Date: Monday, March 9, 2026
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, Texas
How to Watch: FOX, Fox Sports App, Tubi
The 2026 World Baseball Classic has arrived at its first true heavyweight bout. Team USA (2-0) is looking to keep the momentum going Monday night after dismantling Brazil and Great Britain by a combined score of 24-6.
For baseball fans everywhere, the World Baseball Classic officially starts on Monday night. The Americans head into Houston, Texas, for a sold-out Pool B showdown against their fiercest conventional rival, Mexico (2-0).
While the U.S. has looked dominant in its first two games, the ghost of 2023 still lingers around the organization. Three years ago, Mexico shocked the baseball community by upsetting Team USA 11-5 in Phoenix.
For the Americans, this isn’t just another pool play game; it’s a chance to re-establish dominance and all but clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.
If there is a strength to exploit for Team USA, it has to be the starting pitching. Team USA’s manager Mark DeRosa made the call to start San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb against Brazil, two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal against Great Britain, and American hero and National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes will make his Team USA debut against Mexico.
Skenes was a two-year starter at the United States Air Force Academy before transferring and eventually winning the 2023 National championship with LSU. He’ll get to compete in the Stars and Stripes for the first time in his professional career. At only 23, Skenes has posted a 1.96 ERA and 386 strikeouts. The American is a two-time All-Star, Cy Young winner, NL Rookie of the Year, and 2025 MLB ERA leader.
Skenes represents the new generation of USA Baseball. He has accomplished so much at such a young age; the missing accolade for the ace?
A World Baseball Classic Championship.
With a triple-digit fastball and a “splinker” that moves across the strike zone in ways not seen before, Paul Skenes’s presence on the mound is designed to neutralize a Mexican lineup that historically has always given the Americans trouble.
“It’s a big atmosphere,” Skenes said ahead of the start. “A good chance to see where I’m at.”
For the U.S., Skenes needs to be dominant.
On the other side of the diamond, Team Mexico is far from an underdog in this year’s tournament. They are led by Randy Arozarena, the outfielder who consistently shows up when the lights are brightest, turning into an X-Factor in the clutch. Arozarena shares the field with MLB household names, Jarren Duran and Alejandro Kirk, solidifying Mexico as a solid contender to cause chaos in Group B.
Mexico plays a gritty, tough, and aggressive style of baseball and has always been a thorn in the Americans' side. They know they can beat the U.S. because they’ve done it in three of the last four times they’ve met in the World Baseball Classic.
For Team USA, Monday night is about captain Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber proving American dominance over their North American foes. For Mexico, it could be another monumental win that would send shock waves through the country and prove that 2023 wasn’t a fluke.
With a win, book the tickets for Miami and the quarterfinals with all of the momentum in the world. With a loss, a more stressful path to Miami Beach awaits.
But for the Americans, they can rest easy knowing Paul Skenes, a true patriot, is making his national team debut in front of a sellout crowd on American soil. One thing is for sure on Monday night in Houston, Texas. The stage is set for the most electrifying night of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
