Baseball Bar-B-Cast

Pool play for the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic has wrapped up and we’re now down to the final eight teams. With the quarterfinals set to kick off on Friday night in Miami and Houston, it’s time to look at the matchups and who might move on to the semifinals.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz is joined by SNY MLB insider reporter Chelsea Janes as they break down each game in the quarterfinals, including the United States taking on Canada and whether the bad vibes that surrounded them against Italy are gone now that they’ve advanced. Then they discuss the highly entertaining Dominican Republic squad taking on Korea, where Hyun Jin Ryu will try to calm the explosive DR bats.

Later, Jake and Chelsea preview Japan taking on Venezuela and why Ranger Suárez could be the key to the next major upset of the tournament. They close out the segment talking about whether the feel-good vibes coming from Vinnie Pasquantino and the Italian squad could carry them to the next round by defeating Puerto Rico. Jake and Chelsea then make their picks for a WBC edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

1:47 - The Opener: USA vs. Canada

24:13 - Dominican Republic vs. Korea

34:08 - Japan vs. Venezuela

42:38 - Italy vs. Puerto Rico

49:40 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

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🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic has already provided a few memorable moments for teams across the globe. However, on Monday night we might have seen the biggest upset of the tournament so far when Team Italy took down powerhouse Team USA, which has left us all wondering how it happened.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman recap the incredible win by the Italians and discuss how the United States could now find itself knocked out of the tournament based on the results of Italy’s game with Mexico tonight. They also get into whether some of the moves that manager Mark DeRosa made prior to the game were influenced by the possibility that the USA squad believed it had already clinched their ticket to the next round.

Later, Jake and Jordan preview the epic showdown for seeding between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela tonight that will determine who will play Japan and Korea in the quarterfinals, as well as Canada taking on Cuba in their final pool matchup. Then the guys discuss the Philadelphia Phillies giving a five-year contract extension to starter Jesús Luzardo and the Cincinnati Reds losing Hunter Greene to injury until the summer.

1:15 - The Opener: Italy upsets USA

12:28 - Tiebreaker scenarios for USA

18:47 - We Need To Talk About: DeRosa messes up

40:17 - DR vs. Venezuela preview

47:37 - Cuba vs. Canada preview

52:03 - Phillies extend Luzardo

55:50 - Hunter Greene out until summer

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

So far in the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic, the teams that we have come to expect positive results from are holding up their end of the bargain. With Team USA, Japan and the Dominican Republic all proving to be who we thought they were, pool play has seemed like just a tune-up for these powerhouses.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down all the action from the WBC this past weekend, which saw the United States handle Great Britain and Brazil with the help of the superstar friendship duo of team captain Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper. While the USA squad might not look like they’re having as much fun as other teams on the field, their businesslike approach appears to keep them in the mindset of winning gold or bust for this tournament.

Later, Jake and Jordan recap the other pool play from the tourney, which includes Masataka Yoshida returning to the form for Team Japan that made him such a coveted bat by the Boston Red Sox when he first came to the States. They then get into the incredible first-ever walk-off wins in the tournament that saw an emotional Puerto Rico crowd celebrate their home victory against Panama.

1:29 - The Opener: Team USA’s impressive weekend

17:57 - The importance of the WBC

27:14 - Judge & Harper friendship

35:25 - Korea advances in thriller

45:26 - Japan in cruise control

50:11 - Turbo Mode: All the action from the tourney

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic is off and running, with a few games of pool play already in the books, including Team Japan mercy-ruling Team Chinese Taipei following a historic second inning. With Shohei Ohtani hitting a grand slam and Japan scoring 10 runs, the defending WBC champs are putting all challengers officially on notice.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the opening games, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto picking up where he left off last October and Team Australia getting off to a hot 2–0 start in Pool C. They then preview all the other games set to take place this weekend, including Team USA kicking off their quest for gold tonight and make their picks for who will win the whole tournament.

Later, Jake and Jordan talk about the Texas Rangers signing veteran Andrew McCutchen to a MiLB deal after some weirdness with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña being out for a few weeks with a fractured finger. They then make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla, which includes the lame WBC uniforms and the incredible scenes from Team Dominican Republic’s exhibition game in the DR.

1:35 – The Opener: Ohtani, Yamamoto lead Japan in win

9:59 – Recapping other opening WBC games

31:07 – Previewing weekend WBC slate

40:04 – WBC predictions

50:49 – Around the League: McCutchen to Rangers

56:12 – Jeremy Peña is injured

57:50 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The old saying in baseball is that “momentum is only as good as the next day’s starter,” which shows how important having a good pitching staff is to a club. As part of our 2026 regular season preview, it’s time to figure out who will do the best job of limiting their opponents’ offense.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman draft all 30 MLB clubs based on who they feel will have the best pitching and hitting this season. While every squad wishes they had a Tarik Skubal, Shohei Ohtani or Paul Skenes to lead their pitching staff, will teams like the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers still be able to find success on the bump?

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss the second PED suspension handed to Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar, causing him to miss the entire 2026 season after he was suspended for eight games in 2025. They then get into the latest news surrounding the World Baseball Classic, including a surprising name joining Team Dominican Republic and Team USA finalizing its rotation for the tournament.

1:05 – The Opener: 2026 Run Prevention Draft

19:40 – Teams 1–10 recap

35:30 – Teams 11–20 recap

46:22 – Teams 21–30 recap

47:11 – We Need To Talk About: Profar suspended

56:50 – New Team DR roster addition

1:00:19 – Team USA’s rotation

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_