Canada’s 5-3 loss to the United States in Friday’s quarterfinals may have ended their World Baseball Classic, but it was certainly one to remember and something to build on moving forward.

For the first time in WBC history, Canada advanced to the knockout stage after winning Pool A with a 3-1 record. The narrow loss to the US showed that they are now more competitive on the international stage than ever before, and stand to keep improving ahead of the 2028 Olympics and 2029 installment of the WBC.

Several young players had strong showings, with Owen Caissie looking like he will be a national team icon for years to come. On the pitching side, Canada got a surprisingly strong performance from retired lefthander James Paxton, as well as several promising outings from their young pitchers who have not yet debuted in the major leagues.

One of those pitchers that excelled on the big stage was Adam Macko, the Toronto Blue Jays prospect who was originally acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the Teoscar Hernandez trade back in 2022. The left-hander appeared in three games out of the bullpen for Canada, allowing no earned runs while striking out four. Who he struck out was particularly noteworthy.

Pitching in relief against the United States, Macko punched out two of the best lefty hitters on the planet in Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

The six-foot pitcher has been viewed as a starting pitcher throughout his time in the minor leagues. After coming over via trade, he logged 20 starts with the high-A Vancouver Canadians in 2023, producing a 4.81 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 86.0 innings. The following season, he worked his way up to triple-A, posting a 4.63 ERA across three levels while missing a bit of time with injury.

This time last year, it was probably fair to expect him to debut at some point during the 2025 season, but a spring meniscus tear delayed the start to his season. Upon returning to action, he split time as a starter and reliever in Buffalo, managing a 5.06 ERA in 64.0 innings.

The starting pitching depth looks a lot more crowded for the Blue Jays heading into this season than it did last year, with Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios, Max Scherzer, and Eric Lauer making it hard to envision Macko cracking the rotation. Of course, Bieber and Berrios are currently hurt, and teams rarely get through an entire season with too much starting pitching, but it remains to be seen if Macko’s services will be needed at the beginning of games in 2026, even if he excels in Buffalo to start the year.

The former Vauxhall Academy (AB) star’s 2025 bullpen usage and WBC success could point to a relief role in 2026. Macko’s numbers as a starter in Buffalo last year (14 GS, 5.19 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 9.2 K/9) pale in comparison to how he performed out of the bullpen across nine appearances (3.99 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 11.7 K/9).

Mason Fluharty, Brendon Little, and Lauer are the left-handed pitchers who are currently slated to be on the major league roster. Macko and Ricky Tiedemann are the only other left-handers on the 40-man roster, with the former being much more likely to be called upon for a relief role if an injury were to occur.

Given the success he showed punching out some of the Americans’ big lefty bats – even if it was a very small sample size – the Blue Jays should be excited about giving Macko a chance to contribute in 2026, regardless of what role that may be.

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