USA 9, Great Britain 1: Kyle Schwarber's 427-Foot Bomb Breaks it Open, Team USA Stays Perfect at 2-0 — Mexico Awaits Tonight

Team USA is rolling. The United States defeated Great Britain 9-1 Saturday night at Daikin Park in Houston to move to 2-0 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but the game was far tighter than the final score suggests. Tarik Skubal gave up a home run on the very first pitch of the game, Will Smith had a homer stolen by Trayce Thompson's legendary catch, and it took until the fifth inning for the Americans to finally break loose — with Kyle Schwarber's 427-foot moonshot leading the explosion. Tonight brings the tournament's biggest Pool B matchup yet: USA vs. Mexico at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox.

Nate Eaton Homers on the Very First Pitch: Great Britain's Perfect Start

Great Britain started off in the best way possible. Nate Eaton of the Boston Red Sox took Tarik Skubal to yard on the very first pitch of the game. It was initially called a double before a review showed the ball clearly crossed the home run line, putting Great Britain up 1-0 before Team USA had even taken a swing.

Skubal chose a fastball as his first pitch of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, clocked at 95 mph in the upper half of the zone. Eaton got all of it. After the shock of the opening delivery, Skubal settled down — striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. on three straight pitches and retiring Great Britain in order for three innings before being lifted.

The Trayce Thompson Catch: Early Leader for WBC Play of the Tournament

In the second inning, Will Smith delivered what looked like a tying home run, with the ball leaving his bat at 97.8 mph and traveling 344 feet — enough for a homer in most parks. But Trayce Thompson, currently a free agent, robbed Smith with a spectacular catch at the wall that preserved Great Britain's lead. It immediately became the early contender for catch of the entire World Baseball Classic.

Team USA did not score through the first four innings despite multiple opportunities, leaving the Americans stuck at 0-1 heading into the fifth. The near-upset alert was real — and the pressure was building rapidly inside Daikin Park.

Ernie Clement Reaches on Error, Schwarber Goes Nuclear

The dam broke in the fifth on a fortuitous break. With one out, Ernie Clement hit a routine ground ball that Great Britain third baseman Ivan Johnson threw wide for an error. Clement reaching base was the crack in the wall — and Kyle Schwarber walked through it moments later.

Schwarber's go-ahead homer off Great Britain reliever Andre Scrubb left the bat at 108.9 mph and covered 427 feet, launching deep into the second deck in right field. As Schwarber passed the Team USA dugout during his trot, he turned to his teammates and gave a full military salute — a moment immediately shared millions of times across social media.

Schwarber, who led the National League with 56 home runs last season, had been moved to the leadoff spot for the Great Britain game by manager Mark DeRosa. When DeRosa told him of the change, Schwarber joked: "You went from the fastest leadoff hitter in the game to the slowest leadoff hitter." He then went out and hit the biggest home run of the tournament.

The Floodgates Open: Five Runs in the Fifth, Three in the Sixth

Team USA put up five runs in the fifth inning, then three more in the sixth as Alex Bregman and Aaron Judge highlighted an inning where the bases were loaded multiple times. Bregman added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Ernie Clement for the Americans' ninth run of the night.

Team USA has now scored 24 runs across its first two WBC games, with both Judge and Schwarber having homered in the tournament. Tarik Skubal allowed one run across three innings before Clay Holmes followed with three dominant innings of relief. Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts representing Great Britain.

Skubal's WBC Future: The $500 Million Question

The biggest story coming out of Saturday's win may not be the result itself — it is whether Tarik Skubal pitches again in the tournament. Skubal, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season, was asked by Fox Sports if he might pitch again in the WBC. "That's a tough question right now," Skubal said. "Probably won't answer that one right now." It is not a yes — but it is also not a no.

Tonight: USA vs. Mexico at 8 PM ET on Fox — Paul Skenes Takes the Mound

Team USA will face Mexico tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox at Daikin Park in Houston, with Pirates phenom Paul Skenes on the mound for the Americans.

Mexico has beaten Team USA three times in the last four World Baseball Classic events, including an 11-5 win in pool play at Chase Field in the 2023 Classic. Schwarber was on that team and remembers it well: "That game had a playoff-like atmosphere — it was like Phillies postseason games at Citizens Bank Park." A USA win tonight clinches Pool B outright and locks in the No. 1 seed heading into the Miami quarterfinals.