Baseball Classic quarterfinals ignite Friday night as Dominican Republic faces Korea, USA meets Canada
baseball classic quarterfinals begin Friday night, March 13, 2026, with two elimination games that cut the tournament field again on the road to Miami. The Dominican Republic meets Korea at 6: 30 p. m. ET, followed by Team USA facing Canada at 8 p. m. ET. Pool play has ended and the tournament has narrowed from 20 qualifying teams to eight participants seeking a bid to the semifinals in Miami.
Friday night bracket pressure: Dominican Republic vs. Korea, then USA vs. Canada
The first pitch Friday comes at 6: 30 p. m. ET with the Dominican Republic against Korea. The Dominican Republic enters the quarterfinals 4-0 and has produced 41 runs and 13 home runs, while carrying a 2. 38 ERA that ranks as the fourth-lowest in the tournament. Korea comes in listed as a +650 underdog at BetMGM, with the Dominican Republic’s odds to win posted at -1000.
The second quarterfinal is scheduled for 8 p. m. ET, with Team USA listed as -800 favorites against Canada at +550. The matchup draws added attention after Team USA’s upset loss to Italy in pool play, a result that briefly put the Americans at risk of missing the quarterfinal round. Team USA ultimately advanced with help from Italy’s win over Mexico, setting up a high-stakes night for manager Mark DeRosa as scrutiny remains following a viral gaffe.
Pitching plans and key matchups as Baseball Classic spotlight shifts to win-or-go-home
One immediate on-field development for Friday night is the plan for Team USA’s starter. Mark DeRosa, manager of Team USA, said the U. S. starting pitcher will be on a limit of 70 pitches. Logan Webb threw 52 pitches in Team USA’s opener versus Brazil, and DeRosa said the team has a fresh bullpen for the Canada game.
For the 6: 30 p. m. ET matchup, the listed pitching matchup is Korea’s Hyun Jin Ryu against the Dominican Republic’s Cristopher Sánchez. For the 8 p. m. ET game, the listed starters are Logan Webb for Team USA and Michael Soroka for Team Canada.
Dominican Republic arrives dominant; USA arrives under scrutiny after pool-play scare
The Dominican Republic’s numbers through pool play have set the tone heading into the quarterfinals: a perfect 4-0 record, tournament-leading totals in runs and home runs, and a 2. 38 ERA that still places among the event’s top marks. That production now meets the sharper edge of a knockout round, with Korea trying to flip the script as a heavy underdog.
Team USA’s path into Friday night has been less smooth. The upset loss to Italy created a brief window where the Americans were in danger of missing the quarterfinals altogether, raising the stakes for a response against Canada. With the pitch-limit plan in place and a fresh bullpen emphasized by DeRosa, the U. S. enters knowing the margin for error is smaller now than it was in pool play.
What’s next: Saturday quarterfinals follow as Miami semifinals come into focus
The quarterfinal schedule continues Saturday, March 14, 2026, with Italy vs. Puerto Rico at 3 p. m. ET and Japan vs. Venezuela at 9 p. m. ET. As results come in, the eight-team field will shrink again, with each surviving team moving one step closer to the semifinals in Miami.
For Friday night, the baseball classic turns fully into a win-or-go-home test: two games, two immediate eliminations, and four teams chasing the next ticket forward.
