WBC 2026 has started!
Australia beat Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 3-0 and South Korea beat Czech Republic 11-4. Czech outfielder and former RedHawk, Willie Escala, went 2-4.
Team USA begins its run Friday at 8 pm against Brazil
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I watched some of that game this morning. The biggest problem with that team is that every at bat is a Czech swing.
(I’ll show myself out.)
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Love the WBC. Went to the first round series in Phoenix in 2013. Amazing experience.
U.S. vs. Mexico game, Mexico fans showed up by the tens of thousands. Outnumbered U.S. fans 5-to-1.
Hearing four-fifths of the crowd belt out the Mexican national anthem gave me chills.
Would do it again if the prices weren’t literally 10 times what they were then.
Oh yeah, and Canada and Mexico had a fight in the ninth inning.
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USA up 7-1 over Brazil in the fifth inning. Nice start.
Brazil had a literal high schooler pitching for them. He’s committed to vandy and throws like 98
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Stuff like that is what’s so cool about this tournament.
15-5 USA.
USA issues its first walk in the bottom of the ninth. Team was 0/13 BB/K.
Brazil walked 17 and struck out two. 
USA on upset alert.
Not for long. That Schwarber shot is going to need tracking from mission control out at JSC.
I was Assistant Venue Press Chief for Baseball for the 1990 Goodwill Games. I worked with the foreign media reps and players for the teams to track stats and build content. We had Japan, Taipei, Mexico, Canada, the USA, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the only baseball team from the Soviet Union ever to play in international competition. The games were played in the Tacoma Raniers AAA stadium. It was a fantastic experience. Cuba won the tournament. The Mexican team invited me to accompany them on their post-tournament luncheon outing.
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That’s really effing cool!
The scenarios/swings in this Korea/Australia game are crazy.
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That was a real fun watch.
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Korea was leading 6-1, which put them in position to advance on tiebreakers. Australia scored in the bottom of the 8th to make it 6-2, which had them advancing. Korea scored in the top of 9th, moving it to 7-2 and putting them back on top.
In the bottom of the 9th:
Score held: Korea advanced
Australia scored, but did not win: Taiwan advanced
Australia won: Australia advanced
Korea was able to get the shutout inning and they’ll move on to the QF.
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Looks like a predominantly Mexican crowd tonight.
USA looks dead through 5.2. Harper on for Judge.
Harper needs to lose one here.
And he does!
Whitlock cannot be walking Arraez under any circumstances. What’s the worst he’s gonna do? Hit a single?