Team USA has asserted its dominance in Pool B as Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes led the charge in a commanding 5-3 victory over rivals Mexico at Daikin Park.
The showdown in Houston saw the United States take revenge for past tournament heartbreaks, moving to a 3-0 record in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Aaron Judge set the tone early, continuing his torrid start to the tournament with a massive opposite-field two-run home run that stunned the sellout crowd.
On the mound, Paul Skenes lived up to the immense hype, delivering a lights-out performance just months after securing the National League Cy Young Award.
USA’s offense struck gold in the third inning when Bryce Harper reached base, setting the stage for Judge to launch his second home run of the 2026 tournament.
Shortly after Judge’s blast, Red Sox standout Roman Anthony broke the game open with a three-run shot, extending the American lead to 5-0.
Team USA has asserted its dominance in Pool B in a commanding 5-3 victory over Mexico
Aaron Judge set the tone early with a massive opposite-field two-run home run
Paul Skenes lived up to the hype months after securing the National League Cy Young Award
Mexico refused to go quietly, however, as Jarren Duran sparked a late-inning rally with two home runs of his own, narrowing the gap and keeping the pressure on.
For Skenes, the night was a confirmation of his status as the new face of American pitching, following Tarik Skubal’s outing against Great Britain just 48 hours earlier.
While Skenes took center stage on the field, one notable absence in the stands was his partner, social media sensation and former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.
Dunne, who has been a constant presence at Skenes’ MLB starts, was unable to attend the Houston clash due to a prior commitment.
Despite her absence at Daikin Park, Dunne shared a supportive reel on Instagram, proving she remains the Pittsburgh Pirates star’s number one fan.
USA’s offense struck gold in the third inning when Bryce Harper reached base
However, the broadcast of the game wasn’t without its flaws, as viewers pointed out an apparent mistake with the FOX graphics.
Fans pointed out that the Italian flag was shown on-screen instead of the Mexican flag during FOX’s broadcast of the game.
‘I’m pretty sure FOX bumped to one of these breaks with the Italian flag instead of the Mexican,’ one fan on X wrote.
Another said: ‘Ok Fox just showed the Italian flag instead of the Mexican flag when showing replays of team Mexico.’
