Kyle Schwarber hits big home run for Team USA
Keep track of all of the latest updates pertaining to Phillies players participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic:
March 7: Schwarber hits long home run to take the lead for Team USA vs. Great Britain
Team USA struggled to get anything going against Team Great Britain. Then Kyle Schwarber came up to the plate.
Schwarber, who led off for Team USA in the second game of Pool B play in Houston, hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to give the U.S. a 3-1 lead. The ball traveled 427 feet, and nearly hit the scoreboard in the second deck of right field. It was Schwarber’s first home run for Team USA since the 2023 WBC finals against Japan.
Later in the inning, Harper was hit-by-a-pitch. He’s OK, as the ball hit him in the shin guard.
March 6: Where Harper, Schwarber are hitting in Team USA’s lineup
Team USA will open Pool B play on Friday, March 6 against Brazil in Houston.
Two star Phillies sluggers, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, will bat near the top of the star-studded lineup.
Harper will bat second behind Bobby Witt Jr. and ahead of Aaron Judge. Schwarber slots in just behind Judge in the cleanup spot.
Elsewhere around the WBC, Edmundo Sosa went 1-for-4 with a double for Team Panama in a 3-1 loss to Cuba in Pool A play in San Juan.
Feb: 28 — Latest on Phillies starters in the World Baseball Classic
Of the five pitchers in the projected Phillies Opening Day starting rotation, three will pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Cristopher Sánchez headlines the Dominican Republic’s pitching staff. Aaron Nola will pitch for Team Italy and Taijuan Walker will once again be part of the Team Mexico rotation.
Per multiple reports, here is when each Phillies starter is scheduled to pitch:
- Cristopher Sánchez: March 6 vs. Nicaragua in Miami
- Aaron Nola: March 11 vs. Mexico in Houston
- Taijuan Walker: March 8 vs. Brazil in Houston
Walker will also start an exhibition for Team Mexico against the Diamondbacks on March 3.
Team Italy could have used Nola a day earlier against Team USA, but the strategy here is likely to use Nola, the best starter on the team, in the game that will likely decide who advances to the knockout stage out of Pool B. Team USA is widely expected to finish first in the group that also includes, Mexico, Italy, Brazil and Great Britain.
There is a chance a fourth Phillies starter, Jesús Luzardo, could join Team Venezuela in the middle of the tournament. Luzardo told Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase that he is in contact with manager Omar López. Luzardo is listed as a pitching reserve on the Venezuelan roster. He could be added to the roster as a replacement for an injured player.