The 2026 World Baseball Classic has been incredible to witness. There has been a little bit of everything you’d want to see as a baseball fan in these games. And the quarterfinals were not different. So we’re going to take a look at some takeaways from each team that participated in quarterfinal action.

TAKEAWAY #1: TEAM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LOOKS FLAWLESS

What an absolute masterclass by Team DR in their quarterfinal matchup against Team Korea. The walkoff home run by “defensive replacement” Austin Wells in the seventh inning was just the exclamation point of punctuation for a dominant showing in all aspects of the game. Simply put, the Dominican Republic was flawless in its approach to the matchup. The only “threat,” if you can even call it that, was a two-out double by Hyun Min Ahn in the top of the fourth inning. Beyond that lone extra base hit, no other batter on Team Korea reached past first base. And even then, there were only two hits allowed by Dominican pitching and only one walk. On the flip side, Team DR was able to put up a ten-spot with two extra-base hits. And one was the aforementioned walkoff homer by Wells. Also, another critical aspect of the Dominican Republic’s success was its 1-for-1 walk-to-strikeout ratio. The DR drew six walks and struck out only six times. By contrast, Team Korea walked only once and had eleven strikeouts on the night by their hitters. If you’re not walking and not hitting, you’re not winning, simple as that. If this were a Mortal Kombat game, Team Dominican Republic would have achieved a “flawless victory.”

TAKEAWAY #2: TEAM KOREA LOOKED OVERMATCHED

Team Korea had an impressive run through pool play. But by virtue of the layout of the tournament faced a juggernaut once they reached the quarterfinals. Going up against this Dominican Republic team was not for the faint of heart, and it was going to be a tall order for anyone. That being said, when the two teams squared off, Korea was dominated and looked overmatched and overwhelmed by the relentless assault of Team DR.

TAKEAWAY #3: TEAM USA WEAKNESS GETS EXPOSED

For Team USA, the blunders of pool play were put behind them. (Thanks to Team Italy.) Yet the quarterfinals allowed something new to be seen in the baseball world. And simply put, the underbelly of Team USA got exposed. The “A squad” for Team USA is undoubtedly a talented collection of players who are all superstars in their own right. However, there are some less-than “All-Star” caliber players on this team as currently constructed. The middle relief for Team USA was hit by Team Canada and almost facilitated the comeback in this quarterfinal matchup. If Team USA wants to advance to try and claim the WBC title, it is going to have a very difficult time of it going against the Dominican Republic. So it will need to be the full “A-Team” for Team USA to have a chance to beat Team DR.

TAKEAWAY #4: TEAM CANADA HAS A QUALITY SHOWING

For Team Canada, this WBC represented the most Major League level talent that the team has ever featured. And that MLB-level talent helped push Canada to the brink of a comeback that would have shocked the world. While not much praise will be made towards Canada for the way they played in this tournament, it must be pointed out because they played a tremendous brand of baseball. Canada will likely be a team to watch in future WBC tournaments.

TAKEAWAY #5: TEAM PUERTO RICO FIGHTS UNTIL THE END

Team Puerto Rico faced so much adversity heading into this World Baseball Classic. All of the drama over players questionably not covered by insurance, and then the team almost boycotted the tournament. And then even Puerto Rican artist, Bad Bunny, offered to cover the insurance cost for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, yet it was still denied. There was a battle for this team. And yet, Team PR battled and grinded their way to the quarterfinals. The team battled back after being down 8-2 for much of the contest against the surprising powerhouse that has been Team Italy. Puerto Rico clawed back and finished the game with an 8-6 defeat in their matchup against Italy. The fight was there for Team Puerto Rico all the way through to the end.

TAKEAWAY #6: TEAM ITALY THE QUIET POWERHOUSE

Heading into the tournament, Team Italy was a relative unknown commodity. Fans expected them to put up a good showing, but thought they would be overmatched and outplayed by Team USA and Team Mexico. Yet, that turned out to be as false a narrative as Mark DeRosa’s “clean up” comments after Team USA’s loss and reliance on Team Italy defeating Mexico to advance. And then you look at the final matchup of pool play against Mexico and the onslaught that the game turned out to be for Italy. As Italy advances to the semifinals, this team looks poised and ready to try and claim its first World Baseball Classic crown.

TAKEAWAY #7: TEAM JAPAN DEFEATED

Samurai Japan has been the overwhelming powerhouse team since the inception of this tournament back in 2006. Japan has claimed three of the previous five World Baseball Classics. But this year, Japan found itself being dethroned and defeated. From the early moments in the game when Team Japan’s center fielder and Chicago Cubs’ outfielder, Seiya Suzuki, came limping off the field, there was something different about Japan in this contest. And while Japan took an early 5-1 lead, that lead never felt safe. Team Japan was not able to add any additional runs and ultimately was defeated by Team Venezuela. So there will be a new champion in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

TAKEAWAY #8: TEAM VENEZUELA A “DARK HORSE” NO MORE

Team Venezuela was seen by many as a potential dark horse of the tournament. However, after the way this team has played, they are a “dark horse” no more. Venezuela defeated the reigning, defending undisputed World Baseball Classic champion, Team Japan. And even though the final results seem close, as the final was 8-5, watching the game, it felt different. Watching this quarterfinal matchup, you felt the momentum shift, and then the game felt completely and utterly dominated by Venezuela even after being down 5-1 at one point in the game. Venezuela will be facing off against another undefeated team in Italy in the semifinal matchup. And that’s looking like another heavyweight fight.