Netherlands vs Baltimore Orioles — Netherlands wins 8–5 (Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota)
Team Kingdom of the Netherlands beat the Baltimore Orioles 8–5 in a WBC warmup that featured loud early offense and multiple “firsts” in orange.
What decided the game (inning-by-inning scoring spine)
- Top 1st: Ray-Patrick Didder opened the day with a leadoff home run for a 1–0 Netherlands lead.
- Bottom 1st: Baltimore answered immediately—new Oriole Pete Alonso launched a two-run homer to put the Orioles up 2–1 off Netherlands debutant Ryjeteri Merite. Merite recovered by striking out Ryan Mountcastle and top prospect Samuel Basallo to finish the inning.
- Top 2nd: The swing of the game: after Druw Jones reached on a dropped third strike and Didder doubled, Ceddanne Rafaela crushed a three-run homer (his first hit in the Netherlands lineup). Two batters later, Ozzie Albies followed with a solo homer—also his first Netherlands hit—making it a four-run inning and flipping the game to 5–2.
- Top 3rd: Netherlands chased starter Trevor Rogers after a leadoff single by Hendrik Clementina. Clementina stole second and scored on a Sharlon Schoop hit; later in the inning, back-to-back doubles (Didder, then Rafaela) pushed the lead to 8–2.
Pitching notes that mattered
- Netherlands got strong work from a string of arms early: Dylan Wilson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 K), Kevin Kelly (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K), and Lars Huijer (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R) kept the Orioles quiet while the lineup built separation.
- Late runs allowed by Wendell Floranus (1 R) and Jaydenn Estanista (2 R) tightened the score, but the early 8-run cushion held.
Key WBC prep takeaway
Netherlands’ top-of-order damage (Didder + Rafaela) and immediate power from first-time lineup appearances (Rafaela, Albies) gave this game a very “tournament-ready” feel—fast starts, crooked innings, and bullpen coverage.
Team USA vs San Francisco Giants — Team USA wins 15–1 (Scottsdale Stadium)
Team USA torched the Giants 15–1 in an exhibition that went 11 innings at USA’s request to bank extra reps.
How the blowout built
- Top 1st: Captain Aaron Judge started it with a two-run single.
- Bottom 1st: The Giants scored their only run on a Patrick Bailey RBI groundout.
- Top 4th: Alex Bregman added a solo HR.
- Top 5th: Bryce Harper drove in two with a two-run single to stretch the margin.
- Top 6th: Roman Anthony hit a two-run homer, giving USA a commanding lead before the late-inning pile-on.
- Late innings: USA kept scoring with contributions across the roster; even Giants loanees participating for USA produced runs (including RBI hits referenced in the game account), before the stars closed the door with more damage.
Pitching: the Skenes tone-setter
- Paul Skenes worked 3 innings, allowed the only Giants run, and struck out 4.
- The rest of the staff slammed it: multiple relievers finished the job while adding strikeouts and limiting hard contact.
Notable absences
Neither Will Smith nor Clayton Kershaw entered for Team USA, keeping their workloads untouched in this tune-up.
Dominican Republic vs Detroit Tigers — Dominican Republic wins 12–4 (Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, Santo Domingo)
The Dominican Republic’s WBC squad surged past Detroit 12–4 in a game that swung violently after a Tigers prospect put on a show early.
The game’s shape
- Top 1st (Detroit): Tigers prized prospect Kevin McGonigle hit a first-pitch homer off Luis Severino to make it 1–0.
- Top 2nd (Detroit): McGonigle stayed in the middle of everything—an RBI single drove in two more for a 3–0 Tigers lead.
- Mid-game swing (Dominican): The Dominican lineup’s power arrived in waves; in the decisive stretch, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Junior Caminero all went deep as the game turned into a rout.
- Detroit pitching turning point: After starter Ty Madden negotiated early danger, trouble in the second inning (hits + walks) ended his day. Later, the Dominican stars punished mistakes, breaking the game open.
Who stood out anyway for Detroit
- McGonigle finished with three hits, was responsible for multiple runs created (HR + run-scoring plate appearances), and set the tone for Detroit’s early lead before the Dominican offense overwhelmed the pitching.
Samurai Japan vs Hanshin Tigers — Samurai Japan wins 5–4
Samurai Japan edged Hanshin 5–4 in a tight warmup highlighted by early power and a late wobble that nearly erased the cushion.
Key moments
- 1st inning: Seiya Suzuki blasted a 429-foot solo homer to left-center to start the scoring.
- 3rd: Kensuke Kondoh RBI single extended the lead.
- 6th: Suzuki added another RBI via a run-scoring groundout (Japan in control at 3–0).
- 7th: Shota Morishita delivered a pinch-hit two-run single off Hanshin teammate Atsuki Yuasa, pushing Japan to 5–0.
- 8th: Hanshin stormed back with four runs against non-roster arm Reia Nakachi, turning it into a one-run game.
- 9th: Akira Neo worked a clean ninth to close it.
Box-note worth remembering
Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-2 with two groundouts—quiet day, but Japan still got the exact “tournament script” they wanted: starter success and late leverage.
Colombia vs Pittsburgh Pirates — Pirates win 7–1
Pittsburgh handled Team Colombia 7–1, pairing a clean start from a new arm with steady run manufacturing.
How Pittsburgh scored 7
- 3rd: Jake Mangum RBI double + Konnor Griffin RBI double (back-to-back) made it 2–0.
- 4th: Three more runs came through an RBI double (Jhostynxon Garcia) and RBI singles (including Mangum again) to stretch it to 5–0.
- 7th: Duce Gorson singled in two more to make it 7–0.
- 9th: Colombia avoided the shutout with a single run.
Pitching snapshot
- Starter José Urquidy: 3 scoreless innings, limited traffic, and set the tone.
- Pirates bullpen covered the rest with scoreless frames until the ninth, keeping Colombia largely boxed into singles.
Panama vs New York Yankees — Yankees win 11–1 (Mercy rule)
The Yankees rolled Team Panama 11–1 in a WBC-rule game that ended early under the 10-run mercy rule.
The scoring chain that buried Panama
- 1st: Two-out rally—walk + single set the table for Ryan McMahon, who lined a two-run single (2–0).
- 4th–6th: New York kept stacking baserunners via hits and walks; J.C. Escarra drove in runs (including a home run) as the lead ballooned.
- 8th: Panama scored its lone run after speedster Enrique Bradfield Jr. got on, stole second and third, then scored on Rubén Tejada’s groundout.
- Bottom 8th: An error set up more damage; Jorbit Vivas delivered the hit that pushed it to 11–1 and ended it immediately.
Pitching headline
Max Fried threw three scoreless innings, inducing double plays and controlling contact.
Canada vs Toronto Blue Jays — Blue Jays win 10–7
Toronto beat Team Canada 10–7 in a game where Canada erased a big early deficit—then Toronto re-took control with one swing.
What happened, specifically
- Toronto jumped ahead with 7 runs across the first two innings, powered by Jesús Sánchez driving in three and the lineup chaining RBI plate appearances.
- Canada chipped away once Toronto reached deeper bullpen layers.
- 8th inning: Canada tied it with a four-run eighth, sparked by Jacob Robson’s solo homer and additional run-scoring hits/sacrifice fly.
- Bottom 8th: Riley Tirotta answered with a three-run homer, the decisive blow that made it 10–7.
- 9th: Toronto closed it out with a scoreless inning after briefly blowing the tie.
Israel vs Miami Marlins — Israel wins 1–0
Israel blanked the Marlins 1–0 in a crisp, pitching-dominated tune-up defined by one extra-base swing and one huge relief sequence.
The only run
- Top 4th: After a runner advanced into scoring position, catcher Garrett Stubbs ripped an RBI triple off the right-field wall—the game’s only run.
The game-saving moment
- Bottom 4th: With runners on first and second and no outs, reliever Justin Alintoff entered and immediately killed the threat (lineout, strikeout, groundout) on a compact, strike-heavy burst.
Closing detail
Israel’s bullpen held every late Marlins push to a single baserunner here or there, including a ninth-inning scenario where the tying run reached second—but Israel finished the job.
Nicaragua vs New York Mets — Mets win 6–3
The Mets beat Nicaragua 6–3 with production spread across walks, wild pitches, and timely singles—plus a late homer from a spring standout.
Scoring sequence that matters
- 1st: Mets scored first via a leadoff double sequence ending in a sacrifice fly (1–0).
- 3rd (Nicaragua): Freddy Zamora homered to tie it 1–1.
- 3rd (Mets): New York re-took the lead with RBI contact after two walks (2–1).
- 4th: Nicaragua tied again (2–2) via singles + sac fly.
- 5th: Mets grabbed the lead on two wild pitches that manufactured a run (3–2).
- 6th: A rally built on baserunners ended with Vidal Bruján’s two-run single (5–2).
- 8th: Chris Suero homered again (6–3), continuing his spring power streak.
Pitching notes
New York’s late-inning arms delivered no-hit frames in spots; Devin Williams struck out the side in the seventh in his appearance.
Brazil vs Athletics — Athletics win 14–4 (Mercy rule after 7)
The A’s throttled Team Brazil 14–4 in a seven-inning, mercy-rule exhibition that featured a massive first inning and multiple 430+ foot homers.
The inning that decided everything: bottom 1st
Brazil scratched first, but the A’s answered with a seven-run first:
- Jeff McNeil two-run homer.
- Austin Wynns solo homer (433 ft per the game account).
- Extra-base hits and productive outs piled on until it was 7–1.
Brazil’s best punch (5th inning)
Brazil’s main scoring burst came with help from a throwing error, then a sacrifice fly and a bases-clearing triple to trim the margin—but the deficit was already enormous.
Why Oakland’s lineup day matters
This wasn’t “one big inning and done.” Oakland added:
- 4 more runs in the 3rd
- 3 more in the 5th
…and triggered the mercy rule at the end of seven.
Cuba vs Kansas City Royals — Royals win 4–0
Kansas City shut out Cuba 4–0 behind early scoring and clean, low-damage pitching.
Scoring plays (as they came)
- Bottom 1st: Michael Massey solo home run (1–0).
- Later, Kansas City added runs via an RBI single (Carter Jensen), an RBI groundout (Kyle Isbel), and an additional run manufactured through aggressive baserunning/pressure.
Cuba’s missed chances
Cuba recorded six hits but went 0-for-5 with RISP, never landing the one swing needed to change the game.
Italy vs Chicago Cubs — Italy wins 9–4
Italy stunned the Cubs 9–4 with a decisive mid-to-late offensive surge that flipped a 4–0 deficit into a runaway.
The flip: 6th inning (4 unearned, but still lethal)
- The Cubs led 4–0 entering the sixth with Italy limited offensively.
- A throwing error opened the door; then Italy’s bats kicked it in:
- Catching prospect Owen Ayers hit a two-run homer to cap the inning’s biggest blow.
- Italy kept pressing with another homer in the 7th (including damage off familiar arms), then a four-run push late to put it away.
Cubs bright spots that still mattered
- Dansby Swanson homered.
- Cade Horton delivered three strong innings early before the game turned into a depth-and-bullpen test.
Great Britain vs Milwaukee Brewers — Great Britain wins 7–3
Great Britain beat Milwaukee 7–3, breaking the game open with one disastrous inning against Brewers relief.
The decisive frame
- 5th inning: Britain erupted, fueled by a sequence of walks and extra-base hits, turning a close game into a multi-run lead that held.
Key individual notes
- Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski struck out 5 in 2 innings, showing the raw stuff even as Britain scratched an early run.
- Milwaukee’s offense came largely via homers, including a 433-foot shot later in the game—but it wasn’t enough to recover from the fifth.
Mexico vs Arizona Diamondbacks — Mexico wins 6–3
Mexico beat the Diamondbacks 6–3 in a tune-up where Arizona actually matched Mexico in total hits but failed repeatedly with runners in scoring position.
The game’s biggest swing
- Arizona used multiple pitchers effectively (including Zac Gallen’s quick, scoreless two innings), but one rough inning allowed Mexico to stack runs and seize control.
- Mexico added late homers to keep Arizona at arm’s length.
Stat that explains the result
Arizona went 3-for-15 with RISP, leaving multiple comeback innings unfinished.
Venezuela vs Houston Astros — Astros win 3–1
Houston edged Venezuela 3–1, winning it with late offense after a long stretch of zeros.
What the box tells you fast
- Venezuela scored 1 early and then stalled (7 hits, but only 1 run).
- Houston broke through late, including a two-run homer in the 8th that created separation, then added insurance.
Puerto Rico vs Boston Red Sox — Puerto Rico wins 5–3 (JetBlue Park, Fort Myers)
Puerto Rico beat the Red Sox 5–3 in front of a heavily pro–Puerto Rico crowd, scoring early and riding efficient pitching.
How Puerto Rico got to 5
- Puerto Rico posted a three-run 1st and a one-run 3rd, building a 4–0 cushion.
- An additional run later made it 5, and that early separation mattered once Boston began scoring in the late middle innings.
Pitching & execution highlights
- Puerto Rico starter Elmer Rodriguez threw three shutout innings, allowing minimal damage and keeping Boston off rhythm.
- Boston’s starter Jake Bennett struggled immediately, tagged for three runs while recording only two outs.
Can Team USA win the WBC this year?
Yes—Team USA can absolutely win, and March 3 showed why: they generated runs without needing “perfect” conditions (extended to 11 innings by design), got early tone-setting from elite pitching (Skenes) and still piled on offense from multiple lineup tiers (Judge/Harper/Bregman plus younger contributors).
The swing factor isn’t whether they have enough star power—it’s whether they string together tournament-style pitching coverage (starter into leverage relief) across consecutive high-stakes games the way they did in the Giants tune-up. If that holds, they’re a top-tier favorite.
If you want, tell me which pool you care about most, and I’ll map Team USA’s toughest matchup path (by opponent style: velocity-heavy staffs vs. contact/pressure lineups) using the confirmed March 3 form as the baseline.