How To Watch Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic

[Leo Morgenstern]

Fans caught their first glimpse of the roster Canada is bringing to the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday, when Team Canada took on the Blue Jays in a pre-tournament exhibition match. While the Blue Jays came out on top, Team Canada put up one heck of a fight, thanks to an offense led by Josh Naylor, Tyler O'Neill, and Owen Caissie. Altogether, the bats combined for seven runs on 10 hits and five walks.

The Canadian pitching wasn't quite as strong, though Adam Macko tossed a scoreless frame. Facing his own team, he gave up a single to Nathan Lukes but erased it by inducing a double play from Daulton Varsho. A groundout from Addison Barger got Macko out of the inning.  

In addition to Naylor, O'Neill, Caissie, and Macko, more notable players on Team Canada include pitchers Jameson Taillon, Michael Soroka, Cal Quantrill, and James Paxton, as well as position players Bo Naylor, Edouard Julien, and Denzel Clarke. Former Blue Jays Otto Lopez and Phillippe Aumont are also suiting up for the national squad, while four more former Jays are on the coaching staff: manager Ernie Whitt, first base coach Russell Martin, pitching coach Paul Quantrill, and bullpen coach Denis Boucher.

Team Canada has never advanced past the first round of the World Baseball Classic before, but the roster they've put together this year has what it takes to change that. Here's everything you need to know about when and how to watch Canada's pool play matchups against Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama. 

Team Canada First-Round Schedule (Pool A)

Three of Canada's four first-round games will air on Sportsnet. However, to watch their faceoff against Puerto Rico, arguably the most exciting game of them all, you'll have to tune in to Sportsnet One instead. (The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the Montreal Canadiens that evening in the same time slot.)

Date	Opponent	Start Time	Where To Watch
March 7	Colombia	11:00 am ET	Sportsnet
March 8	Panama	7:00 pm ET	Sportsnet
March 10	Puerto Rico	7:00 pm ET	Sportsnet One
March 11	Cuba	3:00 pm ET	Sportsnet

TVA Sports has the rights to Canada's French-language WBC broadcasts, while in the USA, games will air on FOX Sports and its various divisions. More information about how you can watch the WBC from other countries is available on MLB.com. 

View full article