The 2026 World Baseball Classic final is upon us. Team USA punched its ticket Sunday night with a win over the Dominican Republic and will face Venezuela, which defeated Italy on Monday night. The U.S. and Venezuela will match up in the WBC championship on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET

Managers often have to pull exactly the right strings to win a big game, and Tuesday’s World Baseball Classic final will be no exception. Ahead of Team USA’s championship clash with Venezuela at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa must make some major decisions when it comes

MIAMI -- Outside, it was one of those relentless South Florida rains. But still, the hundreds of Venezuelan baseball fans who remained long after the last pitch of the World Baseball Classic semifinals had been thrown were in ecstasy. Thoroughly soaked but swept up in the moment, they sang, danced,

MIAMI -- The delicate balance between going for the gold and getting ready for the regular season impacted Team USA’s pitching plans for the World Baseball Classic final. And it will be fascinating to watch how manager Mark DeRosa and the Americans try to piece together the 27 outs that

MIAMI -- "When we went to the World Series," Ronald Acuña Jr. said earlier this week, "I wasn't there. Thank God I'm living this great moment in my career." When the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 2021, Acuña was reduced to spectator. A torn ACL had relegated the

MIAMI -- When the United States assembled its super team for this World Baseball Classic, the selections were skewed toward established stars not just because of their talent but because of the guaranteed contracts that make them more prone to participate.

MIAMI – When Venezuela starter Keider Montero walked consecutive lefty batters in the second inning against Italy, manager Omar López knew he was going to have his work cut out for him in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night. “That,” he said, “was a red flag

MIAMI -- When MLB instituted its current postseason format in 2022, there was no longer a need for coin flips or tiebreaker games, because a new, mathematical tiebreaker system was instituted. But lovers of the coin toss will be pleased to know it can still happen in the World Baseball

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will see his first Grapefruit League action of the spring on Wednesday, when he’s scheduled to start against the Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The right-hander is slated to throw one inning in his first game action since undergoing Tommy

Before each game in the World Baseball Classic, Team Venezuela gathers in a circle in its dugout. As pitcher Eduard Bazardo pounds upon a special drum – known as el tambor – the players take turns jumping into and out of the circle to show off their moves. This isn’t

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Another magical moment by Roman Anthony in the World Baseball Classic -- this one a go-ahead solo shot that led Team USA to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Team Dominican Republic in the semifinals on Sunday night -- left his teammates at Red Sox camp in

You're about to see the most exciting prospects in baseball take the field during Spring Breakout this week -- but a lot of those prospects have already been putting on a showcase this spring. And with Statcast tracking now available for all 30 teams' Spring Training ballparks, it's easier than

MIAMI – Team Italy has heard the jabs. They understand that people look at them not as an Italian ballclub, but a group of guys from America masquerading as an Italian team. But this team doesn’t care. “There's a lot of stereotypical Italians on this team,” captain Vinnie Pasquantino joked.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Dodgers weren't expecting to welcome Shohei Ohtani back to the fold quite this soon. Ohtani, along with newly anointed Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was away from Dodgers camp for most of Spring Training while playing for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Japan had

Every time, the World Baseball Classic championship seems to create another legend. He may be best remembered in America for his days with the Red Sox, but Daisuke Matsuzaka rose to the occasion in the WBC's biggest moments, winning the tournament MVP Award twice. Before Edwin Encarnación was known as

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CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Johan Rojas had been in Phillies camp this spring, playing in Grapefruit League games and practicing with teammates, while the past couple weeks awaiting word about his future with the club. On Monday night, Major League Baseball announced that Rojas has been suspended for 80 games without

Infielder Max Muncy homered in the bottom of the fourth inning during a Spring Training game today. Also, infielder Max Muncy homered in the bottom of the fourth inning during a Spring Training game today. We promise you are not seeing double. MLB has two players named Max Muncy in

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Breathe easy, Guardians fans. José Ramírez's left shoulder appears to be fine. Ramírez exited Sunday’s 12-6 win over the A’s after jamming his left shoulder on a slide into third base. However, the Guardians appeared to have dodged a major issue, as manager Stephen Vogt noted that

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- He got the final outs of the Dodgers' successful title defense, and he'll be the first to take the ball as the team opens its bid for a three-peat. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Opening Day for the second straight year, manager Dave Roberts announced on Monday.

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- In his right hand, Kevin Gausman is holding a baseball card, looking at a skinny kid from half a lifetime ago. This is one of the very first cards of Gausman. It’s from a 2009 “USA Star Prospects” by Upper Deck, and an 18-year-old Gausman is leaning

PHOENIX -- It’s 9 a.m. on an Arizona morning and one of the newest members of the Brewers’ pitching development machine is pondering all that baseball has given him. When he begins to speak, the words get stuck in his throat. For Juan Sandoval, the answer is everything. “To really

The World Baseball Classic has been a stage for players across the world to show off their talents, and plenty of prospects have thrived in the spotlight. Players ranked on organizational Top 30 Prospects lists have shown out, in particular.