past five seasons as a minor leaguer for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds, allowed three hits in the first inning but recorded two.
Joseph Contreras, the 17-year-old son of former big league pitcher Jose Contreras, gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings and wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning when he gave up a double play to Judge.
Both countries are back in action on Saturday when the United States meets England and Brazil faces Italy.
–Field level media
