The powerhouse United States team seemed in peril of a stunning upset when it trailed Great Britain 1-0 in the fifth inning in Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic pool play contest. However, in that home half of the fifth, the Americans managed traffic on the bases followed by the big blast from Kyle Schwarber that put them up 3-1 — a lead that would grow into the 9-1 final tally.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, winner of the last two American League Cy Young awards, allowed one run across three strong innings of work in what figures to be his lone start of this WBC. Clay Holmes followed up Skubal with three dominant innings of relief. Across the way, Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts for Great Britain.
The outcome at Daikin Park in Houston pushes the U.S. to 2-0 in the 2026 WBC and drops Great Britain to 0-2. Saturday’s game, plus the 15-5 win over Brazil on Friday, means the U.S. has scored 24 runs through those first two games of the current WBC.
Now, for some things to know about the U.S. win over Great Britain.
Great Britain struck first
Skubal, the Tigers’ ace of aces, chose the fastball as his first pitch of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. His offering clocked in at 95 mph and was located in the upper half of the zone. However, Skubal caught a bit too much off the plate, and 29-year-old Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton did not miss it:
Eaton’s drive to left-center was initially ruled a double, but replay review revealed that it was indeed an unlikely home run off Skubal that gave the Brits a 1-0 lead after one pitch. Eaton has just two home runs in 268 plate appearances in his MLB career. For Skubal’s part, he promptly righted himself, struck out No. 2 hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr. on three pitches, and then prevented any further damage in both the frame and the remainder of his start. Skubal wound up working three innings with five strikeouts on 41 pitches.
Trayce Thompson made a highlight home run robbery
What could have been a big inning for the U.S. in the second turned out to be a scoreless frame. Great Britain right fielder Trayce Thompson, who’s played 369 games in the majors over parts of seven seasons, set the tone when he went up and brought back what should have been an opposite-field home run off the bat of Dodgers catcher — and Thompson’s former teammate — Will Smith.
That drive off a Tyler Viza fastball left Smith’s bat at 97.8 mph and traveled 344 feet. That should’ve been enough for a tying homer, but Thompson and his leather implement determined that would not be the case.
Schwarber flipped the script
With the game tied and his team on upset watch in that fifth inning, the Phillies’ slugger released the pressure valve with a blast off Britain reliever Andre Scrubb.
Schwarber’s homer, which came at the expense of a 2-1 cutter from Scrubb, let the bat at 108.9 mph and covered 427 feet of ground. The man who racked up an NL-leading 56 home runs last season is certainly no stranger to big blasts, and that was indeed a big one.
2026 World Baseball Classic scores, schedule: How to watch every game, including Team USA
Kate Feldman
For the U.S., the opening came when Ernie Clement reached via a throwing error by third baseman Ivan Johnson with one out. That led to a pitching change and the removal of hard-throwing reliever Najer Victor, who had been nigh unhittable on the night. Clement scored on a wild pitch after Pete Crow-Armstrong’s double put him on third. Schwarber’s bomb came next, and then a two-out double by Gunnar Henderson made it 5-1. The U.S. bats piled it on from there and cruised to the win.
U.S. pitching was dominant
Skubal’s first pitch of the game notwithstanding, the moundsmen were the stars of this one for the U.S. Skubal, Holmes, and three other relievers — David Bednar, Griffin Jax, and Brad Keller — combined for this suffocating line:
- 9 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 17 SO, 0 BB
Yes, that’s 17 strikeouts against no walks. The Americans on the mound allowed just three hard-hit balls all night and only one barrel. As a unit, they also racked up 25 swings and misses, 13 of which belonged to Skubal.
Up next
The U.S. will be back in action on Monday night against Mexico. Pirates phenom Paul Skenes will be on the mound for the Americans, and first pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. Great Britain will play Italy on Sunday in what amounts to a must-win contest for the Brits.
The top two teams in each five-team pool will advance to the quarterfinals. At 2-0, the U.S. is well on its way to securing a berth in the next round. Mexico, however, will be the strongest team they’ve faced thus far.
