Play Ball! The wait is over and the World Baseball Classic 2026 will have a lot to give in these next few days, with the raising of the curtain of the tournament on this side of the world.
Group A, B, and D are scheduled to begin competitions this Friday. Group C, in Asia, began a day earlier due to the time change.
The selection of the regimen Cuba, in Puerto Rico with group A, will open the day when it faces Panama at 11:00 am (Eastern Time).
The Antilleans will send Livan Moinelo to the mound, while Panama will entrust the opening to Logan Allen, left-hander of the Cleveland Guardians.
An hour later, Venezuela will be local in Miami, at the LoanDepot Park where group D will play, to receive the delegation from the Netherlands.
For the Llaneros, Ranger Suárez, now starter for the Boston Red Sox, will start, while for the European team the pitch work will be started by Antwone Kelly.
Venezuela, decimated between injuries and problems with medical insurance coverage, must demonstrate in the group that also includes the Dominican Republic, Israel and Nicaragua, that they are a powerhouse and have the means to advance to the round.
The Mexicans and English will face each other starting at 1:00 pm at Daikin Park in Houston stage that houses group B. Javier Assad will open for the Aztecs while Jack Anderson will do the same for Great Britain.
Late in the afternoon, 6:00pm Eastern Time, Puerto Rico and Colombia will measure strength on the island of charm in the second match of the day in Group C. Seth Lugo and José Quintana are the scheduled starters for this match.
An hour later, Dominican Republic, one of the three great favorites to lift the scepter, will face Nicaragua cited in group D.
Christopher Sánchez will open for the Quisqueyans, while Ronald Medrano, led by Dusty Baker, will seek to give the Central Americans the first victory in the history of the tournament. In 2023, his first participation in the Classic was burdened by four setbacks.
And since 8:00 at night, the United States, another of the big favorites for the title, will face Brazil in Houston in group B. The experienced Logan Webb is scheduled for the locals in a selection made up of stars ranging from Aaron Judge to Bryce Harper. The South Americans did not reveal the name of their starter.
And when the clock is about to turn the day (10:00 pm), in Asia Taiwan and the Czech Republic will face each other, a duel that will help ensure there is baseball almost 24 hours a day.
