March 4, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Canadian starting pitcher Carl Quantrill (47) throws a ball in the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies held at Baycare Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Image Abraham Toro homered, Otto Lopez had a two-run single, and Canada advanced to Group A with a 7-2 win over Cuba on Wednesday at the World Baseball Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Canada tied Puerto Rico for first place with a 3-1 record and won Pool A after going head-to-head with the pool host team. If Cuba (2-2) won, they could advance.
Canada will face Group B runners-up the United States on Friday in Houston.
Canadian starting pitcher Cal Quantrill had a stellar performance, allowing two hits and one run over five innings. Quantrill (5) and reliever James Paxton (6) combined for 11 of the Canadians’ 13 strikeouts. Owen Caissie had an RBI sac fly and a run-scoring single, and Bo and Josh Naylor both added RBIs.
Ariel Martinez contributed an RBI single and accounted for three of Cuba’s five hits. The only extra-base hit was a double by Yoan Moncada.
Dominican Republic 7, Venezuela 3
Juan Soto hit the first of four Dominican home runs in the first inning, leading to a victory over Miami and a four-game sweep in Pool D.
Both teams were already confirmed to advance to the quarterfinals ahead of the game. The Dominican Republic (4-0) faces Group C second-place South Korea on Friday, while Venezuela (3-1) faces Group C first-place Japan on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to be held in Miami.
Ketel Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. have also shown keen interest in the Dominican Republic. Guerrero went 3-for-4, while Marte, Soto and Tatis each had two hits. Tatis’ 3-pointer in the 4th inning put the lead at 7-3.
Venezuela scored twice in the 9th inning on Luis Arraez’s sacrifice fly and pitcher Elvis Alvarado’s error, and Alvarado ended the game by forcing Salvador Perez into a double play.
Maikel Garcia went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a double for Venezuela. Eduardo Rodriguez allowed three hits and three runs, struck out five and walked one over 2 2/3 innings.
–Field level media
