During pool play, The Athletic will be publishing a daily Postcard from the WBC, which will feature reports from our writers who are spread across four cities (Tokyo, Houston, Miami and San Juan) to cover this year’s tournament. The Athletic has live coverage of USA vs. Italy in World Baseball Classic 2026.
Sights and sounds
The legends around Team Dominican Republic
Video credit: _losdominicanos on Instagram
With Nelson Cruz as general manager and Albert Pujols as manager, the bar was already high for Team Dominican Republic in this World Baseball Classic. But Cruz and Pujols are far from the only dignitaries around the team.
Juan Marichal, the 88-year-old Hall of Famer, was there to dance with the team in the clubhouse after its 10-1 victory over Team Israel Monday.
David Ortiz, Adrián Beltré, Pedro Martinez and Juan Encarnación have roamed around the dugout before games, and behind the scenes, they have interacted with players and staff. Beltré talked third-base defense with Junior Caminero. Martínez gave tips to several pitchers. Ortiz is the consummate director of vibes.
“Those tips are valuable,” shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said, translated from Spanish. “They are veterans. They have vast experience, and they have been playing for so many years. They have been in World Series. … We don’t know when we are going to have that team of legends working at the same place at the same time (again).” — Cody Stavenhagen, reporting from Miami
A surprise retirement announcement
Colombia might not have played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium these last few days if Julio Teherán hadn’t taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the country’s first game in the WBC qualifiers a year ago, setting the team up for a victory. The plan had been for him to reprise his starting role in the real thing … until a shoulder impingement cropped up in his pregame warmups on Saturday, making him a late scratch.
He won’t get another chance to pitch for Colombia as an active player. Teherán, 35, announced after the team’s win in its final game of pool play that he had already thrown the last pitch of his career.
Teherán pitched in 13 major-league seasons after debuting at age 20 with the Atlanta Braves in 2011. He was the Braves’ Opening Day starter from 2014-19, and those six consecutive appearances matched Warren Spahn for most in franchise history.
“Having the ball in all of the Opening Days was very special,” Teherán said. “It was my biggest challenge year after year. It’s what kept me with that hunger year after year. I wanted to be the No. 1 representative, especially of the organization of the Atlanta Braves.” — Maria Torres, reporting from San Juan
Another emotional send-off
We don’t need to remind you of all the reasons this tournament matters to the world of baseball. Since its inception 20 years ago, we’ve seen its impact.
But expecting a heartfelt moment doesn’t mean you can’t get misty-eyed when one happens.
Paolo Espino, a journeyman who was a 10th-round pick out of IMG Academy in 2006, announced Saturday he was retiring after the Classic. Led by catcher Christian Bethancourt, the 39-year-old’s team orchestrated a moment to remember after he threw 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in his final start as an active player.
An emotional moment here in Puerto Rico. Panamanian pitcher Paolo Espino 🇵🇦 made the final appearance of his career:
4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 SO in the World Baseball Classic 2026.
A remarkable career of more than 20 years. pic.twitter.com/AYyRwzQeK7
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) March 9, 2026
Espino has played internationally for his homeland since the first Classic in 2006. He’s pitched for all but one of Panama’s WBC teams (2023) and in its two qualifiers. After missing the 2023 tournament, he said he wasn’t yet ready to consider retirement, but returning to the international stage motivated him to continue pitching despite having only thrown in 97 major-league games over six seasons since debuting in 2017 at age 30.
“More than anything, I was emotional after a good start,” he said in Spanish on Monday. “My last batter was a strikeout. I’m really happy about everything I’ve accomplished in my career.” — Torres
Listen to The Athletic’s World Baseball Classic 2026 mixtape on Spotify
Around the horn
Dominican Republic 10, Israel 1: Team D.R. moved to 3-0 and clinched advancement. At 1-2, with one of those losses coming to Venezuela, Israel was eliminated. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. Oneil Cruz hit his second home run of the tournament as a fearsome Dominican Republic lineup dominated once again. — Stavenhagen
Colombia 4, Panama 3: Colombia salvaged its final game of the classic by capitalizing on a bases-loaded situation to push four runs across the plate in the sixth and holding Panama hitless through 5 2/3 innings. After José Caballero ended the no-hitter, Panama added a pair of RBI singles in the eighth to make it close, but Pedro García retired four of Panama’s final five batters, including pinch hitter Jonathan Araúz, who led off the ninth and had to be held back during a confrontation with his manager after returning to the dugout. The loss ended Panama’s chances to advance to the quarterfinals in Houston. — Torres
Great Britain 8, Brazil 1: Both teams have already been eliminated from championship contention, but Great Britain’s win did qualify it for the next World Baseball Classic. — Chandler Rome
Teams eliminated so far:
Colombia
Panama
Great Britain
Brazil
Australia
Chinese Taipei
Czechia
Israel
Netherlands
Nicaragua
What’s on deck
Cuba at Puerto Rico, 7 p.m., FS1: The most anticipated matchup at Hiram Bithorn Stadium now has even higher stakes. Cuba and P.R. are the only undefeated teams in Pool A with a game apiece remaining after Monday. Whoever wins will advance to the quarterfinals in Houston, while the other will fight Canada (1-1) for the second spot. — Torres
Venezuela at Nicaragua. 7 p.m., FS2: Thanks to Team Dominican Republic’s win against Israel, Venezuela (2-0) has already clinched advancing from Pool D. Nicaragua (0-3) has been eliminated. However unlikely an upset is, Nicaragua has never won a WBC game, so Dusty Baker’s team still has a chance to create a meaningful moment. — Stavenhagen
Mexico at United States, 8 p.m. Fox: Paul Skenes will make his WBC debut in what will be a raucous atmosphere in Houston, where Team Mexico’s fans have filled the stands throughout pool play. Mexico will run a bullpen game started by 37-year-old right-hander Manny Barreda, a former Yankees farmhand with 2 ⅔ innings of major-league experience. Mexico has the most menacing lineup Team USA has seen thus far, featuring Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk. Team USA has not beaten Mexico in WBC play since 2006 and will look to avenge an 11-5 loss in the 2023 tournament. — Rome
Japan at Czechia, 6 a.m., FS1: There are literally no stakes to this game. Japan has won Pool D, and Czechia will finish last. But the bond formed between these countries, and the David-Goliath element of their head-to-head, will make the game fun, if not particularly dramatic. — Sam Blum, reporting from Tokyo
