Aaron Judge Homer Powers Team USA To Dominant Win Over Brazil, Despite Shaky Pitching Performances

Team USA is widely viewed as the favorites to win the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The lineup is stacked, with Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr., and Alex Bregman. 

The pitching staff features the two reigning Cy Young Award winners, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. Plus the most dominant relief pitcher on the planet, Mason Miller. The bench has players like Gunnar Henderson, Will Smith and Pete Crow-Armstrong. It's a ridiculous roster that few, if any, teams in the WBC can match. 

So when Team USA's opening game of the tournament against Brazil started with Judge hitting a monster two-run home run to left center field, it seemed like the floodgates would open. 

And while the US team put continuous pressure on the Brazilian pitching staff and poured on the runs late, entering the ninth inning, the game was still within reach thanks to some shaky pitching.

United States right fielder Aaron Judge celebrates with designated hitter Kyle Schwarber after hitting a home run during the first inning against Brazil at Daikin Park. (Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

Team USA Holds Off Feisty Brazilian Offense In Houston

After jumping out to the 2-0 lead, starting pitcher Logan Webb immediately surrendered a home run to Lucas Ramirez. Ramirez, the son of Manny Ramirez, would add a second home run later in the game. 

The US tacked on a run in the 3rd, and brought Judge back up to the plate with the bases loaded and just one out against a 17-year-old reliever. But in a perfect example of "you can't predict baseball," Judge broke his bat and grounded into an inning-ending double play. That was to be a theme for the US throughout. 

Team USA would put runners on base inning after inning, finally getting a Brice Turang double to extend the lead to 7-1. 

But Brazil refused to go away. In the 7th inning with Michael Wacha on the mound, Brazil got a single from Lucas Rojo and a home run from Victor Mascai to pull within 7-4. Even after the US tacked on a run in the 8th with a Roman Anthony walk, Brazil jumped right back into it with Ramirez's second homer of the game to make it 8-5. 

Suddenly, the game entered the ninth inning in what would technically have been a save situation. 

But it is the WBC after all, and Brazil's pitching staff finally broke in a lengthy top of the ninth inning. Team USA had six walks, scored a run on a balk, and Roman Anthony drove in a run with a single. That 8-5 score quickly ballooned to 15-5, and Mason Miller got three fast outs to secure the first win.

While 15-5 is obviously lopsided, and the score reflects the massive disparity in talent, allowing five runs to a lineup without a single player in Major League Baseball doesn't bode well for later rounds in the tournament. The Dominican Republic lineup features Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Ketel Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Julio Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the Brazil team outhomered a US roster with Raleigh, Judge, and Schwarber. 

There's plenty to improve on as the pool round continues. And they'll have an opportunity on Saturday night against Great Britain, with Skubal making his first and only start of the WBC.