Day: March 13, 2026

DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – As Team USA quashed a late charge from Canada on Friday night, Paul Skenes had already started the process of preparing for a seemingly indomitable machine. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, the best hope the United States has of getting back to the World Baseball Classic final, took off early to get ready for his Sunday start in Miami where a juggernaut will be waiting. “I expect it to be, like, one of the best games of all time,” USA manager Mark DeRosa said ahead of the star-studded semifinal matchup against the Dominican Republic. Despite fielding the most talented roster it has ever assembled, Team USA got to this point by surviving rather than thriving. The U.S. held on late against Mexico, lost to Italy and needed help to advance out of pool play, then held on for life again against its neighbors to the north. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic has steamrolled its way through the competition, dancing and bat-flipping and swim-moving and soaring and soaking in every minute of a tournament that so outwardly and obviously means the world to its players. Julio Rodriguez even said it would mean more to win the World Baseball Classic than the World Series. “It’s exciting,” Aaron Judge said of the Dominican style of play. “I know the fans definitely love it. But I try not to look at what other teams are doing, other people are doing. I’m focused on what we got here. We’ve got a special group of guys that love to play this game, they’re excited to be in this room, they’re all honored to be in this room, and they’re not taking it for granted.” The U.S. players say they’re having fun, too, even if it’s not as obvious, even if the wins aren’t as convincing and even if every game is changing the color of their pitching coach’s head. The latest survival was a 5-3 win, during which Canada put the tying runners in scoring position in the seventh. “I’m telling everybody, my hair might start falling out I think,” said Andy Pettitte. “It’s all turning gray. But it’s fun.” Is it? “I mean, I’m trying to have fun,” Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with the Yankees, said. “I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. With what we’re doing and how we’re trying to do things and trying to talk through this and figure it out, it’s not easy, but it’s fun, and we knew what we were getting into when we accepted this. The guys have been amazing. I hope they’re having fun. I’m enjoying it.” Pettitte’s hair isn’t likely to get any thicker with the opponent on deck. Just as the U.S. is attempting to avenge its performance three years ago, Team D.R. is looking to do the same. The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013 but was bounced in the second round in 2017 and didn’t make it out of pool play in 2023. It has started this tournament with a vengeance, pulverizing every pitching staff it has faced. Team D.R. went 4-0 in pool play and entered the quarterfinals with the best run differential in the tournament. The unrelenting behemoth of a lineup has scored 51 runs in five games — and that’s while mercy-ruling two of their opponents in seven innings. “They’re one of the greatest countries in the world at baseball,” said Bryce Harper. “They’re young. They’re talented. One through nine in that lineup, they can all go deep. They can all hit for average.” “We know what type of team they’ve got over there,” added Judge. “Incredible offense, incredible pitching staff, bullpen, everything is just top notch.” On Friday, the Dominican Republic shut out its latest victim. Austin Wells’ three-run shot triggered a run rule in the seventh against Korea and gave the Dominican Republic the 10-0 win and its 14th home run of the WBC, already tying a tournament record. Team USA, meanwhile — with a lineup that many expected to be similarly formidable — has hit half as many homers and scored 11 fewer runs than Team D.R. in the same number of games. The U.S. didn’t hit any home runs in its win on Friday, though Harper had a 416-foot flyout and Alex Bregman and Cal Raleigh both narrowly missed home runs on deep foul balls. “If we’re going to win this tournament like we all believe we’re going to, it’s going to take more than home runs,” Judge said. “There’s times we’re not hitting home runs, we’ve got to play small ball, we’ve got to move runners, we’ve got to do different things just to create some offense.” Added Bregman: “We’ll get it dialed in.” DeRosa said he doesn’t see “any crazy changes taking place” with the lineup and believes in the group he has. On the mound, he’ll have perhaps the only person left in the tournament capable of giving the Dominican Republic lineup a challenge. Skenes, who threw 60 pitches in four scoreless innings in USA’s win against Mexico, is projected to have a pitch limit of around 75 to 80, though that number is subject to change. “He wanted the ball,” Pettitte said. “Before he left today, we were out there talking — man, he’s wanting to get to Sunday — and of course all of us were praying we’d be able to get there and have an opportunity to do this. He’s a special human being, a special kid, and he’s looking forward to it, I know. It’s going to be a great game.” Added Judge: “I like any game that Paul Skenes pitches.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – Once again, it did not come easily or stylishly for Team USA on Friday night, as evidenced by the subdued celebration on the field in the aftermath of its victory against its neighbors to the north. It seemed more like a sigh of relief than a scene of jubilation. But coming off a shocking pool-play loss to Italy that put its tournament hopes at risk, the dream team survived again, holding off Canada in the quarterfinals to set up a matchup of the juggernauts between Team USA and the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s semifinals. Here are my takeaways: 1. Team USA Has Major Pitching Advantage Moving Forward Yes, Team USA has assembled a lineup packed with superstars, but the biggest difference for the club in this tournament compared to past iterations is the arm talent — particularly in the rotation. Even with Tarik Skubal no longer available, the U.S. had a back-to-back All-Star in Logan Webb to start on Friday and will have a back-to-back All-Star and Cy Young Award winner in Paul Skenes ready for Sunday’s much-anticipated matchup against the Dominican Republic. Webb did his job against the Canadians, holding them scoreless for 4.2 innings with five strikeouts. In two starts in the WBC, Webb allowed just one run in 8.2 innings. Once he left, though… 2. Canada Made Things Interesting vs. USA Bullpen After falling behind 5-0, Canada didn’t go down without a fight. The inning after Webb’s departure, Tyler Black got Canada on the board with an RBI single off Brad Keller in the sixth. USA manager Mark DeRosa then turned to lefty Gabe Speier to get the platoon matchup on Bo Naylor, but it didn’t matter as the Canada catcher crushed an inside slider 404 feet out to right field to bring Canada within two runs. It would soon get even dicier for the U.S. bullpen. David Bednar entered in the seventh and got a couple ground balls to start the inning, but they both resulted in infield singles. After a passed ball by Cal Raleigh, Canada suddenly had the tying runs in scoring position. The Yankees reliever buckled down from there, though, getting Josh Naylor to pop out before striking out Tyler O’Neill and Owen Caissie, Canada’s hottest hitter entering the game, to extinguish the threat. In the ninth, Mason Miller shut the door. 3. Canada Gifted Jerseys, USA Gifted Runs Before the game, Hockey Canada sent a congratulatory video message to the country’s baseball players for getting through to the quarterfinals for the first time and gifted the team Canadian hockey jerseys, which the players proudly wore pregame at Daikin Park. Three innings into the game, Canada’s defense was also in the giving spirit. After plating a run on an RBI groundout in the first inning, Team USA didn’t hit a ball out of the infield in the third yet still managed to tack on two more runs to give Webb some breathing room. The damage came with two outs and the bases loaded, when Alex Bregman pulled a grounder that third baseman Abraham Toro secured on a dive. The throw to first, however, was airmailed, as two runs came home. That ended the day for Michael Soroka. Reliever Micah Ashman entered and prevented the inning from unraveling by striking out Roman Anthony. On a night in which Canada managed to hold USA’s biggest boppers in check, it was the bottom of the lineup delivering crucial insurance. The No. 8 and 9 hitters in USA’s lineup, Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong, came through with RBI singles in the sixth. At the time, it seemed like they were just padding USA’s lead. Given how the ensuing innings went, those hits instead ended up the difference. 4. The Juggernaut Semifinal Matchup is Upon Us The Dominican Republic has bulldozed its way through the tournament with elation and bat flips and brute force. Team USA, despite fielding a roster capable of doing the same, has not. And if it plays the way it has to this point, the offense awaiting them in Miami will be salivating. But as the lineup attempts to play to its capabilities, the biggest hope for the Americans is on the bump. The Dominican Republic used its best arm while run-ruling Korea, 10-0, in a game in which starter Cristopher Sánchez fired five scoreless innings. The U.S., meanwhile, will have reigning National Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes ready to go.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Arlington, Texas — When a track runs for 2.73 miles, drivers will find something that they wish could change. Maybe a little bump here, a little different curbing there, not enough runoff in another spot. Those things are relatively minor, kind of like small issues with a warning track or pitching mound. For a 2.73-mile INDYCAR course that features four different racing surfaces — old asphalt, new asphalt, concrete and some painted concrete — drivers enjoyed their first day of practice on the new course that winds the streets around the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers stadiums. They will compete for 70 laps Sunday in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX). [Grand Prix of Arlington: Everything to Know] Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was among those who cut the ribbon to open the track on Thursday night. And then the drivers determined the next day that the track is bigger and better than many, if not all, of their other street circuits. “That is instantly my most favorite street circuit ever,” Scott McLaughlin said in a television interview after stepping out of his car. McLaughlin did have reason to be happy. He topped the speed charts after the first day of practice on the 14-turn course that includes a 0.9-mile straightaway for a historic weekend that will also include a tweak to the qualifying format (more on that later). “It’s so technical in spots, and then there’s spots where it’s really tough to brake into,” McLaughlin said in a post-practice news conference. “You’ve got to maximize high-speed corners, high-speed entries. “It’s a blast to drive.” Most of the drivers scouted the track Thursday and they gave feedback to INDYCAR. The curbing in one of the turns was reduced by about 12 feet after the apex. There was a concern that, if a car shortcut the course (possibly to avoid an accident), it would hit that curb and get airborne. Instead, INDYCAR will rule that area with timing lines and review if a car shortcuts the course without a legitimate reason, which could result in a penalty. Those types of changes are typical for a new circuit. Drivers do have some concerns about runoff area in a couple of the turns. The entry to pit road is after a turn, so drivers won’t see it until just before getting there. The cars were bottoming out, meaning the car floors were scraping the surface of the street because of bumps or raised areas of surfaces after a crack. But as McLaughlin noted, it was an easy fix to raise the height of the car. “Even the detail of how much work they put into grinding spots [to make them smooth] — we’ve never seen to that level before,” said six-time series champion Scott Dixon. “So it’s really, really nice to see.” Right behind McLaughlin on the speed chart was four-time series champion Alex Palou, who has won the last two points races on new circuits. “It’s insane,” Palou said in his post-practice news conference, using the term with a positive connotation. “It’s super fun to drive. It’s just a lot more fun than I thought just how the car feels. There’s so many different corners. “There’s corners that you can attack so much, and you feel like a superhero. There’s other corners where you need to back off because the grip is very different. [It’s] a lot more bumpy than I thought, which makes it super challenging, but super fun.” Palou said the different surfaces present a fun challenge. “It’s just tough on how we set up the car because you don’t want to set it up too aggressive one way or the other because it just keeps on changing so much,” Palou said. “You need different stuff in different sectors.” Drivers will face a new challenge in qualifying Saturday. The format for the final session of the fastest six drivers vying for the pole has changed. At most street and road courses, they get six minutes and can run as many laps as they want in a session where all six cars are on track. They will now be on the track one car at a time but get only one lap. The idea is to give those six fast cars more exposure. But it will also force some strategy, as the car that goes out first (the sixth-fastest among the finalists) could potentially go faster because the tires (if they use the same set) would have more grip when being hot and the car could go faster with fluids up to temperature. “It’ll be interesting,” Will Power, the series all-time leader in poles won (71) told me and other reporters. “I hope I get that chance to try that out. That looks cool. … On a long track like this, you could do it and get tire temp. When you get some of these shorter laps [at other tracks], that might be difficult.” It will make the final session easier to follow, albeit a final session that lasts an additional 15-20 minutes. “It’s going to be great for the fans,” Pato O’Ward told me and other reporters. “If I was a fan, that’s what I would want to watch.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports