America Remains Undefeated: USA Beats Canada In World Baseball Classic After Canada Wears Hockey Jerseys

Between the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and the World Baseball Classic, there's been a ton of USA-Canada matchups in competitive sports of late. 

And thanks to Team USA's 5-3 win over Team Canada in the quarterfinal round, America remains undefeated. The USA women's hockey team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime thanks to a Megan Keller goal to win the gold medal. Then Jack Hughes made himself a permanent American hero with his golden goal against Canada in the men's hockey finale. 

Well, the stakes were a bit lower on Friday night in Houston, with no gold medal at stake, though it was an elimination game, putting Team USA's championship hopes on the line. Even Mark DeRosa couldn't mess that math up. 

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Despite some shaky middle relief, the US took care of business to advance to the semifinals. And the best part? They did it against a Canadian team that wore their country's hockey jerseys in pregame warmups.

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Mar 13, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a double during the first inning against Canada during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Team USA Hangs On To Beat Canada Behind ‘U-S-A’ Chants

Seriously. The Canadian team wore the hockey jerseys of the team that just lost to the US Men's Hockey team in Milan a few weeks ago. They did see the outcome of that game, right?

The US offense jumped out to an early lead thanks to Bobby Witt Jr. working a hard-earned walk, Aaron Judge roping a double, and an RBI ground out from Kyle Schwarber. They kept tacking on, putting up two runs in the third after loading the bases, then two more in the sixth inning with back-to-back singles from Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong. 

Up 5-0, just 12 outs away, it seemed like the US was cruising towards an easy win. But credit to the Canadian team, they just never stopped battling. With two outs and a runner at second in the bottom of the 6th, they rallied for three behind a Tyler Black single and a long, long homer from Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor.

Inexplicably, the Canadian bullpen, made up mostly of minor leagues, made quick work of the superstar USA lineup. That set up the most dramatic moment of the game in the bottom of the 7th. 

Edouard Julien led off with an infield single that Brice Turang couldn't quite handle, Otto Lopez reached on another infield grounder, despite typically spectacular defense from Bobby Witt Jr., and a passed ball from Cal Raleigh set up Canada with second and third and nobody out against David Bednar. 

Game on the line, heart of the lineup due up, tying run at second with nobody out. And Bednar was nails. He got Josh Naylor to pop up to third, struck out Tyler O'Neill, and then got Owen Caissie swinging to end the threat in front of a raucous, electric crowd at Daikin Park.

Just listen.

Despite more missed opportunities on offense for the US, the back end of the bullpen finished out an uneventful 8th and 9th inning, behind Mason Miller striking out the side to close out the win. 

A hard-fought, much deserved win. And it sets up a gigantic game on Sunday in Miami against the Dominican Republic and their fearsome lineup in front of what will be a gigantic home crowd advantage for the DR. The US offense has yet to live up to expectations, and they're going to need to fix that in a hurry to advance to the finals. At least they have Paul Skenes going for them.