Team Panama holds on in the 9th for a dramatic victory! #WorldBaseballClassic
Instant Reaction: Panama beats Canada 4-3
Photo credit: © Cincinnati Enquirer-USA TODAY NE
Mar 9, 2026, 07:26 EDT
Panama has pulled off an upset at the World Baseball Classic.
After losing to Puerto Rico in walkoff fashion the night before, Panama rallied on a rainy night to beat Canada and secure their first victory of the tournament. This was a must-win game for a Canadian team that is looking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in the history of the WBC, and with Puerto Rico and Cuba both undefeated thus far, they now face an extremely tough road ahead.
After a scoreless first inning, Canada would jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the second after Abraham Toro doubled in Otto Lopez, bringing in the first run of the game. Panama would respond in the fourth inning, with Luis Castillo driving in Edmundo Sosa to tie the game at one a piece.
Heading to the bottom half of the inning, Panama starter Jaime Barria looked to be cruising through his fourth inning of work, retiring the first two batters, before Bo Naylor and Owen Caissie singled, setting up Denzel Clarke with a run-scoring opportunity. He would capitalize, sending a ground ball to right field, bringing in Naylor to give Canada a 2-1 lead.
It wasn’t until the sixth inning that either team broke out offensively, before Panama would put up two runs via a pinch-hit infield single by Ruben Tejada, bringing home Jose Ramos and Christian Bethancourt. A throwing error by James Paxton would allow the second run to score, with a multitude of soft hit singles giving Panama a late advantage.
It was a rough sixth inning for Paxton, who would later allow a fourth run to cross the plate after speedster Enrique Bradfield Jr bunted for a single, bringing home Miguel Amaya. It wasn’t until the eighth inning that Panama had another opportunity to score, when Jose Caballero doubled to left field, with Bradfield on first. Caissie would field the ball, relay it to Otto Lopez, who would nail Bradfield at the plate, keeping the score 4-2.
After going silent through innings five-seven, Canada would maintain their momentum in the bottom of the eighth, with Caissie doubling to bring home Bo Naylor, making it a 4-3 ballgame. In the top of the ninth inning, Matt Wilkinson struck out the first two batters he faced before a rain delay ensued; the entire game was played in wet conditions.
Dario Agrazal was tasked with the ninth-inning duties in this game, and though Josh Naylor reached via a single, Canada was just unable to break through offensively, and dropped the game 4-3.
Takeaways…
Canada’s ace Jameson Taillon was on the mound for this contest and was solid through 3 2/3 innings of work, recording three strikeouts and allowing just one run on two hits. On Panama’s side, starter Jaime Barria was shaky through his first few innings, falling behind in counts and allowing five hits and two runs through 3.2 innings.
James Paxton recovered in the seventh inning, recording two quick strikeouts before being pulled at 49 pitches to retain eligibility to pitch in Canada’s upcoming game against Puerto Rico. Blue Jay prospect Adam Macko recorded one out in the contest, with Antoine Jean and Rob Zastryzny both working scoreless frames.
On the Panamanian side, Miguel Cienfuegos was incredibly effective in 2 1/3 innings of work, throwing just 25 pitches and not allowing a single hit, while striking out three. Dario Agrazal kept Canada off the board to secure the save, staving off elimination for at least another day.
The wet conditions during this game had a direct impact on offensive output, as both teams struggled to find power, with just three extra-base hits combined between the two teams. Though Canada does not face elimination after this loss, their road to breaking through the group stage now becomes much more difficult with matchups against the current top two teams in Pool A ahead.
Canada will be back in action on Tuesday in a pivotal matchup against Pool A favourite Puerto Rico at 7 pm EST, with Mississauga native Jordan Balazovic on the mound.
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