The man to do it was Ryan Blaney, the last driver to reach victory lane before Reddick’s streak. Blaney won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at the Avondale, Arizona track.

The Team Penske driver deftly navigated through the field multiple times throughout a caution-filled 312-lap race. His 49 passes got him to the front as the laps wound down, and he kept in front of Christopher Bell, who led 176 laps in Sunday’s race. Blaney led 28 laps, including the final 10.

Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was relieved to see the checkered flag.

‘I don’t know how many more laps I could’ve hold him off,’ he said. ‘Really proud of everybody at Team Penske.’

He was so focused on getting the win his No. 12 Ford wasn’t completely shut off during his post-race interview.

Bell was disappointed after leading the most laps all day and winning Stage 2.

‘You win some, you lose some,’ he said. ‘This one stings. But on a positive side, I’m really proud of our entire team. The pit crew did amazing … it’s something to build on. It was a day that we needed.’

Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five finishers.

Blaney’s win was significant for Team Penske. The motor sports titan swept two huge races at Phoenix with Blaney taking the checkered flag Sunday and Josef Newgarden winning Saturday’s IndyCar race.

‘Newgarden winning yesterday, us winning today, can’t wait to see Roger [Penske],’ Blaney said.

Here’s the highlights and final leaderboard from the Straight Talk Wireless 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway:

NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix highlights

NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix: Full results

Here’s how the field finished the Straight Talk Wireless 500:

1. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
7. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
8. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
9. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
10. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
11. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
12. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
13. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
14. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
15. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
17. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
18. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
19. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
20. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
21. Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
23. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
24. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
25. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
26. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
27. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
28. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
29. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
30. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
31. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
32. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
33. Anthony Alfredo, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
35. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
36. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
37. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Four days after a trade that sent him from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Los Angeles Rams, Trent McDuffie locked in even more certainty about his future.

McDuffie and the Rams on Sunday agreed to a four-year, $124 million contract extension, according to multiple reports, making the cornerback the highest-paid player at his position in league history.

His $31 million in average annual value rockets past the previous high of $30.1 million, which was set by Sauce Gardner last summer, when the Indianapolis Colts cornerback was still with the New York Jets.

McDuffie’s deal also includes $100 million guaranteed, per reports – more than $10 million higher than the next closest player in the Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. ($89 million).

The Rams sent a package of four draft picks – including the No. 29 overall selection this year – to the Chiefs in exchange for McDuffie. The swap can not become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

McDuffie, an All-Pro selection in 2023, had widely been expected to strike an extension with the Rams after news of the trade broke. The 2022 first-round pick had been set to play on his fifth-year option for $13.63 million.

In Los Angeles, McDuffie will be counted on to shore up the most glaring weakness for a team that general manager Les Snead is trying to make the most of its remaining time with reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles’ pass defense unraveled down the stretch, and the defense finished the year ranked 22nd in passing yards allowed per game (225.6).

Jeremy Fears Jr. did it again.

This season, the Michigan State star guard has been at the center of a number of plays that border the line of dirty.

Early in Sunday’s game against Michigan, Fears once again lifted his leg after a foul call and kicked Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau in the groin.

‘We’d like a basketball game to break out at some point,’ Michigan’s Dusty May told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson during a first-half timeout.

After the officials reviewed the play, Fears was assessed a dead-ball technical foul.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did not hold back with his opinions of Fears’ technical foul when asked about it by Wolfson during the CBS broadcast.

‘It’s all because of what happened earlier and now the microscope’s on him. And I don’t like that,’ Izzo said.

He expanded on Fears’ foul in his postgame news conference following the Spartans’ 90-80 loss to the Wolverines on Sunday by saying that he’s ‘sick of it being one-sided,’ according to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Izzo also mentioned that after re-watching it on tape, Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau pushed Fears in the back.

Some other notable examples of similar plays include him kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin, for which he received a technical foul for in a 76-73 loss, and being called out by Michigan coach Dusty May for ‘dangerous’ plays in the first meeting between the two Big Ten rivals.

‘I go out every game and I play hard. I don’t intentionally try to hurt anyone,” Fears said after Michigan State’s game at Minnesota back in February, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. ‘I go out and play every game like it’s my last, because at one point it was my last. So I don’t take a game for granted. I don’t take a moment for granted. So I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can every possession, every game.

‘Like at one point, I had basketball taken away from me, so something I love to do, I couldn’t do it for a whole year. So most people wouldn’t understand that. And that’s on them, I guess. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change who I am or what I do. I’m just go out there and play 150(%) no matter what.’

• Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is reconsidering his plan to leave Team USA during the World Baseball Classic.
• Skubal is torn between his commitment to the Tigers and the emotional experience of representing his country.
• The two-time Cy Young winner is also weighing the decision ahead of becoming a free agent after the season.
• Team USA teammates and officials have expressed their support for Skubal regardless of his final choice.

HOUSTON — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who originally was scheduled to leave Team USA and rejoin his Detroit Tigers teammates in Lakeland, Florida, remained in Houston on Sunday and attended USA’s workout.

He spoke late Saturday night with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, his agent, Scott Boras, and his family.

‘I don’t think anything has been determined …,’ Hinch told reporters Sunday. ‘He’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It’s a difficult time. It weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all.’

Skubal told FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal after throwing 41 pitches in Saturday’s 9-1 victory over Great Britain during the game that he’s not prepared to give an answer, and he reiterated his dilemma afterward to reporters outside the clubhouse.

‘This is going to be one of the toughest decisions I made in my career,’ Skubal said. ‘I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain, or my thoughts to differ. I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously.’

Simply, Skubal didn’t anticipate the flood of emotions being around his USA teammates, the patriotism, and the significance of representing his country.

‘It just changes your perspective a little bit, you know?’ Skubal said. ‘And how proud I am to be an American and go out there and pitch and compete. (Thinking about) the people that make real sacrifices for me to play a kids’ game. …

‘It’s just hard. When you get into these environments, when you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that.’

Team USA, which has won its first two games in the WBC, is expected to play a quarterfinal game Friday, March 13 at Daikin Park in Houston. If the U.S. wins, it would play in a semifinal game either Sunday, March 15 or Monday, March 16. The championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17.

It’s possible that Skubal could return to Tigers camp and pitch Thursday, March 12 against the New York Yankees in Lakeland, and then wait and see if he’d be needed to pitch in the WBC championship game.

Skubal said players have been supportive of him, whatever he chooses, completely understanding his predicament. He not only wants to be on regular rest and start the Tigers’ season-opener in San Diego on March 26, but he’s a free agent after the season, and in line to receive a contract in excess of $400 million, the largest contract by a starting pitcher in history.

‘The guys have been cool about it,’ Skubal said earlier in the week, ‘but I mean, obviously, like publicly, it’s a little bit different perception. But I think they understand what it means for me to be here. Obviously, I want to be in the room, you know, and that’s cool for them to even take that aside and be like, it’s awesome that you’re here.’

Whatever his decision, Team USA officials insist they understand, and he has the full support of his USA teammates.

‘He’s got the two Cy Young Awards, but this guy’s about to make half a billion dollars here in the next offseason,’ Yankees three-time MVP Aaron Judge said. ‘So, for him to put it all on the line for his country, and come out here and show up for us. … You know, maybe it is just one game, but you know there’s a risk with everything you do, and for him to take that risk and come out here and be with us, the boys love it.’

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

John Spytek has plenty of work to do to get the Las Vegas Raiders’ house in order before Fernando Mendoza’s likely arrival.

Without specifically naming the Heisman Trophy winner and expected No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft, the general manager ruminated at the NFL scouting combine last week about all the building blocks that would be nice to have in place ahead of a rookie quarterback’s selection.

‘I think you want to limit the amount of pressure you have on that guy from the start,’ Spytek said. ‘ … Obviously a great offensive line, a run game – all the things that can limit his chances to really get killed. And a great defense, too, because if he doesn’t have to go out there and feel like he has to score 35 points every week, I think that’s helpful.’

So … about all that …

After agreeing Friday night to trade five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, the Raiders have unparalleled resources to shift their long-term fortunes. Not only does Las Vegas now boast 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the team also boosted its league-high spending capacity to $121.7 million, according to Over The Cap.

Yet for all the transformative potential awaiting the franchise in the next seven weeks, the move also entrenched the Silver and Black as having the league’s least settled roster entering NFL free agency next week. And after last year’s attempted return to relevance went off the rails, Spytek and co-owner Tom Brady still have to prove that they can assemble the proper pieces for a rather imposing build ahead.

Brady in particular needs to make the same kind of Year 2 leap in the personnel world as he did in the broadcasting booth.

While it’s far too early to judge last year’s draft class, it’s clear that Spytek and Brady’s first offseason at the helm of an NFL franchise was an abject disaster. Brady, per The Athletic, resisted the idea of signing Sam Darnold, who would go on to win Super Bowl 60 with the Seattle Seahawks. The Raiders’ trade for Geno Smith initially inspired some hope for the new regime to at least establish some baseline competency, but the veteran signal-caller would go on to pace the NFL in interceptions (17) and sacks taken (55). No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty was left with little room to run in a disappointing rookie campaign, and the team’s other first-year players also struggled to find their way.

That dynamic led to the ouster of head coach Pete Carroll after just one year, with the organization taking on yet another full-scale reset. In shipping off Crosby – whose performance and dedication set a bar no one else in the organization even approached – the Raiders have torn their defense down to the studs. And while Spytek and Brady have additional ammo to bolster Mendoza’s supporting cast on offense, the quarterback might frequently find himself in the kind of high-scoring affairs in which his team will be ill-suited to keep pace.

And the Raiders have plenty of experience in getting burned by splashy offseason moves, too.

Spending on big names has never been an issue for the team, which has whiffed on the likes of Christian Wilkins, Chandler Jones and Jimmy Garoppolo, among others. Yet its draft track record is even more ghastly than its forays into free agency. Former general manager Mike Mayock’s whiffs in 2020 (Henry Ruggs III, Damon Arnette) and 2021 (Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs, Johnathan Abram) serve as a reminder that having multiple first-round picks hardly guarantees securing difference-makers. And perhaps no other organization has gotten less out of its many top-100 picks than Mark Davis’ crew.

So where do Brady and Spytek go from here, and how does the Crosby trade alter any plans in the offseason? Let’s take a look:

Raiders’ NFL free agency plan: Which top players should they be in on?

With needs across the board, expect the Raiders to be linked to just about every big name on the open market. Two, however, stand out above the rest: Center Tyler Linderbaum and wide receiver Alec Pierce.

Linderbaum, the top true free agent on Nate Davis’ top 100 rankings, should command a market-setting payout after earning his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod last season for the Baltimore Ravens. Some teams might not be inclined to splurge at this position, but equipping Mendoza with a savvy pivot could be one of the fastest ways to ease his acclimation to the NFL. There are plenty of weak links along the Raiders’ line, so a double-dip on high-priced veterans might be necessary.

Pierce, meanwhile, looks on track to earn a sizable sum after leading the NFL in yards per catch for the second consecutive year. His proven downfield ability would surely be captivating to an offense that couldn’t open things up amid the pervasive protection problems. But he also figures to drive a serious bidding war, and the Raiders will have to consider what price point they’re comfortable with. Reuniting first-year coach Klint Kubiak with speedster Rashid Shaheed could also be a consideration. But with another early pick in the fold, the Raiders might not need to be quite so aggressive here.

Will the Raiders look to sign a big name on the edge now that Crosby is gone? Replacing him with a free-agent signing is impossible, but there are some intriguing options for a front seven with a serious lack of juice. Jaelan Phillips would be the most enticing possibility, and Las Vegas could afford to pay a premium for an immensely talented 26-year-old. With the defense switching to a 3-4, Odafe Oweh and Boye Mafe also could provide a spark.

There’s no position on defense where the Raiders could wave off additional help, so with Crosby gone, it could be even more important for the team to bring in a few solid starters.

And while the team’s future will be built through the draft, hitting the right notes in free agency is critical for creating the kind of framework for success that last year’s rookies lacked.

Raiders’ NFL draft picks: Where might team turn after Crosby trade?

With the No. 14 overall pick now in hand, the Raiders could be in prime position to address the aforementioned sore spots at receiver and along the offensive line.

USA TODAY Sports’ latest NFL mock draft has Las Vegas going with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. He certainly would be a sensible weapon to pair with tight end Brock Bowers, as would Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. And the possibility of reuniting Mendoza with Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. surely will at least be a talking point.

But if the Raiders still feel unsatisfied up front entering the draft, they might find a solution early on. The team could be poised to pounce if Miami’s Francis Mauigoa or Utah’s Spencer Fano falls, with either player coming in handy at either right tackle or guard. Meanwhile, Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane could solidify a shaky interior and would hardly be out of place going No. 14 overall.

Any fill-in for Crosby, however, could be hard to come by. The top three edge rushers – Arvell Reese, David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. – all should be gone by the time the Raiders’ second pick comes up, and there might not be a worthwhile alternative at that point in the draft. Oklahoma’s R. Mason Thomas, Missouri’s Zion Young and Illinois’ Gabe Jacas all could be of interest on Day 2.

HOUSTON — Sam Aldegheri, still in his Team Italy uniform hours after he came out of the game, simply wasn’t ready to take it off Saturday afternoon.

He has pitched 95 games throughout his eight-year pro career — 79 games in the minors, seven in the major leagues for the Los Angeles Angels, and nine in the Italian League — but has never felt like this.

Aldegheri, the first player to be born and raised in Italy to reach the major leagues, put on one of the most dazzling pitching performances in World Baseball Classic pool history, suffocating Brazil’s lineup in an 8-0 victory.

He pitched 4⅔ shutout innings, only the second pitcher to pitch into the fifth inning in WBC pool play this year, striking out eight batters and allowing just one hit.

Sure, he has had better performances in his career, but never one more meaningful.

“It’s different,’’ Aldegheri said. “Play for your country is something that you can’t really explain, but you can feel it, feel all the support from back home. It’s amazing.’’

The nerves began when he awoke, knowing what this meant for his country, and he became emotional standing in the bullpen and listening to the Italian national anthem.

“I had goosebumps all over my body,’’ he said. “It was chilling. … I was just feeling deep inside, I was just trying to think about the game.

“Those moments are hard. You have all these feelings back home, everything goes by your mind. So it was really cool.’’

This is a 24-year-old who was born in Verona, Italy, and the only baseball he watched as a kid was YouTube videos of Dodgers three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. There were a few baseball fields near his house, and with his older brother, Mattia, a right-handed pitcher, he grew up as a left-handed pitcher on the baseball diamond instead of the soccer field.

He was discovered as a 15-year-old in a tournament in Spain by a Kansas City Royals scout, and in 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies believed in him enough to pay him a $210,000 signing bonus. Aldegheri, the son of a father who works in a glass factory and a mother who works in a bakery, went off to America to chase his dreams.

He has pitched mostly in the minors for teams called the BlueClaws and Pandas and Bees and Threshers, and was traded in 2024 to the Angels for closer Carlos Estevez. He has pitched in seven major-league games for the Angels.

He still believes in himself, still wants to be an inspiration, and knows his Saturday performance could resonate throughout all of Italy.

“I think the game is growing,’’ he said. “Back home in Italy, I have been in a lot of camps during the offseason working with kids, and I have seen a lot of experienced coaches trying to help the game to grow. …

“They are starting to do these academies every region, every city. I have seen a lot of kids, they start from 6 to 8. Hopefully next couple years we will have better technology, too, more sponsors hopefully come in and just try to get better.’’

Says Italy catcher Kyle Teel of the Chicago White Sox: “Doing what he does on the mound and throwing like he can, it just goes to show how big baseball is in Italy, and how baseball is a big part of Italian culture.’’

It’s not just Aldegheri, but everyone from Team Italy is doing their part to let the world know they have arrived on the baseball scene, and are having a blast doing it.

Their 2½ hour flight from Phoenix to Houston was like a comedy club, with even the major league players saying they have never seen anything like it. They took the mic, sang Italian songs, and danced in the aisles. “I’ve never seen anything like what happened on that plane,’’ Teel said. “Just Andrea Bocelli bumping on the speaker. Everyone singing it at the top of their lungs. Nobody sitting in their seats. It was unbelievable. So much fun.’’

Said Italy outfielder Dante Nori of the Philadelphia Phillies, who hit two homers: “I’ve never been on a flight like that. That was something really special to me. We were laughing, dancing, just having a great old time on there.

“Our bond is unreal.’’

They’re the only team that has an espresso machine in the dugout and they forced Nori to chug some espresso after each of his first two home runs, which he promptly spit out on the dugout floor. They even have parmesan cheese and olive oil in the dugout just in case someone needs a snack.

“The coffee machine is because in Italy we drink coffee about 20 times a day,’’ Italy manager Francisco Cervelli says. “It’s a tradition. You’re walking down the road. You see a coffee spot, get some coffee, then you chitchat, and then keep walking and do the same thing all over and over again.

“That’s how Italy is.’’

Pardon Nori if it takes him a little longer to get accustomed to that espresso tradition.

“I do not like coffee,’’ Nori says, “so it did not taste great. The first one, especially, I was like, ‘Ugh,’ but the second one, I kind of liked that one a little bit more.’’

Who knows, can Italy one day not just be a team that fills out a WBC tournament pool, but become a legitimate power?

“I am not naive in the fact that I am Italian-American, and we are trying to represent Italy in the right way,’’ Italy first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals says. “What we are trying to do is open the door for more guys to play. For more guys like Sam, more Italian-born major leaguers, more guys that can make a competitive team in this Classic.

“I think that’s the long-term goal, as long as the Classic keeps continuing, for this team to be full of pure-bred Italians. The goal is to open that door and show, ‘Hey, Italy has got some ball players and all you have to do is invest in them a little bit, just invest some time equity into them.’ ‘

And, on Saturday afternoon, you had to look no further than Aldegheri for proof what could lay ahead for Italian baseball.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Team USA trailed for half the game but was awoken by Kyle Schwarber’s mammoth go-ahead home run in an eventual 9-1 win against Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

The Americans improved to 2-0 in pool play and has the day off Sunday before facing Mexico at Daikin Park in Houston.

Britain’s Nate Eaton led off the game with a solo home run off back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and Team USA was unable to push a run across until Ernie Clement scored on a wild pitch to tie things 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. 

Schwarber followed with his two-run homer to put the U.S. ahead for good, the latest electrifying longball for the Phillies slugger who hit 56 home runs last season.

Britain falls to 0-2 in Pool B and faces Italy on Sunday.

Gunnar Henderson went 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs for Team USA and Clay Holmes picked up the win, striking out six in three scoreless innings after taking over from Skubal in the fourth.

Here’s how the game unfolded:

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USA adds three more, leads 8-1

The Americans sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth and plated three more runs to seemingly put the game out of reach for Britain, which hasn’t scored since Nate Eaton led off the game with a homer.

Gunnar Henderson gives Team USA a cushion

After Kyle Schwarber’s home run put them in front 3-1, the Americans loaded the bases with two outs. Gunnar Henderson laced a double that scored two runs to extend Team USA’s lead to 5-1 through five innings.

Kyle Schwarber home run puts USA in front

Team USA finally got on the board when Ernie Clement scored on Andre Scrubb’s wild pitch – having reached base via a throwing error earlier in the fifth inning. Kyle Schwarber stepped to the plate and did what he did best, destroying a cutter from Scrubb into the upper bleachers in right field, giving the Americans a 3-1 lead.

Najer Victor strikes out five MVP awards

Najer Victor replaced starter Tyler Viza on the mound for Britain in the fourth, and the 24-year-old Angels prospect proceeded to strike out Aaron Judge (three MVPs) and Bryce Harper (two). Victor walked Will Smith with two outs but whiffed Gunnar Henderson with a slider to end an eight-pitch battle to end the frame.

Victor had a 4.87 ERA in 35 relief appearances in Single-A last season.

Tarik Skubal done after three, Clay Holmes in for USA

Tarik Skubal gave up a home run on his first pitch of the night but retired nine of the next 10 batters including five strikeouts and is being replaced by right-hander Clay Holmes to start the fourth inning after 41 pitches.

This is the only appearance Skubal is making in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, planning to return to spring training with the Tigers after the game against Great Britain.

Holmes retired all three batters he faced in the top of the fourth.

Trayce Thompson robs Will Smith

With one out in the bottom of the second Team USA catcher drove an offering from Tyler Viza to the right field wall, but outfielder Trayce Thompson made an epic leaping catch to keep Britain ahead.

Thompson, the younger brother of NBA star Klay Thompson, has played 369 MLB games over seven seasons since his debut in 2015, mostly reecently appearing in the majors in 2023.

Tarik Skubal settles in

After giving up a home run on his first pitch of the night, Tarik Skubal only needed 20 more to retire the next six Britain hitters. The Tigers’ back-to-back Cy Young winner has racked up a pair of strikeouts through the first two innings.

Nate Eaton home run leads off for Team GB

Leading off the game against reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Nate Eaton crushed a ball to left-center that was initially have ruled to have hit the wall. A review overturned the call on the field, giving Eaton a solo home run and the Brits an unlikely 1-0 lead.

Eaton, 29, made his MLB debut in 2022 and has played 113 games across three seasons with the Royals and Red Sox.

USA lineup tonight vs Britain

Starter: LHP Tarik Skubal – Tigers

1. Kyle Schwarber, DH – Phillies
2. Alex Bregman, 3B – Cubs
3. Aaron Judge, RF – Yankees
4. Bryce Harper, 1B – Phillies
5. Will Smith, C – Dodgers
6. Gunnar Henderson, SS – Orioles
7. Roman Anthony, LF – Red Sox
8. Ernie Clement, 2B – Blue Jays
9. Pete Crow‑Armstrong, CF – Cubs

Great Britain lineup tonight

Starter: RHP Tyler Viza

1. Nate Eaton, CF
2. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
3. Harry Ford, C
4. BJ Murray, 1B
5. Kristian Robinson, LF
6. Ivan Johnson, 3B
7. Justin Wylie, DH
8. Trayce Thompson, RF
9. Ian Lewis Jr., SS

Tarik Skubal stats

• 2025: 13-6, 2.21 ERA, 31 GS, 195.1 IP, 241 SO, 0.89 WHIP – AL Cy Young winner
• 2024: 18-4, 2.39 ERA, 31 GS, 192.0 IP, 228 SO, 0.92 WHIP – AL Cy Young winner
• 2023: 7-3, 2.80 ERA, 15 GS, 80.1 IP, 102 SO, 0.90 WHIP
• 2022: 7-8, 3.52 ERA, 21 GS, 117.2 IP, 117 SO, 1.16 WHIP
• 2021: 8-12, 4.34 ERA, 29 GS, 149.1 IP, 164 SO, 1.26 WHIP
• 2020: 1-4, 5.63 ERA, 7 GS, 32.0 IP, 37 SO, 1.22 WHIP

USA World Baseball Classic schedule 2026

• March 6: United States 15, Brazil 5
• March 7: USA vs. Great Britain
• March 9: USA vs. Mexico
• March 10: USA vs. Italy
• Quarterfinals: March 13 and 14
• Semifinals: March 15 and 16 in Miami
• Championship game: March 17 in Miami

Team USA WBC roster 2026

Catchers

• Cal Raleigh (Mariners)
• Will Smith (Dodgers)

Infielders

• Bryce Harper (1B, Phillies)
• Paul Goldschmidt (1B, Yankees)
• Brice Turang (2B, Brewers)
• Alex Bregman (3B, Cubs)
• Bobby Witt Jr. (SS, Royals)
• Gunnar Henderson (SS, Orioles)
• Ernie Clement (UTIL, Blue Jays)

Outfielders

• Aaron Judge (Captain, Yankees)
• Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks)
• Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs)
• Byron Buxton (Twins)
• Roman Anthony (Red Sox)
• Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)

Pitchers

• Logan Webb (Giants)
• Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
• Paul Skenes (Pirates)
• Nolan McLean (Mets)
• Clay Holmes (Mets)
• Michael Wacha (Royals)
• Matthew Boyd (Cubs)
• Mason Miller (Padres)
• David Bednar (Yankees)
• Clayton Kershaw (Retired)
• Griffin Jax (Rays)
• Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)
• Ryan Yarbrough (Yankees)
• Gabe Speier (Mariners)
• Garrett Cleavinger (Rays)
• Brad Keller (Phillies)

World Baseball Classic predictions

Pick for championship game and tournament MVP

• Bob Nightengale: USA over Japan / Aaron Judge MVP
• Gabe Lacques: Japan over USA / Shohei Ohtani
• Jesse Yomtov: Japan over USA / Yoshinobu Yamamoto
• Steve Gardner: USA over Dominican Republic / Bobby Witt Jr.

WBC Pool C schedule

• March 7: Great Britain vs. United States
• March 8: Great Britain vs. Italy
• March 8: Brazil vs. Mexico
• March 9: Brazil vs. Great Britain
• March 9: Mexico vs. United States
• March 10: Italy vs. United States
• March 11: Italy vs. Mexico

How to watch USA vs Great Britain: TV channel, WBC stream

• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Fox
• Live stream: FoxSports.com / Fubo