{"id":36377,"date":"2026-03-13T16:22:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/team-usa-regains-favorite-status-for-world-baseball-classic-championship\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:22:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:22:50","slug":"team-usa-regains-favorite-status-for-world-baseball-classic-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/team-usa-regains-favorite-status-for-world-baseball-classic-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Team USA Regains Favorite Status for World Baseball Classic Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Following a challenging group stage that included some unexpected setbacks, the United States has reclaimed its position as the top choice to capture the World Baseball Classic title as elimination rounds commence Friday.<\/p>

The Americans initially started the tournament with +140 championship odds, but those numbers dropped to +225 following an upset defeat to Italy, temporarily making the Dominican Republic the betting favorites at +175. In a twist of fate, Italy’s subsequent win over Mexico on Wednesday gave Team USA a lifeline to advance.<\/p>

As single-elimination competition begins, the United States enters as overwhelming 4.5-run favorites against Canada on Friday, with moneyline odds of -800 at BetMGM by Friday afternoon. The quarterfinal action opens with the Dominican Republic also favored by 4.5 runs against South Korea.<\/p>

Saturday’s doubleheader features Italy as slight -105 favorites over Puerto Rico, though no run line is currently available for that matchup. The final quarterfinal contest will see Japan favored by 1.5 runs over Venezuela.<\/p>

Team USA has returned to championship favorite status at +125 odds and represents the sportsbook’s largest potential loss, attracting 37.8% of all bets placed and 51.2% of the total money wagered on the tournament winner. The Dominican Republic ranks second in betting action with 26.7% of bets and 25.2% of the money.<\/p>

Japan follows with 18.0% of total wagers and 12.8% of the money, while superstar Shohei Ohtani leads the MVP betting market. Ohtani has drawn 16.8% of MVP bets and 17.6% of the money, causing his odds to improve significantly from +1100 to +500.<\/p>

Current championship odds at BetMGM show USA (+125), Dominican Republic (+240), Japan (+375), Venezuela (+900), Puerto Rico (+1800), Italy (+2000), Canada (+5000), and Korea (+8000).<\/p>

DraftKings offers similar rankings with Team USA at slightly longer +130 odds, followed by the Dominican Republic at +250 and Japan at +370.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a rocky start to group play, Team USA has bounced back to become the betting favorite to win the World Baseball Classic as quarterfinal play begins Friday. The Americans will face Canada as heavy favorites, with sportsbooks seeing the most action on a U.S. championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":36376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773433369806.jpg?fit=450%2C341&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-9sJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30936,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/shohei-ohtani-spearheads-japans-world-baseball-classic-championship-defense\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":0},"title":"Shohei Ohtani Spearheads Japan’s World Baseball Classic Championship Defense","author":"Admin","date":"March 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two-time World Series champion Shohei Ohtani will anchor Japan's quest for a fourth World Baseball Classic title when the tournament begins Thursday. Team USA features what many consider one of baseball's greatest rosters ever assembled as they seek their first championship since 2017.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772541277492.jpg?fit=450%2C312&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37533,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/controversial-strike-call-ends-dominican-republics-world-baseball-classic-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":1},"title":"Controversial Strike Call Ends Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic Run","author":"Admin","date":"March 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A disputed strike three call by home plate umpire Cory Blaser ended the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic semifinal against Team USA in a 2-1 loss. The controversial pitch appeared to be below the strike zone, sparking debate about MLB's upcoming automated ball-strike system launching this season.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773643110414.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773643110414.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773643110414.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773643110414.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39076,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/baseball-commissioner-eyes-moving-world-baseball-classic-to-mid-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":2},"title":"Baseball Commissioner Eyes Moving World Baseball Classic to Mid-Season","author":"Admin","date":"March 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the World Baseball Classic could shift from spring training to mid-season in future years. The tournament just broke attendance and viewership records, with the next edition scheduled for 2029 or 2030.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773866251565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773866251565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773866251565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773866251565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37043,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/team-usa-advances-to-world-baseball-classic-semifinals-after-beating-canada-5-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":3},"title":"Team USA Advances to World Baseball Classic Semifinals After Beating Canada 5-3","author":"Admin","date":"March 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States baseball team secured a spot in the World Baseball Classic semifinals with a 5-3 victory over Canada Friday night in Houston. The win comes after the star-studded American squad suffered an unexpected defeat to Italy that nearly derailed their tournament hopes.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773511572894.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773511572894.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773511572894.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773511572894.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773511572894.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33524,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/team-usa-eyes-world-baseball-classic-title-behind-judge-and-revamped-pitching\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":4},"title":"Team USA Eyes World Baseball Classic Title Behind Judge and Revamped Pitching","author":"Admin","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Yankees captain Aaron Judge leads a star-studded U.S. roster hoping to capture their first World Baseball Classic championship since 2017. The Americans feature an upgraded pitching rotation including Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal as they seek revenge against defending champion Japan.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772916478584.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772916478584.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772916478584.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772916478584.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37949,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/team-usa-enters-wbc-final-with-different-style-than-flashy-opponents\/","url_meta":{"origin":36377,"position":5},"title":"Team USA Enters WBC Final with Different Style Than Flashy Opponents","author":"Admin","date":"March 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. baseball team is preparing for the World Baseball Classic championship game with a more reserved approach compared to their Latin American opponents' theatrical style. 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