Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know in baseball, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. The 2026 World Baseball Classic has given us everything we could ask for -- huge upsets, dominant teams and spectacular individual performances. But if history is any indicator, there's a good chance that the best has been saved for last. No baseball fan is going to want to miss tonight's epic showdown between the United States and Venezuela in the championship game at loanDepot park in Miami at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Despite a hiccup against Team Italy that had them needing a tiebreaker to advance out of pool play, the Americans will be competing in their third straight Classic final after upending the Canadians in the quarterfinals and then shutting down the historically powerful Dominican lineup in the semis on Sunday night in an instant classic. The Venezuelans' lone loss came in the final game of pool play against the Dominicans, but they responded by upsetting defending champion Japan in the quarterfinals and followed that up with a comeback win over tournament darlings Italy last night, putting them one step away from their first Classic title. While both teams boast formidable lineups, their starting pitchers couldn't be more different when it comes to experience. Venezuela will go with Eduardo Rodriguez, who has more than a decade of big league service time and a World Series ring, against Team USA's Nolan McLean, who will enter the 2026 season with his rookie eligibility still intact after making eight starts down the stretch for the Mets. Three years ago, the championship came down to a legendary at-bat between then-Angels teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Who will play the hero for their team and country tonight? Here are the starting lineups: Venezuela 1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
2. Maikel Garcia, 3B
3. Luis Arraez, 1B
4. Eugenio Suárez, DH
5. Gleyber Torres, 2B
6. Ezequiel Tovar, SS
7. Wilyer Abreu, LF
8. Salvador Perez, C
9. Jackson Chourio, CF USA 1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2. Bryce Harper, 1B
3. Aaron Judge, RF
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH
5. Alex Bregman, 3B
6. Roman Anthony, LF
7. Will Smith, C
8. Brice Turang, 2B
9. Byron Buxton, CF -- Ed Eagle |
We've seen some stellar games during this WBC. Clutch hits, big plays and electric crowds have made for top-shelf entertainment, and we tip our caps to all the teams involved -- even those that didn't go all the way. A few of those deserve a special shoutout, before we get on with the task of crowning a champion tonight. Italy: This espresso-powered squad went farther than anyone imagined, making it all the way to the semifinals and, hopefully, inspiring a new generation. Led by ebullient manager Francisco Cervelli and team captain Vinnie Pasquantino, Italy gave its opponents all they could handle, including a stunning upset of Team USA, and showed that it could be a force in future Classics. Dominican Republic: There's a strong argument that the D.R. was the most talented team in the Classic. Its lineup was absolutely stacked, a literal All-Star team: Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And that's just the top four! They played with passion and joy, both of which proved infectious to anyone who watched.
Canada: This team took a major step forward, winning three games and advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time with a roster filled with Major and Minor League talent. Led by standouts Owen Caissie, Abraham Toro and the Naylor brothers, Canada set the tone for future appearances on the international stage.
-- Jason Foster |
Tonight will bring us the sixth championship game in Classic history, and it will have a lot to live up to. Before we find out how Venezuela-USA stacks up, let's rank each of the first five WBC finals. And for a more in-depth look back, click here. 2023: Japan 3, United States 2 You could not have possibly scripted this any better, with Shohei Ohtani pitted against his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout with the game on the line in the ninth inning. The four-time MVP struck out the three-time MVP in an epic six-pitch at-bat to clinch Japan's third WBC title. 2009: Japan 5, Korea 3 (10 innings) Korea forced extra innings with a furious ninth-inning rally against Yu Darvish, but Ichiro Suzuki recorded the decisive blow for Japan in the 10th inning. His two-out, two-strike single helped Japan win its second of back-to-back championships. 2006: Japan 10, Cuba 6 Classic legend Daisuke Matsuzaka all but clinched his first of two World Baseball Classic MVP awards by tossing four innings of one-run ball against Cuba, propelling Samurai Japan to the inaugural WBC title. 2013: Dominican Republic 3, Puerto Rico 0 Edwin Encarnacion's two-run double in the first inning helped the D.R. finish the 2013 tournament with an 8-0 record, clinching the national team's only WBC title so far. 2017: United States 8, Puerto Rico 0 Marcus Stroman tossed six innings of one-hit ball while the U.S. jumped all over Puerto Rico starter Seth Lugo, starting with Ian Kinsler's two-run homer in the third inning. -- Jared Greenspan |
CLASSIC HOST SERVING UP SWAG |
Sure, there's a ton of excitement in Miami right now, but with Opening Day less than two weeks away, the fun is just getting started. To celebrate one of the best days on the baseball calendar, the Marlins are handing out their first-ever Opening Day Bobblehead, featuring All-Star Kyle Stowers, when they host the Rockies on March 27. The gate giveaway is for the first 25,000 fans, and it will include 50 randomly distributed golden-colored bobbleheads. Two days later, on March 29, the Marlins will give away a reversible bucket hat, with one side featuring the club's classic teal colorway, to the first 10,000 fans in attendance. More >> |
Put your baseball brain to the test with Daily Walkoff, where you can find 30 brand-new trivia puzzles every day, one for each team. Play Daily Walkoff >> |
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