After Friday's pair of quarterfinal games, the World Baseball Classic knockout stage continues Saturday with two more matchups to determine who will advance to the semifinals. Puerto Rico and Italy kick things off in the afternoon before Venezuela squares off against Japan later in the evening.
Below, we'll get you squared away with all the information you need in our World Baseball Classic quarterfinals preview and odds for Saturday.
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Puerto Rico vs Italy
Matchup Information
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
First Pitch: 3:00 PM ET
Moneyline: Puerto Rico (+101) | Italy (-133)
Run Line: Puerto Rico +1.5 (-182) | Italy -1.5 (+136)
Total: Over 8.5 (-114) | Under 8.5 (-116)
Puerto Rico vs Italy Preview
After going 4-0 in pool play, Italy looks to continue its offensive dominance against Seth Lugo and Puerto Rico.
The Italians have posted a 1.038 OPS through four games, trailing only the Dominican Republic in that category.
Italy's first baseman, Vinnie Pasquantino, has been one of the best hitters in the tournament with a 1.100 OPS. He also delivered one of the biggest performances of the WBC so far, smashing three home runs and driving in three runs in Italy's most recent game.
We'll see what type of damage he can inflict, if any, against Lugo. The Puerto Rico starter tossed four scoreless innings while allowing just three hits in his first start against Colombia. The 36-year-old still has solid stuff, but he's also coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. With Kansas City last year, Lugo posted a 4.15 ERA alongside a 5.17 expected ERA and a 4.53 xFIP.
On the other side, Italy will turn to southpaw Sam Aldegheri. The 24-year-old Angels pitcher only appeared in four games last season, posting a 7.90 ERA. It's difficult to get a true read on Aldegheri given the extremely limited sample size, especially with this being his first professional experience, but it's something worth noting in a high-stakes game like this.
That said, Aldegheri impressed in his WBC debut, striking out eight batters while allowing just one hit across 4.2 innings.
I expect his success to continue against a Puerto Rico lineup that owns just a .582 OPS in the tournament. Italy's bats have been red hot, and if Aldegheri delivers another strong outing, the Italians should be in a good position to advance.
Look for Italy to win outright.
Venezuela vs Japan
Matchup Information
Location: LoanDepot Park, Miami, Florida
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
First Pitch: 9:00 PM ET
Moneyline: (Venezuela +148) | (Japan -199)
Run Line: Venezuela +1.5 (-120) | Japan -1.5 (-111)
Total: Over 7.5 (-123) | Under 7.5 (-108)
Venezuela vs Japan Preview
A compelling pitching duel takes place in the night game of the WBC quarterfinals between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ranger Suarez.
Yamamoto is coming off another impressive season with the Dodgers, going 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA and a 3.05 xFIP. In his first start this tournament, he tossed just 2.2 innings with two strikeouts and three walks while allowing no hits or runs against Chinese Taipei, who Japan went on to beat 13-0. They didn't need much from Yamamoto in that game, but he should be asked to do much more against a solid Venezuela roster that's posting a .809 OPS.
The Venezuelans went 3-1 in pool play and will hope the southpaw Suarez can hold strong against the defending champion Japanese team, which is posting a .987 OPS collectively so far.
Suarez pitched just two innings against the Netherlands, allowing three hits and one earned run.
He signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in January. The 30-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, posting a 12-8 record with a 3.20 ERA.
Japan has the pedigree and championship experience, along with the edge in both lineup and starting pitching. Suárez is a solid arm, but it's hard to go against a rested Yamamoto in this spot. There's also not much value in betting the under at an already low total, and laying heavy juice on Japan's moneyline isn't particularly appealing. I'd lean toward backing Japan on the run line, though I'm not quite as confident in that wager as I am with Italy on the moneyline earlier in the day.
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