South Korea squeezed into the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals by the finest of margins after a nerve-jangling 7-2 win over Australia on Monday to finish as Pool C runners-up."This is the World Baseball Classic,

Owen Caissie hit a two-run home run, and Abraham Toro knocked in two runs as Canada won its opening game 8-2 over Colombia. The Naylor brothers played big roles in the victory, with Josh going 2-of-4 with an RBI and Bo throwing out two runners attempting steals.

Korea comes to the tournament at a turning point for its baseball program. The team dominated in the early-aughts, winning gold at the 2008 Olympics and going to extra innings before losing to Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic finals.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals are underway. Here are the details on the schedule, time, and where to watch.

Australia opened the World Baseball Classic by beating Taiwan 3-0 on Travis Bazzana's homer in the seventh inning and a two-run home run in the fifth by Robbie Perkins at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday. Bazzana was the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft and is expected to be in Triple A this season in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Bill Plaschke used to ignore the World Baseball Classic, but he has been wowed by the dramatic tournament that feels bigger than the World Series.

The 2026 WBC's knockout stage begins with high-stakes quarterfinal matchups on Friday.

Drake Maye and his wife, Anne Michael Maye, made an appearance at the World Baseball Classic over the weekend. The New England Patriots quarterback and his wife, his high school sweetheart, attended a game between Japan and Korea.