Phillies Set for Pivotal Roles on Both Sides of WBC Quarterfinal Bracket

The World Baseball Classic moves onto the quarterfinal stage after an exciting Wednesday that saw Aaron Nola help Team Italy to the next round, the Dominican Republic narrowly win its pool with a two-run victory over Venezuela, and Canada secure first place in its pool by beating Cuba.

Eight nations remain and the Phillies don't only have players on three of them, they have players set for key roles.

Cristopher Sanchez will start for the Dominican Republic in its quarterfinal against Korea in Miami on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET on FS2).

On the same side of the bracket the same night, Team USA — with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brad Keller — faces Canada in Houston (8 p.m. ET on FOX).

Should the U.S. and Dominican Republic both win, they'd meet in Miami on Sunday at 8 p.m. for an epic semifinal. If they do, at least Sanchez, Harper and Schwarber won't have to worry about facing one another since the Phillies' likely Opening Day starter would be on just one day of rest.

Sanchez' next start

Sanchez will have had exactly a week between starts when he faces Korea on Friday. He recorded only four outs in Game 1 of pool play against a Nicaragua team that went 0-4.

The 2025 NL Cy Young runner-up was as hittable vs. Nicaragua as he's been in three years, allowing three runs on a walk, five singles and a double. He also set a WBC record by striking out four batters in an inning, the first of which reached on a wild pitch.

Maybe it was nerves. Sanchez was still pinching himself when he left Phillies camp at the end of February to be the Game 1 starter for his home country and manager Albert Pujols. It's a spot he earned with one of the best pitching seasons in Phillies history in 2025 — a 2.50 ERA in 202 innings with 212 strikeouts, only 44 walks and 12 home runs allowed. He was the NL Cy Young runner-up to Paul Skenes and led all of MLB in Baseball-Reference's version of WAR. (And what a contract he's on.)

The Korea team Sanchez faces went 2-2 in pool play, beating Czechia and Australia while losing to Japan and Chinese Taipei. Korea has several big-leaguers in Jung Hoo Lee, Jahmai Jones, Hyeseong Kim, Shay Whitcomb, Dane Dunning and Riley O'Brien. Longtime MLB starter Hyun Jin Ryu, now 38, is also on the pitching staff.

The Dominican Republic will be heavily favored. There was a major advantage to beating Venezuela and facing Korea as opposed to Japan.

As for Venezuela, they will start former Phillie Ranger Suarez (still sounds weird) against Japan.

Team USA

Schwarber is having another big World Baseball Classic as the key cog alongside Aaron Judge in the middle of Team USA's obviously stacked lineup. He went 6-for-16 (.375) in the opening round with a homer, four walks and six runs scored. In nine games across two WBCs, he has gone 9-for-30 (.300) with three homers, six RBI, nine walks and only three strikeouts in 40 plate appearances.

Harper is just 3-for-15 (.200) with three singles, three runs scored, a walk and five K's. He batted second the first two games, cleanup the third and came off the bench for Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth.

Former Braves and Nationals right-hander Michael Soroka started Game 1 for Canada in pool play and lines up to start against the USA in a battle for North American supremacy. Schwarber is 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in his career against Soroka; Harper is 4-for-10 with a walk and two K's.

Keller has made two WBC appearances, allowing two unearned runs over 1⅔ innings with a walk and three strikeouts. He entered the loss to Italy in the sixth inning with one out, a man on second base and Team USA trailing by five runs, and he was unable to keep things where they were. He walked Jac Caglianone, committed a throwing error to load the bases, allowed a sacrifice fly to Phillies outfield prospect Dante Nori and uncorked a wild pitch to score another run.

Keller ended the inning by catching Jakob Marsee looking at a 97 mph fastball. He's going to be a vital piece of the Phillies' bullpen in 2026.

The Italians

On the other side of the bracket, Italy faces Puerto Rico in Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. While Nola won't be able to pitch again until at least the semifinals, Nori will continue to start. The 21-year-old was probably Team Italy's best offensive performer in pool play, hitting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, two home runs, five RBI and two walks.

The lefty-hitting Nori cracked two homers to right-center field on Saturday in Game 1 against Brazil, batting ninth as the only player without major-league experience in manager Francisco Cervelli's lineup that night. Cervelli then moved him all the way up to the leadoff spot and Nori delivered again in Game 2 by reaching base three times.

Nori had another important, productive night in the crucial Game 4 on Wednesday against Mexico, singling to the opposite field in his first at-bat and laying down a well-executed surprise bunt with one out and runners on the corners in the fifth inning to score the run and reach base himself. It turned the lineup over and helped Italy break open what had been a two-run game.

This has been a standout, confidence-building tournament for Nori, ranked last week by MLB Pipeline as the Phillies' No. 7 prospect. He hit last season at Single-A, he hit in the Arizona Fall League and he's hit in the WBC. Nori figures to open 2026 at Double-A Reading and could force his way to Triple-A this year if he keeps ascending.