Pool A of the World Baseball Classic took place in beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico, and my goodness was it full of drama.
What looked early like it might belong to Cuba or host Puerto Rico ended with Canada winning the group at 3-1, edging Puerto Rico, also 3-1, on the head-to-head tiebreaker after a massive 3-2 upset win on March 10th.
Canada advances to the WBC quarterfinals for the first time ever, while Cuba (2-2) was left stunned on the outside with Colombia and Panama, who both finished 1-3.
The whole pool had that classic WBC feel: momentum swings, one-run games, and almost no room for error. Puerto Rico looked like the class of the group early. Cuba opened 2-0 and looked dangerous. Panama played spoiler. Colombia showed real fight late. But in the end, Canada was the team that handled the pressure best when its back was against the wall.
Final Pool A standings
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- Canada (3-1) — advanced
- Puerto Rico (3-1) — advanced
- Cuba (2-2)
- Colombia (1-3)
- Panama (1-3)
No Margin, No Problem: Canada’s Breakthrough Run
The Canadians opened pool play by beating Colombia 8-2, with Owen Caissie going deep and Michael Soroka helping set the tone on the mound. Then came a frustrating 4-3 loss to Panama, a result that left Canada with zero margin for error. The game featured one of the best relay plays to nab a runner at the plate that you will ever see.
From there, though, they responded like a veteran club: a 3-2 win over previously unbeaten Puerto Rico, followed by a 7-2 win over Cuba in a win-or-go-home game that sent Canada to the quarterfinals for the first time in tournament history. Caissie was the offensive face of the run, Abraham Toro came through in big spots, and the pitching held up when the pressure was highest.
The Hosts Lit Up San Juan
Puerto Rico brought the atmosphere and looked like a favorite for most of the week.
The Pool A hosts opened with a 5-0 shutout of Colombia, breaking through with a five-run fifth inning. Seth Lugo tossed four shutout innings, and the bullpen bridged the way to Edwin Diaz for a shutout win in the opener.
Then came one of the wildest games of the entire tournament: a 4-3, 10-inning walk-off win over Panama, capped by Darell Hernaiz’s homer in front of a roaring San Juan crowd. Panama held a 2-1 lead with two outs in the 9th inning when Willi Castro drew a bases-loaded walk to tie things up.
With runners at the corners and no outs in the bottom of the 10th, Carlos Cortes grounded into a double play that scored the tying run and brought Hernaiz to the plate. The 24-year-old turned on a 1-2 fastball and belted it deep into San Juan night to walk it off.
The hosts then handled Cuba 4-1, clinching a quarterfinal berth and looking every bit like a pool winner, until Canada clipped them 3-2 in the finale and stole first place.
Pool A MVP: Owen Caissie, Canada
Caissie starred in pool play for Canada, batting .500 (7-for-14) with three doubles, a homer, and five RBIs. He homered in Canada’s opening win over Colombia, remained one of the lineup’s most dangerous hitters throughout the round, and was right in the middle of the surge that carried Canada past Puerto Rico and Cuba.
More than the raw production, it was the timing: Canada needed stars in its biggest moments, and Caissie kept showing up.
The All-Pool A Team
C – Martín Maldonado, Puerto Rico
Veteran presence, strong game management, and a big part of Puerto Rico’s steady pitching success. Maldonado led all catchers in Pool Play with five RBIs.
1B – Ariel Martinez, Cuba
Had a big three-run home run to get Cuba on the board in their win over Colombia. Finished with a .462 batting average, driving in four runs, while only striking out twice.
2B – Willi Castro, Puerto Rico
All Castro did was get on base each game and give his team a chance to win. Castro finished with three hits and four walks, driving in two runs for the Puerto Rican team.
3B – Abraham Toro, Canada
Massive bat in Canada’s biggest games, especially in the stretch run that won them the pool. Toro had seven knocks, five of which were extra base hits (three doubles, one triple, and one home run)
SS – José Caballero, Panamá
Caballero did everything he could to help Panama get to the next round. He had big hits all tournament long and emerged as the leader for his team
OF – Owen Caissie, Canada
Pool MVP. Big swings, big moments, no-brainer selection.
OF – Harold Ramirez, Colombia
Ramirez tied Caissie with the most hits by an outfielder in pool play with seven, batting .412 for Colombia.
OF – Yoelkis Guibert, Cuba
Set the tone in Cuba’s opener and remained one of their most dangerous bats during pool play.
SP – Seth Lugo, Puerto Rico
Started Puerto Rico’s tournament with a shutout effort against Colombia and helped establish the staff identity from Day 1.
RP – Yariel Rodriquez, Cuba
Rodríguez made three appearances during pool play, allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out a pool-best 10 batters across six innings.
Next Up:
Canada will now host the United States on Friday night, while Puerto Rico will be the visiting team on Saturday against a red-hot Italian team that has become the story of the tournament this year.
