It was a busy March 7th day for the World Baseball Classic, with eight games taking place throughout the day.

There was a mix of everything from late-game heroics to a few teams realizing that they won’t be advancing out of the Round Robin play.

Kicking off the early morning (late in Japan) was a pivotal matchup between South Korea and Japan, with each team looking to add another win to their record and avoid heading to 1-1 on the WBC.

Yusei Kikuchi toed the rubber for Japan, going three innings and allowing three earned runs with four Ks. Young Pyo Ko was the starter for South Korea, lasting 2 2/3 innings and allowing four runs before getting pulled.

For Japan, it was the Seiya Suzuki show, as the outfielder launched two home runs, both off Ko, to help Japan etch out an early 5-3 lead heading into the fourth inning. Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida added to the home run fun early, helping create the early lead.

South Korea would storm back in the top of the fourth, with Hyesong Kim adding a home run to help even up the score, but it would be all Japan the rest of the way, with a three-run seventh frame sealing the deal.

Team Canada was kicking off their tournament yesterday, slotting against a Colombian squad that was looking for their first win of the tournament.

A late scratch to starter Julio Teheran saw the Colombians turn to Austin Bergner to start the contest, and Canadian outfielder Owen Caissie would get the Canucks on the board in the second inning thanks to a two-run shot that went 403 feet over the right field wall.

The Canadians would tack on six more runs – large in part to a four-run eighth inning – and Michael Soroka would allow four hits and one run through three innings of work. Noah Skirrow would pick up the bulk of the relief work, throwing three scoreless innings before a combination of Micah Ashman, Eric Cerantola, and Phillipe Aumont helped close out the game.

It was an exciting game in Miami between the Netherlands and Nicaragua, as both squads were looking to avoid a 0-2 start to the 2026 WBC.

The Netherlands got on the board in the third inning, but it would be all Nicaragua through the top of the eighth, holding a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Angel Obando was heading into his third inning of action when the Netherlands came up to the plate, and while his first three innings of work were solid, the bats on the opposing team were staging a comeback.

A walk and a flyout put Obando up early, but a single from Ceddanne Rafaela and a double from Xander Bogaerts had runners in scoring position for Ozzie Albies. The Braves infielder pounced on a middle-middle first-pitch fastball from Obando, and sent the right-hander’s offering 411 feet over the centre field wall, giving the Netherlands a walk-off win. It was the first walk-off home run in tournament history.

What looked like a potential major upset turned into a storybook comeback story for the Netherlands, who are looking to secure the second spot in Pool D.

Did somebody say comeback?

Holding a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, it appeared an upset was going to be on the horizon for Panama on Puerto Rico’s home soil.

Southpaw Alberto Baldonado returned to the mound for Panama and got a quick flyout to put one on the board. PR would stage a rally shortly after, with a walk and a single putting runners on the corners for the home country. Another flyout had Puerto Rico on the ropes with two outs, but Baldonado walked another batter to load the bases and put the pressure on. The walks continued to hurt Panama, and Baldonaldo would walk Willi Castro on four pitches to plate the tying run and eventually send the game to extra innings.

Panama would kick things off in the tenth inning with a sac bunt to move the runner from second base (MLB extra inning rules with the ghost runner), and a single from Jose Caballero would bring the runner home for a quick 3-2 lead. A groundout would put two outs on the board, and a single from Leonadro Bernal almost saw Panama put another run on the board, but a strong throw from Carlos Cortes would catch Caballero at home for the final out.

Down by one run, Puerto Rico would single to put runners on the corners. Carlos Cortes would score the ghost runner at the cost of a double play, and it appeared the two sides would be heading to extra innings again. However, Darell Hernaiz had different plans, and after falling to a 1-2 count, the right-handed bat turned on an inside fastball to send the pitch 374 feet over the left field wall to seal the comeback victory in front of a packed home crowd. It was the second walk-off home run in WBC history, hours after the Albies shot during the Netherlands/Nicaragua game earlier in the day.

Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about—it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.