A thunderous third inning powered the United States to another victory at the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, as Aaron Judge and Roman Anthony delivered key home runs in a 5–3 win over Mexico at Daikin Park in Houston.
The victory improved Team USA to 3–0 in Group B play, putting the Americans in strong position to reach the quarterfinals. They will face Italy on Tuesday night with a chance to officially clinch a knockout-round berth in Houston this weekend.
After two quiet innings, the American lineup erupted in the third. Bryce Harper started the rally with a single that deflected off Mexican reliever Jesús Cruz.
Judge followed with a towering two-run homer to right field, his second blast of the tournament, giving the United States a 2–0 lead and igniting the home dugout.
The inning continued when Kyle Schwarber singled and Cal Raleigh was hit by a pitch. With one out, Anthony crushed a three-run shot to right-center, stretching the lead to 5–0 and providing all the offense the Americans would need.
On the mound, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes delivered a dominant performance. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed just one hit while striking out seven over four innings, keeping Mexico’s powerful lineup off balance.
The win marked Team USA’s first WBC victory over Mexico since 2006, avenging an 11–5 loss in the 2023 tournament.
Mexico mounted a late push thanks to Jarren Duran, who homered twice in the game. His solo shot in the sixth inning trimmed the deficit to 5–1. Later, with runners aboard, Joey Meneses delivered an RBI single to cut the lead to 5–2.
Duran struck again in the eighth, launching his second homer of the night off Matthew Boyd to make it 5–3. Boyd then hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch before striking out Jonathan Aranda.
Reliever Griffin Jax entered and quickly escaped the jam, inducing a double-play grounder from Alejandro Kirk to end the inning.
The game also featured an interesting subplot: Anthony and Duran are teammates on the Boston Red Sox, but they found themselves on opposite sides Monday night trading home runs on the international stage.
The matchup drew 41,628 fans, a sellout crowd that was heavily pro-Mexico, creating a playoff-like atmosphere throughout the evening. Despite the hostile environment, Team USA’s early power display held up.
The United States will now face Italy (2–0) on Tuesday night in a key Group B showdown, while Mexico (2–1) will meet Italy on Wednesday in the final game of group play. With their third straight win, the Americans are one victory away from securing a spot in the WBC quarterfinals.
