Canada tops Great Britain as teams set Classic record for runs

PHOENIX – It takes two to make history. Canada and Great Britain, the latter appearing in its first World Baseball Classic, combined to score 26 runs Sunday afternoon at Chase Field, setting a new record for runs scored in a game at the tournament.

• Box score: Canada 18, Great Britain 8

A deluge of offense rained down in the desert as Canada tied the record for most runs from a single club in the Classic (Japan in 2006), earning an 18-8 mercy rule victory after seven innings. Six members of the club’s starting nine collected multihit efforts and they drew 16 walks as a unit. A day later, Korea set the record for most runs from a single team with 22 against China in its Pool B finale on Monday.

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“I’d like to score 18 every game we play, that would make it a little bit easier,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. “Great Britain, they just kept battling, battling back. … We had great at-bats, we grinded out our at-bats, we took our walks and we capitalized on some of the mistakes.”

It was hard to keep up with all of the runs. So we decided to highlight the five most exhilarating run-scoring plays of a record-breaking tilt.

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First run, first steal of home

With Great Britain playing its second game of pool play just hours after its first ended, they entered with a game plan to create offense when it was smart to do so. They dialed up the oldest trick in the book to score the first run of what would go on to become a prolific afternoon of offense.

Right fielder Chavez Young drew a walk to lead off the game and immediately swiped second base. Moving to third after a groundout, the British had their speedster – who went 20-for-21 on stolen-base attempts at Triple-A Buffalo (Toronto) last season – break for home as the runner from first took off for second. The throw down to second was off the mark, leaving no chance for Canada to nab Young on the other end, as he became the first player to steal home in World Baseball Classic history.

“I think going forward we know [our stolen-base ability] is there,” Britain manager Drew Spencer said of his team, which stole five bases in the first three innings. “In certain situations, we know we can turn it on. But we got to be smart and today I thought we were.”

A jumpstart

Before Canada stepped into the batter’s box, it already faced a three-run deficit. After a stint six years ago that saw them combine for just three runs in three games, the scoreboard in that moment might have seemed daunting.

But in a prelude of things to come, second baseman Edouard Julien took the first pitch the Canadians saw at the 2023 Classic and swatted it into the right-field seats with a 110.1 mph exit velocity.

“First pitch, wasting no time, he went out there ready to swing,” Canada center fielder Tyler O’Neill said. “Kudos to Jules for getting that knock. That really got the wind back in our sails and we were just steamrolling from there. The boys kept the rally going – a lot of good at-bats, a lot of walks, just not giving anything away. It was really fun to watch.”

Playing for his country … and his friends

Right fielder Owen Caissie put a jolt into a changeup in the bottom of the third and took off running. The ball landed a projected 427 feet from home plate, but it bounced straight up into the air after going above the yellow line, and without seeing an umpire signal it was a homer, Caissie kept on bolting full-speed around the bases.

The Cubs’ No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, didn’t stop until he crossed the dish where his Canadian teammates were celebrating. In the stands, fellow young Cubs players Pete Crow-Armstrong and James Triantos (Chicago's No. 12 prospect) jumped for joy as well.

“We were just jumping up, screaming,” Triantos said. “A lot of excitement going on – just happy for him.”

“I loved the home run trot too, it was funny,” Crow-Armstrong quipped.

Top prospect is crowned, knighted

It’s not often that a 20-year-old is situated at the heart of a lineup in a major international tournament, but not as many young prospects have proven well-suited for the moment quite like Harry Ford. The Mariners’ No. 1 prospect walloped a three-run homer in the fourth, pulling Britain back into the contest.

“He’s 20 years old, but his preparation is like someone’s who’s been playing the game for a decade,” Spencer said.

That Great Britain even made it to pool play is largely due to Ford’s offensive heroics during the Regensburg, Germany, Qualifier in 2022, where he went 5-for-11 with three homers and eight RBIs. Upon returning to the dugout, his teammates placed the team's celebratory crown and robe on him, while tapping his shoulders, knight-style.

• How Harry Ford became the future of British baseball

“Harry Ford is someone I played against for the first time this spring – very nice kid – so I’m happy for him, what he’s doing out here,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That’s kind of the beauty of this tournament. There’s a lot of names I’ve never heard of but they’re opening my eyes a lot."

O’Neill’s bases-clearing double

At the 2017 Classic, O’Neill went 1-for-11 with five strikeouts over three contests. In one fell swoop, he rewrote his international play narrative by going 4-for-4 with four RBIs from the three-hole.

His biggest knock came in the bottom of the third as he stepped to the dish with the bases loaded and nobody out. After getting behind in the count 0-2, the Cardinals’ outfielder ripped a hanging curveball to the right-center-field gap, clearing the bases and putting Canada well on its way to its first Classic win since 2013.

“There’s something special about wearing this uniform. I relish the opportunity to put it on every time I can, they come few and far between,” O’Neill said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities I’m going to have to wear ‘Canada’ across my chest. So I’m just going to make the most of it every time I can.”

Despite an exhausted pitching staff, Great Britain will face a must-win scenario Monday when they square off with Colombia at 3 p.m. ET on FS2.

Also on Monday, Canada will be looking to combat Team USA’s significant power potential with their now-record-setting lineup. Mitch Bratt, a 19-year-old southpaw, will get the ball as the Canadians hope lightning strikes twice at Chase Field, the scene of their infamous upset win in 2006. First pitch is set for 10 p.m. ET on FS1.