Canada Tabs Former Braves All-Star for Start Against Team USA

The former Atlanta Braves All-Star has been tasked with keeping his country alive in the World Baseball Classic

A big appearance on the world stage against a tough lineup for the former Braves starter | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For the second time in less than 30 days, the United States and Canada are on a collision course. First, it was for the gold medal in Olympic men's hockey, and now, it's in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic. Canada has called upon a former Atlanta Braves All-Star to help them survive and advance.

Michael Soroka, known as Mike by most Braves fans, will get the ball to start for his home country on Saturday. He's set to go toe-to-toe with Logan Webb in Houston. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. This is his second start of the WBC. He took the ball for Canada's win over Colombia back on Friday. He pitched three innings, allowing an earned run.

Soroka is getting work in on the international stage as he prepares for his next chapter on a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. After a couple of years of struggling and bouncing around, he was able to muster another major league contract. He signed a one-year contract with Arizona worth $7 million.

After struggling again as a starting pitcher, he found some success in the bullpen after being traded to the Chicago Cubs midseason.

The Braves selected Soroka with the 28th-overall pick in the 2015 Draft. He made his debut in 2018, but put himself on the map a season later. He made his lone All-Star Game while finishing as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award behind Pete Alonso and received Cy Young votes.

During the 2020 season, he had the honor of being the opening day starter. He was the youngest in the team's modern-era history (since 1901) to get the start on opening day. Not long after, his career hit a snag.

He suffered a right Achilles tear during his third start of the season. Soroka ended up missing both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He saw some action in 2022 in the minor leagues, making six starts. He made a handful of starts for the Braves in 2023, but he primarily spent the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Along with Canada and the USA going head-to-head, South Korea will play the Dominican Republic at 6:30 p.m. in Miami.

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