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.
