If one was to just take a look at the final score of Mexico’s 8-2 victory over Great Britain to open up Pool B play of the 2026 World Baseball Classic Friday afternoon at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, the common takeaway would be the game being lop-sided with no excitement.
However, after seven innings completed, the matchup was all even at one apiece.
Mexico’s Nacho Alvarez Jr. (a 22-year-old shortstop of the Braves from Fontana, California) lit up the scoreboard first with a second-inning solo-blast, giving Mexico a 1-0 lead, then came Great Britain’s catcher Harry Ford, who got a hold of one for a solo homer in the sixth, tying up the affair.
Ford, 23, a former No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, selected by the Mariners, was acquired by the Nationals over the offseason in a trade, which sent hard-throwing lefty José A. Ferrer to Seattle.
As many believed the momentum started to go Great Britain’s way after Ford’s HR, Mexico’s Jonathan Aranda put an end to any hope on one swing of the bat, smacking an opposite field three-run home run to the “Crawford Boxes” of Houston’s ballpark.
Repeating his past WBC success, Aranda, 27, of Tijuana, BC, Mexico, a first baseman with the Rays, played a massive role for Mexico at the plate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and did the same Friday in his first big opportunity to do so.
From there, leading 4-1, it was all Mexico, scoring four insurance runs in the ninth inning on an Alek Thomas single, Joey Ortiz double and single from Randy Arozarena.
Great Britain did go on to put up an additional run in the bottom of the ninth with Trayce Thompson doubling, but the game was pretty much sealed after Aranda’s three-run HR and Mexico’s ninth-inning surge in the batter’s box.
“I think our at-bats got even better as the game went on,” said Mexico manager Benji Gil as the team (1-0) now prepares for Brazil on Sunday night. “There’s jitters. Some of these guys have never played in the game. Some have been waiting three years to put the uniform on again. I thought it was really good for our first game.”
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