From The Captain To The Kid: Aaron Judge & Roman Anthony Power USA Past Mexico

Team USA won their third game of pool play by a score of 5-3 against Team Mexico. They did it with a great offense and an excellent outing by AL Cy Young Winner Paul Skenes.

Skenes pitched like an ace today for Team USA, being the first starter to not surrender a run. He pitched four innings and struck out seven batters. His velocity was touching 100 throughout the night, and his dominance was helped by some very nice defensive plays by Aaron Judge in right and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop.

Paul Skenes shined for Team USA! #WorldBaseballClassic https://t.co/aq1bAYNpor pic.twitter.com/uq89wmQAM9

— MLB (@MLB) March 10, 2026

Garrett Cleavenger pitched a 1-2-3 inning with some help from that defense by Witt Jr. before giving way to Matthew Boyd. Boyd struggled in his first inning, giving up two runs around a ton of traffic. His command was all over the place, and he was not consistently in the strike zone; when he was, there were a lot of foul balls. Boyd was much sharper in his second inning — the seventh — twirling a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout. He then came out for a third inning and gave up another home run to Duran and hit Randy Arozarena by a pitch before getting pulled.

Griffin Jax took over, looking to get out of a big-time jam with the heart of Mexico’s lineup at the plate. He got Alejandro Kirk to ground into an inning-ending double play to escape the jam.

Jax comes in and gets Kirk to hit into the inning-ending double play!

USA will take a lead into the 9th! ??

?: FOX pic.twitter.com/UWMD0S2wLt

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 10, 2026

Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning for Team USA. He gave up a leadoff single, then got the next three batters to seal the deal for Team USA.

This was the first win for Team USA against Mexico since 2006.

In the meantime, let's review the most impactful plays from the game, per WPA via Baseball Savant:

3. Cal Raleigh Leaves the Bases Loaded for the United States

After getting two quick outs, team Mexico pitcher Manny Barreda allowed a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases. Up stepped the MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, looking to give the United States the first-inning lead. That would not be his fate. Raleigh swung at three pitches to strike out and end the inning.

Manny Barreda strikes out Cal Raleigh on three pitches with the bases loaded and he's fired up! pic.twitter.com/bL2kb2jWtp

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 10, 2026

Raleigh has taken his walks this tournament, but has also expanded the zone in his at-bats, as he did in the first inning today. Though many are performing, it’s important to remember that this tournament is being played during the ramp-up of spring training and are not yet in regular season form.

2. Roman Anthony Homers in the Third

The rookie made a big impact on the win against Mexico. Anthony is the youngest player (21) on the Team USA roster, and he had one of the biggest blasts of the night. After the United States took the lead, they were looking to add on after a single and a hit by pitch. Anthony unloaded on a pitch to extend the United State’s lead.

Roman Anthony with a 3-run homer in the second.

5-0 USA pic.twitter.com/2z97in75YR

— Matthew Nethercott (@bymnethercott) March 10, 2026

The homer came on an 84 MPH slider on the inside of the plate that he just crushed. Anthony has performed very well in the WBC so far, which is a good sign for his development and for the Red Sox, who are looking for Anthony to be a big part of their lineup in 2026.

1. Aaron Judge Homers in the Third

The Captain did it again. Bryce Harper got on base to start the inning on a single off the pitcher. Aaron Judge drove him in on his second home run of the WBC.

ANOTHER HOME RUN BY AARON JUDGE. HE DOES IT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL!! pic.twitter.com/2jiN6YYa0B

— Matthew Nethercott (@bymnethercott) March 10, 2026

This one was hit to right field, 364 feet, and 102 MPH off the bat. Judge has been a fantastic leader so far for Team USA, and is providing it with his offense and ability to get on base. Judge was the spark the offense needed to get going early.

Next:

Team USA will take on Team Italy in game four of their pool play. The United States will be sending out Mets rookie Nolan McLean against the underrated Italian lineup. Team Italy has not announced a starter. The game will take place at 8:00pm on FOX from Dalkin Park in Houston, Texas.