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After Mexico's matchup against Brazil, perhaps the toughest game they could face in the 2026 World Baseball Classic looms ahead, as they will run into one of the best pitchers on the planet: the current National League Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes.
In reality, the young pitcher has never looked at a disadvantage relative to his abilities, and he's precisely the piece Team USA is sending to try to end Mexico's dominance in the World Baseball Classic.
What could go wrong for Paul Skenes vs Mexico?
The matchup is set for March 9, 2026, at Daikin Park in Houston, where the stands will be split between the colors of both nations in one of the most anticipated games of the World Baseball Classic 2026. And it's Skenes who will be tasked with limiting the attack of a team that has won three of the last four meetings in the Mexico vs USA WBC rivalry.
No one can doubt the dominance the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher shows every time he takes the mound, and the decision to start him comes with the intention of forgetting a painful defeat they suffered in WBC 2023, when Team USA and its MLB stars fell to Mexico 11-5 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Although Paul Skenes averages around 10 strikeouts per start while allowing just 0.5 home runs, he will face a Mexican national team offense that can surprise him-as has happened in recent editions, where they improved their record to 3-1 against the United States in the World Baseball Classic.
The bad news for the Pirates ace is that he could run into a team with everything to gain and nothing to lose. With a roster that might be underestimated but arrives as the WBC underdog, they could deliver another big surprise like in the past at the World Baseball Classic.
It's definitely a duel that could define whether the United States national baseball team has learned from past mistakes-and perhaps whether Paul Skenes is the most dominant pitcher on a stage where no one wants to lose. In fact, defeat isn't in the budget in this Mexico vs USA showdown at the World Baseball Classic 2026.