The championship game of the World Baseball Classic could have a heavy Phillies-centric feel to it.

With Clayton Kershaw being removed from Team USA's roster, the Blue Jays reliever has joined America's pitching staff. In the 2025 postseason, Hoffman, a 2024 All-Star, recorded a 1.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 12.1 innings pitched for Toronto. Team USA will play the Dominican Republic in the semifinal round on Mar. 15.

SportsLine expert Angelo "Amags" Magliocca analyzes Saturday's Puerto Rico vs. Italy quarterfinal at the World Baseball Classic and offers his best bets

MVP winners made for an exciting start to the quarterfinal game and combined to make WBC history in the process.

There have been dramatic finishes and upsets – the kind you don’t experience if you spent a lifetime watching games in the Cactus League or Grapefruit League. And to think: we haven’t even reached the semi-finals or the championship game.

Ohtani hit a first-inning home run but also struck out twice and had the game-ending flyout in Japan’s quarterfinal loss to Venezuela.

The Red Sox outfielder was one of the best hitters in the tournament, going 5 for 15 with three home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases in four games.

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.