Aaron Judge leads USA to victory: Mexico falls despite two home runs from Jarren Duran

Mexico fought to the end in Houston, but the power of Aaron Judge prevailed. The U.S. offense played by note and stopped the momentum of the Mexican team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, confirming their status as favorites to regain the title.

Mexico fell 5-3 to the United States in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The atmosphere at Daikin Park in Houston was unbeatable during the clash between Mexico and the United States in the World Baseball Classic. The stadium was mostly filled with Mexican fans who cheered on their team throughout the nine innings, in an exciting and evenly matched game from the start.

But although the Mexican team showed character and offensive power, Team USA ended up winning 5-3, taking advantage of key moments in the game.

This result represents the first defeat in the tournament for the team led by Benjamin Gil, who must now define their qualification to the next round in their last game of the group stage.

Aaron Judge breaks the pitching duel

The game began with an intense pitchers' duel. Mexico sent Manny Barreda to the mound, and he showed great control from the first inning.

In that opening inning, he faced a tough bases-loaded situation, but managed to get out of trouble with a key out to keep the scoreless. The defensive work was also outstanding, especially in the outfield.

However, parity was broken in the third inning. American star Aaron Judge hit a powerful home run that drove in two runs and changed the course of the game.

Later, the young hitter Roman Anthony extended the lead with another long-range hit, allowing USA to take a significant lead on the scoreboard.

Jarren Duran ignites Mexican offense with two home runs

When the game seemed to be definitely leaning towards the American team, the talent of Jarren Duran appeared.

The Boston Red Sox outfielder had a spectacular night with the bat. In the sixth inning, he hit a home run that gave the Mexican team hope.

But his performance did not end there. In the eighth inning, Duran again took the ball out of the park with another home run that brought Mexico closer on the scoreboard.

Thanks to those two hits, the score was 5-3, giving the Mexican team new life in the final stretch of the game.

With this performance, Duran became only the third player to hit two or more home runs against the United States in a World Baseball Classic game. Joey Meneses had previously done so during the 2023 edition.

Mexico will play for a place against Italy

Despite the defeat, Mexico still has a clear chance of advancing in the tournament. Benjamin Gil's team will play its last group stage match against the Italy national baseball team. This match will be decisive in determining which teams advance to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.