Manager Mark DeRosa has revealed details about the Team USA lineup for the club’s opening game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Friday, March 6, against Team Brazil.
The longtime MLB veteran has tabbed Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants as his starter to begin the tournament, relayed by Jesse Rogers of ESPN. It’ll likely be the first of two kick-off outings for Webb, as he’s the favorite to serve as the Giants’ Opening Day starter on Wednesday, March 25, against the New York Yankees.
“Yeah, it’s set up,” DeRosa said. “There’s obviously guardrails for the tournament … pitch count-wise, but there’s also guardrails for guys having to throw on certain days to get ready for their team’s Opening Day.”
Logan Webb Revealed As Starter in Team USA Lineup Against Team Brazil
Webb will get the ball for a Team USA squad looking to avenge a heartbreaking loss to Team Japan in the 2023 WBC finals. DeRosa was also at the helm for that iteration of the event. Team USA went 3-1 in pool play to advance to the quarterfinals. A close win over Team Venezuela and a blowout victory against Team Cuba earned the squad a championship bid. The Americans fell 3-2 to Shohei Ohtani and company in the title game.
Team USA landed in Pool B with Team Brazil, Team Great Britain, Team Italy, and Team Mexico. The games for the group will take place at Daikin Park, the home venue of the Houston Astros. Pool play runs through Tuesday, March 10, for the American squad. The top two teams in the group will move on to the quarterfinals on Friday, March 13.
Who Else is Pitching for Team USA?
DeRosa has plenty of firepower behind Webb. He’ll attack Team Great Britain and Team Mexico with a pair of reigning Cy Young winners. Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers will get the nod in Game 2, followed by Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 3, per Rogers. The tentative plan is to go with New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean in Game 4. The young righty is battling a cold, and the team will “kind of reassess that day to day,” DeRosa said.
While Webb doesn’t have the hardware of Skubal and Skenes, he’s been a strong member of San Francisco’s rotation for the past five seasons. The veteran right-hander has provided a sub-3.50 ERA every year since 2021. The 29-year-old has been remarkably durable, reaching 32 starts in four consecutive campaigns. Webb has topped 200 innings three years in a row.
Webb took a step forward in the strikeout department in 2025, delivering a career-best 9.74 K/9 across 207 innings. He posted a double-digit swinging-strike rate for the third time as a big leaguer. Webb also pushed his CSW% above 30% for the first time since 2021. He’s still a groundball guy at his core, as evidenced by a 54.2% GB% last season, but there’s now a bit of strikeout upside in his profile. Webb’s fastball sat at 92.8 mph last season. Despite the underwhelming velocity, the pitch had a hefty 34.3% whiff rate. He used it just 7.7% of the time, but it’s effective when called upon.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Team USA Lineup For Game 1 Features Giants Ace appeared first on Heavy Sports.