Behind Aaron Judge, Team USA scores first WBC victory over Mexico since 2006

The Athletic has live coverage of the United States vs. Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. HOUSTON – He broke character halfway down the first base line, before the baseball he hit found a home in some right field seats. Aaron Judge turned toward his dugout, threw his bat, swore and embodied the spirit of the club he captains. Baseball is, in essence, a child's game. Every three years, the World Baseball Classic offers a three-week reminder. advertisement Judge is the figurehead of this feared group, perhaps the best ever assembled under the Team USA umbrella. He has embraced everything exciting about the World Baseball Classic: celebrations, camaraderie and pride in playing for an entire country. "For a 162-game season, I don't think you can lean in like that and be that passionate. I think you'd run out of gas halfway through the season," manager Mark DeRosa said last week. "But to enjoy seven games, you can let him eat." This is how Judge walked, one of the most stoic sluggers in a sport full of them. A smile, a slight fist pump or a tap on the forearm is often the extent of his public enthusiasm. Monday night at Daikin Park took Judge out of character and into almost childlike glee, all while leading a 5-3 victory against Mexico. Judge wore a wide smile as he rounded the bases. He greeted Team USA's bullpen between second and third. His two-run homer to right field gave Team USA a lead it never relinquished, putting the club in control of Group B with one game remaining. Judge drove in two runs and prevented another with an assist in the outfield before a crowd of 41,628 in downtown Houston, most of whom wore Mexican colors and applauded the team playing on their own soil. “You didn't know who the home team was,” said U.S. team starter Paul Skenes. "And there were moments during the game where the Mexico fans got excited and there were moments where the United States got excited. It was great. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find another atmosphere like that outside of a tournament like this. It just doesn't happen in the regular season, I don't think. It was great to be a part of that." In building this club, DeRosa had two priorities: “a pillar of position players,” he explained, “and you want a pillar of pitchers.” Judge, who did not play in the 2023 Classic, was “all in since last March,” DeRosa said, giving him the first pillar and the easiest way to stack this team with so many superstars of his ilk. advertisement The pitching mainstay, perhaps, has been engaged since before he turned pro. Skenes began his college career at the Air Force Academy. If he hadn't discovered his skill as a thrower, Skenes said he would have become a fighter pilot. Patriotism oozes from him and made him perfect for this task. He even convinced Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to join him. Against Mexico, Skenes struck out seven in four blistering innings. His sixth pitch of the game hit 99.7 mph. Ten others were going 98 mph or more. Mexico made 31 shots against him and missed 15 times. No runner from Mexico reached third base against Skenes, who was limited to 60 pitches by both the schedule and tournament rules governing pitch counts. Jarren Durán singled in the third inning for the only hit against him. Judge denied it with a 145-foot throw from right field, catching Joey Ortiz as he tried to advance from first to third. "One of the best pitches I've ever seen," Skenes said. Judge's home run started the first half of the third. Five batters later, Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony provided another: a three-run homer off a hanging slider off Mexican reliever Jesús Cruz. Judge greeted Anthony outside the dugout to orchestrate an unusual