| Canada national baseball team | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Federation | Baseball Canada |
| Confederation | WBSC Americas |
| Manager | Ernie Whitt |
| WBSC ranking | |
| Current | 20 (11 November 2025)[1] |
| Highest | 6 (December 2012) |
| Lowest | 14 (December 2022) |
| World Baseball Classic | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in2006) |
| Best result | 9 (2006) |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in2004) |
| Best result | 4 (2004) |
| WBSC Premier12 | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in2015) |
| Best result | 5 (2015) |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 17 (first in1970) |
| Best result |  Bronze (2:2009,2011) |
| Intercontinental Cup | |
| Appearances | 4 (first in1973) |
| Best result | 5 (1973) |
| Pan American Games | |
| Appearances | 11 (first in1967) |
| Best result |  Gold (2:2011,2015) |
TheCanada national baseball team represents Canada in internationalbaseball. They are overseen byBaseball Canada, the governing body ofbaseball in Canada.
Canada was an inaugural member of theWorld Baseball Classic, making its debut in thefirst edition. They have yet to make it past the first round.
Team Canada will compete in the2026 World Baseball Classic in March 2026.
Cross-border baseball games had been played between Canadian and American team as early as 1856, though these were played by clubs and thus not necessarily true internationals.[2]
_Canadian_Baseball_Teams._Inter-Allied_Games%2c_Pershing_Stadium%2c_Paris%2c_July_1919.jpg)
The first true national selection to represent Canada in international competition appeared at theInter-Allied Games, a replacement for the Summer Olympics held in 1919 following the conclusion of theFirst World War. The players were all members of theCanadian Expeditionary Force, many of them from the army league's champion team.[3] They played a selection of American servicemen in a four game series, losing three and taking one.[4]
For the next few decades, Canada was only occasionally represented at international baseball events, including by severalsemi-pro clubs at theGlobal World Series contests of 1955 to 1957.
Baseball Canada identifies the first Canadian national team as the squad assembled for the1967 Pan American Games, held on home soil in Winnipeg.[5] The team was managed on the field by Gerry Mackay, who became a longtime skipper of the national team.[6] However, four Canadian players (including futureCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame pitcherRon Stead) were controversially disqualified due to previously having playedprofessional baseball (since professionalism was banned at the time by the International Olympic Committee). Canada ultimately went 1-5 in the tournament.[5]
Canada made its debut in theAmateur World Series (later known as theBaseball World Cup) in the1970 tournament. On the 1970 team wasDave McKay, a futureToronto Blue Jay.
Canada was invited to participate at the1984 Summer Olympics. They finished with a 1–2 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round. They finished tied for third in their pool, the equivalent of a tie for fifth overall.
Canada qualified for the1988 Summer Olympics by finishing in fourth place at the1987 Pan American Games and defeating1987 European Baseball Championship silver medalist Italy in a playoff. They finished with a 1–2 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round. They finished in seventh place overall.
Canada qualified for the2004 Summer Olympics by finishing second at theAmericas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Panama. They finished with a 5–2 record in pool play, then fell to Cuba in the semifinals. Canada would ultimately lose the Bronze Medal game 11–2 to Japan.
Canada qualified for the2008 Summer Olympics by finishing first in theFinal Qualifying Tournament. They finished with 2–5 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round.
In June 2005, Major League Baseball announced the formation of theWorld Baseball Classic (WBC), an international competition to be held in March 2006 for the first time. Canada was one of the sixteen teams invited to play in the inaugural classic. Because the event will be held in March, before the North American baseball season traditionally starts, players active inMajor League Baseball or any minor league affiliates are eligible to play in the WBC, making the team markedly different from the teams which represented Canada in the 2005 World Cup or the2004 Olympics.
Several high-profile Canadian players declined the opportunity to participate, includingRyan Dempster,Shawn Hill,Danny Klassen,Éric Gagné andRich Harden, who were injured.Los Angeles Dodgers' prospectRussell Martin was named to the team, but pulled out in favor of reporting to Spring training. In addition,Larry Walker, who retired after the 2005 season, opted not to participate, choosing instead to serve in a coaching capacity.
Canada played in Pool B of the tournament withMexico,South Africa and theUnited States.
Team Canada was heavily favoured to win their first game againstSouth Africa, a team made up almost entirely by amateurs. However, South Africa put up a tough challenge to the Canadian team. South African starter,Carl Michaels pitched outstandingly; Canada could not get a run until the 5th inning, when they scored 3. However, the South Africans shockingly scored 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 5th againstPaul Quantrill. It was back and forth from then on. It looked like South Africa might pull off a monumental upset as they went into the 9th with an 8–7 lead. However, in the top of the 9th, the Canadians scored 4 times to win the game 11–8.
After almost being upset by a surprising South African team, Canada pulled off an upset of its own with an 8-6 victory over the star-studdedUnited States team. Scoring in each of the first five innings, the Canadians built an 8–0 lead using a combination of timely, patient hitting, steady pitching and clutch fielding. In the bottom of the fifth, the United States threatened a comeback, exploding for 6 runs, capped off by a Jason Varitek grand slam. The Canadian team held off the US the rest of the way, as neither team crossed the plate again in the game.Adam Stern had a strong outing, going 3 for 4, a double shy of the cycle, with an inside-the-park home run, as well as making several spectacular plays in center field to keep his team ahead.
After Canada's victory over the United States, they got shocked by the Mexican team in a 9–1 resounding defeat. Unfortunately for the Canadian side, this victory would eventually cost them the trip to the 2nd round of the tournament after the United States beat South Africa 17–0 and clinched the second place in Pool B. Canada, USA, and Mexico each finished with a 2–1 record in the pool, but Canada lost the tie-breaker based on runs allowed.
Canada was placed in2009 World Baseball Classic – Pool C hosting theUnited States,Italy, andVenezuela atRogers Centre inToronto. In their opener, Canada lost a close game against the United States by a score of 6–5. On March 9, Canada was eliminated from the tournament after losing 6–2 to underdog Italy. Canada exited the WBC with an 0–2 record and 6.35 runs allowed per 9 innings, to secure thirteenth place overall.
Canada qualified by winning a qualifying tournament inArmin-Wolf-Arena inRegensburg,Germany, in September 2012, that also featured theCzech Republic,Germany andGreat Britain. Canada moved on to the 1st Round.[7]
The Canadian team was placed in2013 World Baseball Classic – Pool D againstItaly,Mexico and theUnited States. In their opener, Canada lost to the Italian baseball team 14–4 after the game ended in the 8th inning due to themercy rule in place after Italy scored five additional runs during the bottom of the 8th inning. On March 9, Canada faced off against Mexico. With Canada already leading the game,third basemanLuis Cruz motioned the pitcherArnold Leon tobean the next batter,Rene Tosoni, which resulted in a bench clearing brawl. Seven players from both teams ejected from the game. Despite this, they clinched a 10–3 win over Mexico. They lost the final game against the United States 9–4, thus eliminating Canada from the tournament.
The Canadian team missed out on advancing to the next round for the third time, but still managed to claim their automatic qualification for the2017 World Baseball Classic.
Canada was placed in2017 World Baseball Classic – Pool C against theDominican Republic,Colombia, and theUnited States. Their performances were abysmal, even losing to surprising debutants Colombia.
After losing all three of its matches, they finished last in their group, and were forced to go through qualifiers for the2023 World Baseball Classic.
Canada automatically qualified for the 2023 tournament by playing in the2017 World Baseball Classic.
The Canadian team was placed in2023 World Baseball Classic – Pool C againstGreat Britain,United States,Columbia andMexico. They began pool play against Great Britain. The Canadians had to overcome an early deficit, however,Tyler O’Neill andJacob Robson had four hits each to lead Canada to an 18–8 mercy rule win In Game 2, propelled by a nine-run first inning, they lost 1–12 against the United States. In Game 3 against Columbia, Canada led 1–0 going into the eighth inning, butOtto Lopez, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect, led off the inning with a triple and was driven in byOwen Caissie's two-out RBI single to push the lead to 2–0. Lopez's three-run shot in the ninth gave Canada an even bigger cushion, which ultimately lead them to winning 5–0. Their 2–1 record set up a win-or-go-home game vs Mexico. After a good start to the game, Mexico blew the game open with a four-run sixth, keyed byRandy Arozarena’s three-run double. They would go on to win the game 10–3, ultimately eliminating Canada from the tournament.
By finishing top four in their group, Canada still managed to claim their automatic qualification spot for the2026 World Baseball Classic.
The following is a list ofprofessionalbaseball match results currently active in the latest version of theWBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.[8]
Win Lose Void or postponed Fixture
| Pan American Games Q | January 29 | Panama  | 1–5 | Canada | Academia CBBS,Brazil |
| 15:00BRT | Boxscore |
| Pan American Games Q | February 1 | Colombia  | 8–6 | Canada | Academia CBBS,Brazil |
| 11:00BRT | Boxscore |
| Pan American Games Q | February 2 | Dominican Republic  | 10–7 | Canada | Academia CBBS,Brazil |
| 11:00BRT | Boxscore |
| Pan American Games Q | February 3 | Canada | 12–14 |  Nicaragua | Academia CBBS,Brazil |
| 11:00BRT | Boxscore |
| Pan American Games GS | July 29 | Argentina  | 0–10(F/8) | Canada | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 15:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance: 2,355 |
| Pan American Games GS | July 30 | Canada | 8–6 |  Cuba | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 19:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance: 1,123 |
| Pan American Games GS | August 1 | Colombia | 3–10 | Canada | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 10:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance:0 |
| Pan American Games SR | August 2 | Puerto Rico  | 8–5 | Canada | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 15:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance: 2,100 |
| Pan American Games SR | August 3 | Nicaragua | 0–10(F/7) | Canada | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 15:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance: 1,979 |
| Pan American Games F | August 4 | Puerto Rico | 6–1 | Canada | Campo de Béisbol,Peru |
| 18:00PET | Boxscore | Attendance: 2,500 |
| WBSC Premier12 GS | November 6 | Canada | 3–0 | Cuba | Gocheok Dome,South Korea |
| 12:00KT | Boxscore | Attendance: 250 |
| WBSC Premier12 GS | November 7 | South Korea  | 3–1 | Canada | Gocheok Dome,South Korea |
| 19:00KT | Boxscore | Attendance: 6,000 |
| WBSC Premier12 GS | November 8 | Canada | 1–3 |  Australia | Gocheok Dome,South Korea |
| 12:00KT | Boxscore | Attendance: 200 |
| World Baseball Classic GS | March 12 | Great Britain  | 8–18(F/7) | Canada | Chase Field,United States |
| 12:00MT | LP:Akeel Morris (0–1) HR:Harry Ford (1) | Boxscore | WP:Phillippe Aumont (1–0) HR:Edouard Julien (1),Owen Caissie (1) | Attendance: 11,555 Umpires: HP – Felix Tejada, 1B –Bill Miller, 2B – Jhonatan Biarreta, 3B –Carlos Torres |
| World Baseball Classic GS | March 13 | Canada | 1–12(F/7) |  United States | Chase Field,United States |
| 19:00MT | LP:Mitch Bratt (0–1) HR:Jared Young (1) | Boxscore | WP:Lance Lynn (1–0) HR:Mike Trout (1),Trea Turner (1) | Attendance: 29,621 Umpires: HP –Bill Miller, 1B – Edwin Louisa, 2B –Alan Porter, 3B – Jairo Mendoza |
| World Baseball Classic GS | March 14 | Canada | 5–0 | Colombia | Chase Field,United States |
| 12:00MT | WP:Noah Skirrow (1–0) HR:Otto Lopez (1) | Boxscore | LP: Adrian Almeida (0–1) | Attendance: 10,571 Umpires: HP:Doug Eddings. 1B:Alan Porter. 2B: Jairo Mendoza. 3B: Edwin Louisa |
| World Baseball Classic GS | March 15 | Mexico  | 10–3 | Canada | Chase Field,United States |
| 12:00MT | WP:José Urquidy (1–0) HR:Rowdy Tellez (1) | Boxscore | LP:Rob Zastryzny (0–1) HR:Bo Naylor (1),Edouard Julien (2) | Attendance: 17,245 Umpires: HP –Carlos Torres, 1B –Doug Eddings, 2B – Jhonathan Biarreta, 3B – Edwin Louisa |
The roster for the2023 World Baseball Classic:
| Canada roster – 2023 World Baseball Classic roster | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active roster | Coaches | |||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders Outfielders | Manager Coaches
| ||
| Updated: February 25, 2023[9] | ||||
| World Baseball Classic record | Qualification record | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | W | L | RS | RA | ||
| 2006 | Round 1 | 9th | 2 | 1 | 20 | 23 | No qualifiers held | |||||
| 2009 | Round 1 | 13th | 0 | 2 | 7 | 12 | ||||||
| 2013 | Round 1 | 12th | 1 | 2 | 18 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 9 | ||
| 2017 | Round 1 | 15th | 0 | 3 | 3 | 21 | Automatically qualified | |||||
| 2023 | Round 1 | 14th | 2 | 2 | 27 | 30 | ||||||
| 2026 | To be determined | |||||||||||
| Total | Round 1 | 6/6 | 5 | 10 | 75 | 112 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 9 | ||
| March 7 1st Round, Pool B – Game 2 | Canada | 11–8 | South Africa  | United StatesScottsdale Stadium Attendance: 5,829 |
| Boxscore |
| March 8 1st Round, Pool D – Game 3 | Canada | 8–6 | United States | United StatesChase Field Attendance: 16,993 |
| Boxscore |
| March 9 1st Round, Pool D – Game 5 | Mexico | 9–1 | Canada | United StatesChase Field Attendance: 15,744 |
| Boxscore |
| March 7 1st Round, Pool C – Game 1 | Canada | 5–6 | United States | CanadaRogers Centre Attendance: 42,314 |
| Boxscore |
| March 9 1st Round, Pool C – Game 4 | Italy  | 6–2 | Canada | CanadaRogers Centre Attendance: 12,411 |
| Boxscore |
| March 8 1st Round, Pool D – Game 2 | Canada | 4–14(F/8) | Italy | United StatesChase Field Attendance: 5,140 |
| Boxscore |
| March 9 1st Round, Pool D – Game 4 | Canada | 10–3 | Mexico | United StatesChase Field Attendance: 19,581 |
| Boxscore |
| March 10 1st Round, Pool D – Game 6 | United States | 9–4 | Canada | United StatesChase Field Attendance: 22,425 |
| Boxscore |
| March 9 1st Round, Pool C – Game 1 | Canada | 2–9 | Dominican Republic | United StatesMarlins Park Attendance: 27,388 |
| Boxscore |
| March 11 1st Round, Pool C – Game 3 | Colombia | 4–1 | Canada | United StatesMarlins Park Attendance: 17,209 |
| Boxscore |
| March 12 1st Round, Pool C – Game 6 | Canada | 0–8 | United States | United StatesMarlins Park Attendance: 22,303 |
| Boxscore |
| March 12th 3:00 P.M.EST, 12:00 P.M.PST Pool C, Game 1 | Great Britain | 8–18(F/7) | Canada | Chase Field,Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 11,555 |
| Boxscore |
| March 13th 10:00 P.M.EST, 7:00 P.M.PST Pool C, Game 2 | Canada | 1–12(F/7) | United States | Chase Field,Phoenix Arizona Attendance: 29,621 |
| Boxscore |
| March 14th 3:00 P.M.EST, 12:00 P.M.PST Pool C, Game 3 | Canada | 5–0 | Colombia | Chase Field,Phoenix Arizona Attendance: 10,571 |
| Boxscore |
| March 15th 3:00 P.M.EST, 12:00 P.M.PST Pool C, Game 4 | Mexico | 10–3 | Canada | Chase Field,Phoenix Arizona Attendance: 17,245 |
| Boxscore |
Canada has qualified for two Olympic Games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.
| Summer Olympics record | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | ||
| 1984 | Preliminary | 5th (tied)[a] | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 | ||
| 1988 | Preliminary | 5th (tied)[a] | 1 | 2 | 17 | 19 | ||
 1992 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 1996 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2000 | did not qualify | .svg) 1999 Pan American Games | ||||||
 2004 | Finals | 4th | 5 | 4 | 46 | 36 | 2004 Americas Olympic Baseball Qualifying Tournament | |
 2008 | Preliminary | 6th | 2 | 5 | 26 | 23 | 4th,American Qualifying Tournament Final Qualifying Tournament | |
 2020 | did not qualify | |||||||
| Total[b] | Finals | 2/5 | 7 | 9 | 72 | 59 | ||
Canada was placed in Pool A againstCuba,Netherlands,Puerto Rico,Italy, and hostChinese Taipei. They completed a perfect 5–0 pool play to advance to the playoff stage. They ultimately lost to Mexico 4–3 in the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth place overall.
Two quota spots were allocated from the Tournament, of thespots for six baseball teams at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Canada was placed in Pool C againstAustralia,Cuba, and hostSouth Korea. They compiled a 1–2 pool play record, and did not advance to the Super Round. They finished in seventh place overall
| Canada Baseball World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Amateur World Series | |
| Colombia, 1970 | 9th (tie) |
| Cuba, 1971 | 6th (tie) |
| Nicaragua, 1972 | 9th |
| Nicaragua, 1973 | 6th (tie) |
| United States, 1974 | 4th (tie) |
| Italy, 1978 | 9th |
| Japan, 1980 | 5th |
| South Korea, 1982 | 5th |
| World Cup | |
| Italy, 1988 | 5th |
| Canada, 1990 | 8th |
| Nicaragua, 1994 | 14th |
| Italy, 1998 | 6th in Pool B |
 Taiwan, 2001 | 6th in Pool B |
| Cuba, 2003 | 5th in Pool A |
 Netherlands, 2005 | 5th in Pool A |
| Taiwan, 2007 | 9th |
 Europe, 2009 | 3rd |
| Panama, 2011 | 3rd |
| Medal Tally | |
 | - |
 | - |
| 2 |
 | 14th |
Canada has competed at 9 World Cups and 8 more times in its predecessor the Amateur World series. Their best finish was a bronze at the 2009 World Cup and at the 2011 World Cup.
Canada's first appearance at thePan American Games came in1967. Their first medal came in1999, when the team won the bronze medal for their third-place finish. In2011, Canada won the gold medal game over the United States, 2–1, to win Canada's first-ever baseball gold medal. Canada won their second consecutive gold medal in2015, defeating the United States, 7–6 (10 innings), in the final. In2019, Canada won the silver medal, losing to Puerto Rico in the final match.
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