World Baseball Classic: 2026 tournament schedule, Miami pool announced

On Wednesday, Jake Burger hit his 25th home run of the season and Cristian Pache hit his first. Roddery Muñoz lasted only 3 ⅓ innings and every Marlins reliever allowed runs with the exception of Kent Emanuel. David Hensley (yes, really) went 3-for-5 at the plate, though he made the final out of the game with the tying runs in scoring position. The Marlins had 14 hits, tied for their third-highest total in a non-extra-inning game this season. They still lost, 10-8. It's now mathematically impossible for Miami to finish above .500.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 5-0. RHP Adam Mazur (6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 74 pitches/48 strikes) retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced. It's the first scoreless outing of any kind he's had since early May when he was with the Padres Double-A affiliate. INF Deyvison De Los Santos blasted his 35th homer of 2024. LHP Josh Simpson made another rehab appearance, but his fastball velocity (averaging 92.0 mph) continues to be significantly lower than it was prior to his elbow injury. Double-A Pensacola lost, 10-6. LHP Luis Palacios struggled and has now allowed 122 hits in 103 ⅔ innings pitched this season. High-A Beloit won, 6-2. RHP Noble Meyer (5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 79 pitches/48 strikes) enjoyed his best start in months. Meyer's slider was nasty. Perfect night at the plate for INF Tony Bullard (3-3, 3 RBI, BB). Low-A Jupiter lost, 7-1. We had a Breidy Encarnación sighting! The righty reliever had been out this entire season prior to beginning this rehab assignment.

Here's more Marlins news and content:

🔷 To my surprise, the Orioles claimed Emmanuel Rivera off waivers from the Marlins. Waiver priority goes by ascending winning percentage, so most teams passed on Rivera in order for him to get to Baltimore. It figures to be temporary, part-time role for the third baseman while All-Star Jordan Westburg completes his recovery from a right hand fracture.

🔷 Feast your eyes on the 2026 World Baseball Classic schedule. Pool D play at loanDepot park—featuring Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel and a not-yet-determined qualifier—begins on March 6. The championship will be held on March 17. These dates are shifted slightly from the 2023 tournament when Pool D opened up on March 11 and Shohei Ohtani pitched Japan to victory on March 21. Given the current state of transition, it's premature to say with any confidence which Marlins players will still be with the franchise once the WBC arrives. Potential participants include Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez (Dominican Republic), Jake Burger and Xavier Edwards (United States), and Valente Bellozo (Mexico).

🔷 Through 42 Marlins series, here's an updated look at the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub.

🔷 Explore the video section of our site for new interviews with Josh Bell, A.J. Puk and Zac Gallen.

🔷 Kevin Barral spoke to Burger and Bell about their enduring friendship.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Justin Verlander (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 76 pitches/52 strikes) pitched for the first time since early June, but took the loss. Johnny Cueto (6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 84 pitches/55 strikes) made his return to the majors as a member of the Angels. Aaron Judge homered two more times, raising his season total to 47. His .722 slugging percentage is more than 100 points higher than the next best qualified MLB hitter. Nolan Arenado hit a walk-off grand slam. The White Sox won for only the fourth time since the All-Star break.

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule:

• Triple-A Jacksonville at Nashville, 7:35 p.m. ET
• Double-A Pensacola at Tennessee, 7:00 p.m. ET
• High-A Beloit at South Bend, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Low-A Jupiter vs. Daytona, 6:30 p.m. ET
• DSL Marlins at DSL Giants Black, 11:00 a.m. ET (playoff game)

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