Pirates Fans World Baseball Classic Pool Play Viewing Guide
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a number of players that will represent the franchise and their nation at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
12 Pirates players will compete for nine different countries in the 2026 edition of the WBC, which takes place from March 5 to March 17, featuring the 20 best nations in the sport going at it for the Championship.
Pittsburgh will have 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes lead the way for Team USA, looking for their first Championship since 2017.
The Pirates have three players representing Team Dominican Republic, in center fielder Oneil Cruz, plus relief pitchers in right-hander Dennis Santana and left-hander Gregory Soto.
A minor league duo in Alessandro Ercolani and left-handed relief pitcher Joe La Sorsa. Kyle Nicolas is also pitching for Team Italy, but the Pirates just traded him to the Cincinnati Reds on March 3 for utility prospect Tyler Callihan.
Three other Pirates players on the 40-man roster are also competing for in the World Baseball Classic including infielders in Spencer Horwitz for Team Israel and Nick Gonzales for Team Mexico, plus right-handed starting pitcher Antwone Kelly for Team Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Pirates also have three other right-handed minor league pitchers at the WBC in Pietro Rienzo for Team Brazil, Emmanuel Chapman for Team Cuba and Po-Yu Chen for Team Chinese Taipei.
Pirates WBC Pool Play Viewing Guide
Pool A
Cuba is the only team that the Pirates have a player in Pool A, which includes countries like Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama and Colombia.
Chapman made 32 appearances and five starts for Altoona in 2025, with a 7-2 record, a 3.72 ERA over 72.2 innings pitched, 72 strikeouts to 41 walks, a .212 BAA and a 1.33 WHIP. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on Dec. 15, 2023.
All games in Pool A will take place at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Panama | March 6 | 11:00 a.m. | FS2 |
Colombia | March 8 | 12:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Puerto Rico | March 9 | 7:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Canada | March 11 | 3:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Pool B
All games for Pool B will take place at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros from March 6 through March 11. The countries involved include the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.
Paul Skenes, Team USA
Skenes will start vs. Team Mexico in Pool Play and then have another start in the knockout stages, possibly the semifinals, if Team USA makes it.
He already started for Team USA in their exhibition vs. the San Francisco Giants on March 3, throwing three innings, giving up a run, while retiring the last nine batters and posted four strikeouts in the 15-1 victory.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Mexico | March 9 | 8:00 p.m. | FOX |
Nick Gonzales, Team Mexico
Gonzales has a big season ahead of him, fighting for a roster spot, but has had a strong showing in the Grapefruit League, slashing .538/.571/.615 for an OPS of 1.186 in five games.
He is joined by former Pirates teammate Rowdy Tellez and hopes to lead Mexico to international glory, after reaching their highest finish of third place in the 2023 WBC.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Great Britain | March 6 | 1:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Brazil | March 8 | 8:00 p.m. | FS1 |
United States | March 9 | 8:00 p.m. | FOX |
Italy | March 11 | 7:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Joe La Sorsa/Alessandro Ercolani, Team Italy
Ercolani made 21 starts in 25 appearances at Double-A in 2025, with a 1-8 record, a 4.04 ERA over 100.1 innings pitched, 68 strikeouts to 39 walks, a .220 BAA and a 1.23 WHIP.
La Sorsa has a few years of MLB experience, pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals and is a non-roster invite to Major League Camp.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Brazil | March 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Fox Sports App |
Great Britain | March 8 | 1:00 p.m. | TUBI |
United States | March 10 | 9:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Mexico | March 11 | 7:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Pietro Rienzo, Brazil
Rienzo is the nephew of former Chicago White Sox pitcher André Rienzo, having some MLB experience in his family tree.
The Pirates signed him out of Brazil during the 2026 International Signing Period on Jan. 15.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
United States | March 6 | 8:00 p.m. | FOX |
Italy | March 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Fox Sports App |
Mexico | March 8 | 8:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Great Britain | March 9 | 1:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Pool C
All Pool C games take place at the Tokyo Dome, the home of Team J apan from March 5 through March 10. Team Japan is joined by two other Asian teams in Team South Korea and Team Chinese Taipei, Team Australia (Oceania) and Team Czechia (Europe).
Po-Yu Chen, Chinese Taipei
Chen is the only Pirates player in Pool C and pitching with Chinese Taipei, which also has former Pirates prospect Tsung-Che Cheng.
He has spent the past five seasons in the Pirates' minor league system and made 23 starts in 26 appearances for Altoona in 2025, posting a 4-11 record, a 5.73 ERA over 99.0 innings pitched, a .267 BAA and a 1.55 WHIP.
Chen and Team Chinese Taipei already faced off against Team Australia in the WBC Opening Game, which had a first pitch of 10:00 p.m. EST on March 4, or 12:00 p.m. on March 5 in Tokyo.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Japan | March 6 | 5:00 a.m. | FS1 |
Czechia | March 6 | 10:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Korea | March 7 | 10:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Pool D
All games at Pool D will take place at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, from March 6 through March 11. Countries competing in Pool D include Team Dominican Republic, Team Venezuela, Team Netherlands, Team Nicaragua and Team Israel.
Oneil Cruz/Dennis Santana/Gregory Soto, Team Dominican Republic
Cruz and Santana make their first WBC appearance, while Soto makes this his second WBC, but didn't pitch in the 2023 edition.
Soto joined the Pirates on a $7.75 million deal, while Santana is coming off a strong season with the Pirates, with a a 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched, a .179 BAA and a 0.87 WHIP.
Cruz is looking to bounce back from a difficult 2025 season, where he had the worst batting average of any qualified hitter at .200, but also had some top moments, like excelling in the Home Run Derby.
Team Dominican Republic won the 2013 WBC, and this Pirates trio would love to make it the second title for their country.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Nicaragua | March 6 | 7:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Netherlands | March 8 | 12:00 p.m. | FOX |
Israel | March 9 | 12:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Venezuela | March 11 | 8:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Spencer Horwitz, Israel
Horwitz represented Team Israel back in the 2023 WBC, serving as a left fielder for them. He had two hits in 11 at-bats, with one run scored, one RBI and seven strikeouts in four games played for them.
The 28-year old is not from Israel, hailing from the suburbs of Baltimore, Md., but is Jewish, which makes him eligible for Israeli citizenship, allowing him to play for Team Israel.
Horwitz missed Spring Training and up to mid-May with a wrist injury, but eventually came back and had a strong finish. He slashed .272/.353/.434 for an OPS in .787 in 108 games, with 99 hits, 26 doubles, 11 home runs, 51 RBI, 44 walks to 73 strikeouts.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Venezuela | March 7 | 7:00 p.m. | FS2 |
Nicaragua | March 8 | 7:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Dominican Republic | March 9 | 12:00 p.m. | FS1 |
Netherlands | March 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Fox Sports App |
Antwone Kelly, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kelly isn't from the Netherlands, but hails from Aruba, which is an island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which makes him eligible for the country.
He pitched previously for Team Kingdom of the Netherlands back in the 2023 WBC at just 19 years old, throwing a scoreless eighth inning in a 9-5 loss to Team Chinese Taipei in Pool Play.
Kelly anticipates being the starting pitcher against Venezuela and has a big season ahead of him with the Pirates, earning a spot on the 40-man roster.
Opponent | Date | First Pitch | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Venezuela | March 6 | 12:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Nicaragua | March 7 | 12:00 p.m. | TUBI |
Dominican Republic | March 8 | 12:00 p.m. | FOX |
Israel | March 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Fox Sports App |
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.