Canada advances to World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time

Canada's Denzel Clarke celebrates after scoring against Puerto Rico during the third inning of a World Baseball Classic game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

SAN JUAN — Canada has advanced to the World Baseball Classic’s playoff round for the first time in the international tournament’s 20-year history.

Bo Naylor had an RBI double and Otto Lopez followed that with a two-run single as Canada scored three in the sixth inning to beat Cuba 7-2 on Wednesday and reach the WBC’s quarterfinals.

Although Canada has participated in all five WBCs (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023), it has never reached the knockout stage before.


The Canadians finish the round-robin stage of the tournament in one of the top two spots in Pool A, but their playoff opponents are not yet known.

Owen Caissie had a sacrifice fly in the third and Abraham Toro added a solo home run for Canada (3-1) in the fifth. Josh Naylor’s RBI single in the eighth and Caissie’s run-scoring basehit in the nith added some insurance for the Canadians.

Yoelkis Guibert’s fielder’s choice in the fifth scored a run for Cuba (2-2) to cut Canada’s lead to 2-1. Ariel Martinez’s RBI single made it 5-2 in the sixth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026

The Canadian Press