Brazil grabs final berth in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Michael Clair
@michaelsclairAfter Nicaragua and Chinese Taipei booked their trips to the 2026 World Baseball Classic last week, only two spots remained. The first of those was decided when Colombia went 3-0 in the Tucson (Ariz.) Qualifiers and booked its ticket to next year's tournament. China was eliminated after finishing with an 0-3 record. That left Brazil and Germany, and on Thursday night they played a winner-take-all game for the final spot in the 2026 Classic. The Brazilians came out on top.
GAME 7: Brazil 6, Germany 4
There is seemingly no Team Brazil without Leonardo Reginatto. The veteran third baseman, who has played in every World Baseball Classic Qualifier that Brazil has participated in since 2012, racking up hits all along the way, kept it up in Brazil’s 6-4 victory over Germany on Thursday night to send the South American nation back to the World Baseball Classic for the first time since 2013.
Reginatto, who played on that 2013 team, hit an RBI groundout in the first inning before later lasering a double to the gap in the third and coming around to score on Dante Bichette Jr.’s RBI single. That ran Reginatto’s batting line across four Qualifying tournaments to a remarkable .510/.576/.667. No batter has more hits in qualifying tournaments than his 26. (He hit in the 2013 main tournament, too, going 4-for-11.)
"One of the things that kept me playing baseball was to be here with these guys right now," Reginatto said, indicating that this would be the final Qualifier tournament he would participate in. "I have no words to explain now, but it means not only a lot for me, but for the whole country, for the whole people. We had Cafu, one of the best soccer players, sending messages to us. It's touching a lot of people, and hopefully we made something big for Brazil today."
Reginatto wasn’t the only veteran to help. Though former big leaguers Paulo Orlando and André Rienzo were instead on the bench as coaches this time, Brazil’s roster had plenty of talent left over from the 2013 tournament. Some, like second baseman Lucas Rojo – who tripled on Thursday night – even came out of retirement to help send the South Americans back to the WBC.
The sons of big leaguers came up big in this one, too. Bichette Jr. went 3-for-4 with two RBIs while Angels prospect Lucas Ramirez added two hits and an RBI of his own.
"This is absolutely my favorite team," Bichette said. "I've said that for the last nine years I played with them. As long as I can help Brazil, I will. I'm just honored to be a part of this, really."
Ramirez had his father, former big leaguer Manny Ramirez, in the stands watching him. The elder Ramirez then jumped into the postgame scrum with reporters, asking his son where he got his swing from.
"I taught myself how to hit," Lucas joked, a wide smile on his face.
Just as they had done when playing Brazil in the round-robin phase earlier this week, Germany didn’t go down without a fight. After left-hander Oscar Nakaoshi – another 2013 vet – had shut down the German bats for three shutout innings, those bats got to him in the seventh. Germany scored two runs to cut the deficit to 6-4 on a double from third baseman Eric Brenk and an RBI groundout from center fielder Lucas Dunn.
"To tell you the truth, I was more nervous now as a manager than when I was a player, because when you were at the dugout, the only thing you can do is hope for the best," manager Yuichi Matsumoto said through the interpreter, Izawa.
Murilo Gouvea held Germany scoreless over the last two frames. The Germans will now look to this fall’s European Baseball Championship, hoping to pick up their first medal since a bronze in 2010.
"Congratulations to Team Germany," Reginatto said. "I know it's very hard, but we respect them, and we wish nothing but the best for them."
Brazil will celebrate before spending the next year preparing for its second World Baseball Classic appearance.
GAME 6: Colombia 10, Germany 0 (7-inning mercy rule)
There’s only one word to describe it: Domination. After finishing last in its group at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, relegating Colombia to the Qualifiers, the team was on a mission.
Suffice to say, mission accomplished. Colombia (3-0) is headed back to the World Baseball Classic after it defeated Germany (1-2), 10-0.
They started early, putting up five runs and bringing nine men up to the plate in the first. They tacked on two more runs in the third, another two in the fourth and one more run in the seventh to complete a 10-0 mercy rule victory. Colombia finished the tournament outscoring their opponents 23-1.
“The main focus for our pitching staff was getting ahead, working the count, and putting hitters away with the best secondary pitches,” Colombia starter Adrian Almeida said through translator and first-base coach Jaime Del Valle. “[Catcher Jair] Camargo did a really good job for me behind the plate tonight –- you know, the game planning, the conversations before the game and the execution of the game was right on point.”
Dilson Herrera, the hero from the 2016 Qualifier, had himself a ballgame, collecting four hits and driving in a run. Jesús Marriaga, who drove in four runs in Monday’s victory over China, kept up his hot hitting with a triple and two more runs driven in.
“We're just very excited to actually make the [World Baseball Classic] tournament,” Herrera said. “That was our main goal. There was a lot of preparation coming into this tournament in all aspects of the game. Just after what happened in 2023, coming here and doing what we do. It was very special.”
Colombia manager Jose Mosquera, who was a bench coach on the 2023 Classic team, felt that the nation hadn’t competed as hard as they could have in '23 after defeating Mexico in the first game.
That was a mistake the team wouldn’t make again.
“I know what happened two years ago,” third baseman Gio Urshela said. “We feel really bad about it. Now this year, hopefully we'll be better.”
“We won the locker room first,” Mosquera said. “The team chemistry was [great], and that is the result. Everybody was playing together as a team, that was the biggest thing. We are really excited about how we look as a team for the next Classic.”
Germany will now take on Brazil in a second-place final on Thursday, with the winner advancing to next year's Classic.
GAME 5: Brazil 12, China 2
There wasn’t much drama in this one, with the Brazilian bats getting started early against young Chinese starter Wang Xiang. Though Xiang had impressed at the U-23 World Cup in the fall, he had little to fool an experienced Brazilian lineup.
Brazil (2-1) scored six runs in the first inning on three hits and three walks, as Xiang was unable to record an out.
Brazil tacked on two more in the second, three more in the fifth and one in the seventh before wrapping up the game with a 12-2 mercy-rule victory.
Lucas Rojo produced four hits and two RBIs, Victor Mascai drove in three and Osvaldo Carvalho -- who has a day job as a construction worker, playing for a local Sao Paolo team in his free time -- made his national team debut. He went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
"It's always a big honor to play and represent Brazil," Carvalho said after the game through interpreter Izawa. "That's why we do our best every time we go on the field."
"Osvaldo is a great player, and it was the perfect opportunity for him to show his skills," Brazil manager Yuichi Matsumoto said. "We also wanted to try [Gabriel] Gomes in left field, so it was a good situation for us. All the respect to the China team, but we could do these tests today."
While China (0-3) is now out of the Qualifier, it can at least take solace in avoiding being shut out in the tournament. The country scored its two runs on a triple by catcher Shuai Wang before he was balked in from third and an RBI single from second baseman Tianyuan Hu. The loss also means that China will miss the 2026 World Baseball Classic -- the first tournament that it will not participate in.
"Since 2012, when we last qualified for the main stage, we probably had two or three opportunities to go, and we couldn't make it," Rojo said. "It still hurts today. But we are very focused on one goal, one objective. We're a close-knit family, and I think we are gonna pull this together."
GAME 4: Colombia 8, China 1
Before this week’s Qualifier tournament began in Tucson, many believed that Colombia (2-0) had the strongest roster in the pool. After two easy victories, first dispatching Brazil 5-0 before defeating China (0-2), 8-1, on Monday night, there’s little reason to believe otherwise.
“This is the first time that we are in this spot, like we’re the team to beat. In the past, they saw us as a joke team. ‘Oh, it’s a soccer country,’” manager Jose Mosquera said before the game.
A bench coach for Colombia’s 2023 World Baseball Classic squad, Mosquera believes the team stopped working as hard after beginning the tournament with an upset victory against Mexico. Despite his team’s role as the qualifier favorite now, he’s not going to take his foot off the gas.
“We won a game against Mexico and then we stopped competing. We have to get back and qualify,” he said.
So far, the nation is doing exactly that.
Rio Gomez – the son of late ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez – dominated the Chinese batters with six strikeouts in three innings of work. The only run against him came on a single, a stolen base, and a throwing error. Though Gomez attended the nearby University of Arizona, he had never played on this field before. It certainly wasn't an issue, even if it was Gomez's first time pitching in cleats and not in an indoor facility this year.
"It's nice, I love [being back here]," Gomez said. "The only thing that could have made it better is if we were playing at Hi Corbett [Field]."
The Colombian bats took care of the rest. MLB Pipeline’s No. 97 prospect, Michael Arroyo, started things strong in the leadoff spot, smacking a double, drawing two walks and driving in two more. Placing the young hitter in the leadoff spot is another one of Mosquera’s moves that has paid off.
“He's really strong,” Mosquera said of Arroyo. “Even with the older guys in the lineup like [Gio] Urshela and [Harold] Ramírez, he is still stepping up.”
A’s outfield prospect Brayan Buelvas added a single and a double, scoring twice, and Jesús Marriaga, who previously played in the D-backs system, added two hits and four RBIs. Two of those ribbies came on his fourth-inning, no-doubt home run to left-field.
"The only goal is to make it to the WBC -- not only for the people that are here, but also for the people that are watching, a lot of people back home and a lot of the teammates that couldn't make it this time," Marriaga said.
China will now take on Brazil (1-1) on Tuesday to keep its hopes of reaching the second-place final alive. Colombia can secure first place with a victory over Germany (1-1).
Game 3: Brazil 9, Germany 7
No lead was safe. Locked in a scoreless tie after three innings – with Brazil reaching 12 innings at the Tucson qualifiers without a run – the floodgates opened in the fourth.
Germany called on Jaden Agassi to make his national team debut. The son of tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Agassi had impressed in the MLB Draft League last summer, posting a 2.96 ERA and striking out more than a batter per inning. Unfortunately for the German squad, he was unable to fool the Brazilian batters.
Brazil scored four runs off Agassi in just two-thirds of an inning. We even got a peek at some sporting royalty as Lucas Ramirez, wearing his father Manny’s No. 24 (even though Manny wanted him to wear No. 99), laced a single off Agassi before coming around to score.
"It's the best thing in the world," Lucas said about growing up with a famous athlete for a father. "Everybody said, 'Oh man, he's your dad.' It's normal to me, he's just my dad. But also he was a great hitter."
Ramirez later added to the lead in the seventh with an RBI double, eventually coming around to score on veteran third baseman Leonardo Reginatto’s double – the third consecutive two-bagger of the inning. All three came off Christian Pedrol, who was born in Brazil and had pitched for Brazil in the 2022 Qualifier.
But even as Brazil looked to extend its edge, Germany consistently battled back. Germany loaded the bases four separate times and cut the lead to 2 in the bottom of the seventh, with big league veteran Donald Lutz adding an RBI double to Sunday’s two-run home run.
After Brazil tacked on a run in the top of the eighth, Germany responded. Two bases-loaded walks issued by Blue Jays prospect Eric Pardinho cut Brazil’s lead to 8-7, before a lineout to left field ended the frame and left the tying and go-ahead runners on base.
Pardinho settled down and closed out the game in the ninth, evening Brazil’s record at 1-1. Germany, who downed China on Sunday, dropped to 1-1.
"I think this is what makes this group special. They are a very close knit group and they help each other," manager Yuichi Matsumoto said about Brazil's ability to withstand Germany's comeback attempt. "We trust in each other, we believe to the end. I think that's what makes the difference at the end. They are grinders."
Many have expected Colombia to win this group, with Brazil and Germany battling in the second-place final on Thursday. If this is a sneak peek at what we’ll see, then we’re in store for an all-time classic.
"Germany is a very good team, and we have to stay focused not to lose. That's our objective," Victor Mascai said through translator Izawa after picking up two hits and two RBIs in the victory. "We know that will be a tough game [if we play them again], but we're confident that we will produce a good result again."
Brazil will now play China in Tuesday’s afternoon game, while Germany will take on Colombia in the nightcap.
Game 2: Colombia 5, Brazil 0
Julio Teheran has the second-most wins for any pitcher from Colombia, his 81 victories behind only José Quintana in the Major League record books. Pitching against Brazil in Colombia’s first game of the Tucson Qualifier on Sunday night, Teheran continued his winning ways.
Working quickly and efficiently, Teheran – currently a free agent after appearing in one game for the Mets last season – tore through the Brazilian lineup. He had a no-hitter through five innings, before giving up a hit in the sixth inning on Vitor Ito’s perfectly placed bunt single. He struck out four batters and needed only 54 pitches in his outing. Because he threw more than 50 pitches, however, he’s required to have four days of rest. He is now unavailable for the rest of this tournament.
"I knew that it was one of the fastest guys that they have, and obviously I was just trying to make him swing the bat," said Teheran about the bunt. "To be honest, the bunt surprised me because I was expecting them to swing the bat, but that's the game, and I respect that."
The night also was a showcase for just how good Major League talent is: Beyond Teheran’s start, Gio Urshela made perhaps the defensive highlight of the year and it’s only March. The A’s infielder made a diving stab on a screamer down the third-base line in the top of the fifth.
Dilson Herrera – another former big leaguer who hit the game-winning home run in the 2016 Qualifier to send Colombia to its first World Baseball Classic – led the way with two hits, while every member of Colombia’s starting lineup recorded a hit or drew a walk. Some of the youngest players like Mariners top 100 prospect Michael Arroyo and A's prospect Brayan Buelvas came up big in the game, giving a peek at what the future heart of this lineup could look like.
"That's what's special about this team," Herrera said. "It's the youth and the veteran guys. It's an explosion of talent that we have with the young players. For us to be able to put everybody on same roster, it's just a huge advantage for the country."
Colombia, whose roster looked to be the strongest entering this week and who were looking for vindication after being relegated to the Qualifiers, will now face China. Brazil has a short night ahead of it, as it will play Germany. It could be an early peek at what many expect will be the matchup for second-place Thursday.
Game 1: Germany 12, China 2 (7 innings)
Germany starting pitcher Markus Solbach has seen it all. The veteran pitcher was in the Twins, D-backs, Dodgers and Tigers organizations, eventually reaching Triple-A. He pitched in the Australian Baseball League, earning Co-MVP honors, and when the Minor League season was canceled due to COVID in 2020, he starred in Italy’s Serie A. Any time Germany needs a big game, he’s the arm they look for.
The veteran hurler, who is back playing in Germany for the Bonn Capitals these days, started slowly. China took an early 1-0 lead when third baseman Yun Lu hit an RBI single.
In the third, after Germany had responded with two runs of their own, China tied it back up as catcher Ning Li knocked an RBI single. From there, though, Solbach was practically untouchable, keeping China off the board as the German bats went to work building up a lead.
Pitch counts are one unique piece of managerial strategy in the World Baseball Classic, and German manager Jendrick Speer made sure he used every single pitch of the 85 he was allowed to get from his veteran starter. After Solbach struck out the side in the sixth inning, Solbach was sitting on 82 pitches. Speer brought him back for one more batter -- another strikeout -- before his limit was reached and his day was done.
"I knew [I was going back for the 7th] because the coach didn't take me out," Solbach said after the game, admitting that he was trying to be too efficient early in his start. "As a starting pitcher, you go until you get your hand shaken. I was waiting and trying to make eye contact to see if [Jendrick] was coming, but he never came. So I knew I had one batter left, and, yeah, I emptied the tank."
Former big leaguer Donald Lutz, who returned from retirement to play with the Brisbane Bandits of the ABL to prepare for the Qualifier this winter, hit a dagger two-run home run in the seventh to give Germany an 8-2 lead. He pounded his chest as he rounded the bases, pointing to the DEUTSCHLAND written on his chest, and Germany tacked on four runs in the frame for the mercy rule victory.
"I played for Germany for like, 17 years, then had a little break when I moved to Australia," Lutz said about his celebration, a wide smile on his face. "I know my mom is watching."
After the victory, the German team came out from their dugout and turned to the crowd, cheering for the large contingent of German supporters who were in attendance on Sunday.
"I haven't been in Germany for a while, and there were a lot of German jerseys, a bunch of hats and stuff," Lutz said. "It's just amazing. It feels like playing back home."
Michael Clair writes for MLB.com. He spends a lot of time thinking about walk-up music and believes stirrup socks are an integral part of every formal outfit.