World Baseball Classic news, live updates: Team USA beats Mexico; South Korea, Dominican Republic, Venezuela reach quarterfinals

Israel ties it for 6th With two singles and the help of an error by Dutch first baseman Sharlon Schoop, Israel scored to make the game 2-2. The 2026 World Baseball Classic had one of its star games on Monday when the United States faced rival Mexico. Both teams started the day 2-0 in Group B. It was a closer contest than expected, but the Americans pulled it off with a 5-3 victory to improve to 3-0 in the tournament. They will face Italy on Tuesday to conclude their Group B slate. In the WBC opener on Tuesday, Japan improved to 4-0 with a win over Czechia. It was Czechia's fourth loss in the tournament, but the team put up a good fight against Samurai Japan. The Czech Republic starting pitcher even earned a standing ovation from the Tokyo crowd for his performance against the home team. This year marks the sixth edition of the international baseball tournament, with Japan the reigning champions after defeating Team USA 3-2 in the 2023 finals. The Americans took home a WBC title, back in 2017, and are seeking a second with a loaded roster that includes 22 MLB All-Stars, the most of any roster in the tournament. Among those representing Team USA are Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge, just to name a few of the stars, with the USA entering the tournament as a (-105) favorite over Japan (+350) at BetMGM. During pool play, matches will be played in Tokyo, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Miami and Houston. The group stage runs through Wednesday, followed by the quarterfinals (March 13 and 14) and the semifinals (March 15 and 16). It all culminates with the WBC final on March 17 at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The games will be broadcast on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes, and streaming of all games will be available with a Fox One subscription. Follow Yahoo Sports for the latest news and updates on the 2026 World Baseball Classic. With two singles and the help of an error by Dutch first baseman Sharlon Schoop, Israel scored to make the game 2-2. Two singles, two walks and a hit by pitch, all with two outs, produced two runs for the Canadians. Canada is 2-1 midway through the third inning. Puerto Rico took a 1-0 lead over Canada in the bottom of the first thanks to this RBI from the veteran third baseman. Xander Bogaerts and Didi Gregorious scored first for the Netherlands, driving in two runs in the first inning to take an early lead. Well, the Japanese team's offensive is now in full force. After a three-run homer by Ukyo Shuto opened things up, Japan decided to keep piling on. Munetaka Murakami hit a grand slam to put Japan up 9-0. It was a dominant entry, cementing Japan as one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. Before the eighth, both teams were locked in a scoreless duel. But after coming close to scoring several times early in the contest, Japan finally broke through in a big way in the eighth. It took a while, but Team Japan finally found its rhythm against Czechia. Japan exploded in a great eighth inning marked by a three-run home run by Ukyo Shuto. The hit came after Japan finally managed a run across the plate in the frame. That made the score 1-0... before Shuto's home run added three runs to the score. After being held back throughout the game, it was only a matter of time before Team Japan scored a decisive blow. That came in the eighth inning, when Kenya Wakatsuki doubled with a man on first to put Japan on the board. Before the score, both teams were goalless. Japan threatened to score several times but failed to deliver the blow the team needed. With the Japanese team threatening again at the end of the seventh, Czechia got out of another jam. With a man on third and one out, Czech pitching again kept Japan off the board. Japan has threatened several times on the base routes,