New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and Team USA squeaked out a 5-3 win over Team Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic on March 13 at Daikin Park.
As a result of this American victory, a semifinal showdown with the Dominican Republic is set up. Moreover, it’s the first time these two countries have faced off in the WBC since 2017, when the U.S. booted the D.R. in the quarterfinals en route to its only WBC title.
Furthermore, Team USA has the right guy going for them on the mound to help punch their ticket to the final in Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Ahead of this blockbuster showdown, Judge spoke after the win over Canada and shared his thoughts on having arguably the best pitcher in baseball take the mound for them.
“I like any game that Paul Skenes pitches,” Judge told reporters (h/t SNY). “It’s just incredible stuff. Watching him work on his craft the past couple of weeks has been incredible. Seeing him in that game against Mexico, where it’s an electric environment, and he just toed the slab and went out and took care of business. It was really impressive.
“So looking forward to seeing him get out there and do his thing. And then we hand it over to that bullpen of ours. It’s going to be a tough fight, but definitely looking forward to seeing him get back on the mound.”
Aaron Judge Looking Forward to Facing Yankees Teammates
Furthermore, several Yankees players will be in this matchup, as Judge will face his teammates Austin Wells, Amed Rosario, and Camilo Doval on Team Dominican Republic.
“Saw [Wells] had a nice homer [on March 13 against South Korea], which is good on the Yankees side, good seeing him rolling and doing his thing back there,” Judge added (h/t SNY)
“Team USA is excited to get into Miami and do our thing. So, as much as it is fun seeing those guys and this and that, I got USA on my chest and I’m gonna focus on those guys right now.”
Team USA Will Need to Vastly Improve Its Offense
The Dominican Republic has dominated early WBC play, outscoring opponents 51-10 in five wins, while the United States has continued to struggle offensively.
After scoring 24 runs combined against Brazil and Great Britain in its first two games, Team USA’s bats have mostly been quiet. Five of its runs against Mexico came in a single inning, and six runs against Italy arrived only after falling behind 8-0.
As a result, Judge spoke about the team’s concerns regarding their offense, as they will need to get going if they want to eliminate the Dominican Republic and book their spot in the final.
“If we’re going to win this tournament, like we all believe we’re going to, it’s going to take more than home runs,” Judge said (h/t ESPN). “If there’s times where we’re not hitting home runs, we’ve got to play small ball, we’ve got to move runners, we’ve got to do different things just to create some offense.”
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Issues Paul Skenes Message to Dominican Republic