Canada defeats Cuba to clinch top spot in Group A, advancing to Classic quarterfinals for first time in team history.

Ernie Whitt entered the post-game press conference, sat down, and smiled. "Needless to say, I'm thrilled," the Canadian manager said. "It's been a long journey."

Since the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, Whitt has been Canada's manager every edition, but in his first five attempts, his team never made the quarterfinals.

That record was broken with today's win.

In this win-or-go-home showdown, Canada defeated Cuba 7-2 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, securing a spot in the Classic quarterfinals for the first time ever. With a 3-1 record in group play, Canada claimed the top seed in Group A based on their head-to-head advantage over Puerto Rico from Wednesday's win. Canada will face the second-place team from Group B later this week at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

This marks a remarkable breakthrough for Canada. Their best finish in the previous five tournaments was only ninth place. Canada has already won three games this year, surpassing their win total from any prior Classic.

For Cuba, the island nation finished third in Group A with a 2-2 record. This is the first time in Classic history that Cuba failed to advance from the group stage.

Canada scored first in the third inning. Tyler O'Neill and Abraham Toro hit consecutive singles, setting up an opportunity for Marlins rookie Owen Caissie. The powerful left-handed hitter didn't shy away from the lefty-on-lefty matchup, driving a sacrifice fly to right field to bring O'Neill home.

In the fifth inning, Toro extended the lead with a solo home run off Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodríguez. The 420-foot blast sailed completely out of the stadium, the longest homer seen at Bithorn this week. Justin Morneau is the only Canadian player in Classic history with more extra-base hits than Toro, who now has six, five of which came in the past week.

"Canada is definitely an underrated country," Toro said in the press conference. "I believe Canadian baseball will continue to grow, and hopefully we can inspire the next generation."

Canada sealed the victory in the crucial sixth inning. Bo Naylor's double and Otto Lopez's two-run single provided key hits, and they capitalized on multiple defensive miscues by Cuba. Over a span of three consecutive batters, second baseman Yiddi Cappe missed a routine pop fly, Rodríguez made an errant pickoff throw to first, and Andrys Perez committed catcher's interference. All three runs in the inning were unearned.

"People who understand baseball know that errors happen, and there's a reason for them," Cuban manager German Mesa said afterward. "We didn't come here as favorites... but we fought with the roster we had. With this team, we gave everything we could."

Veteran right-hander Cal Quantrill set the tone for Canada, stifling the Cuban lineup. He reversed his fortunes from his only previous Classic appearance in 2023, when he allowed three runs while recording just two outs against Great Britain. This time, he pitched five innings allowing only one run.

"I trust the guys behind me," Quantrill said. "I attacked the hitters and let them make good defensive plays. Pitching in the strike zone, forcing them to beat us. I think we played a cleaner game today."

Canada's bullpen preserved the lead, navigating two key threats. In the sixth, Adam Macko struck out Cappe to leave the bases loaded. In the seventh, retired MLB lefty James Paxton struck out Yoán Moncada, who came up as the potential tying run. Whitt was delighted with the performance of the player nicknamed "The Big Maple," saying he "got off the couch" to join the team.

"He wanted to come, wanted to come back from retirement, get off the couch, and pitch for Team Canada because he had never done it before," Whitt said. "He's been through league championship series, played at the highest level in the majors, but never represented his country. I think that was the biggest motivation for him."

Now, all of them will experience something they've never done before. A quarterfinal game awaits the Canadians, likely on Saturday or Sunday depending on the final standings in Group B.