The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9 with Dominican Republic vs. Israel taking place in Miami at LoanDepot Park.

‘We haven’t achieved anything yet. Our goal is to win this tournament,’ Dominican manager Albert Pujols told reporters after his team’s win on Sunday. ‘When you get the trophy, then you can speak about the different matches and the emotions and stuff.

‘But so far, we have to face important teams, and our goal is to stay focused on winning and to obtain the victory for our country.’

Keep up with the latest scores and news all the way through the grand finale in Miami to decide the WBC championship. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter to get the biggest storylines straight to your inbox.

Here’s everything you need to tune into Monday’s action.

See the full tournament schedule here .

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Dominican Republic vs. Israel: How to watch on Monday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 10:14 p.m.

• Matchup: Dominican Republic vs. Israel
• Time: 12 p.m.
• Location: Miami (LoanDepot Park)
• TV: FS1
• Streaming: FOX One App

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

How the 2026 World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

• Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
• Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
• Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
• Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

• Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
• Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
• Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
• Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
• Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.

He picked one with the boxing establishment a long time ago. Then he added fuel to the fire Sunday, March 8.

During a press conference after Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision to become the first champion of White’s Zuffa Boxing, he belittled those running the sport as “rinky dink’’ and inept enough for him to make some startling predictions.

‘I’m going to sign everybody we think has the potential to be a world champion or that is potentially the best in the world,” he declared.

Lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, are they on that list, a reporter asked.

‘I’m going to (expletive) sign everybody,” White replied, later adding, ‘All the biggest guys are going to be here.”

As the UFC’s CEO, White already controls mixed martial arts. He clearly intends to do the same thing with boxing. Even though Opetaia is the lone star White has signed to date.

But remember, Zuffa Boxing is only four right into its existence. And White likely is working with a blank check after partnering with Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

Now about that rant, White said, ‘Listen, this sport is broken for a reason. Everybody is a bunch of rinky dink. I mean, it’s the most (expletive) rinky dink thing that I have ever seen in my life. I don’t know why I expected more from any of these people. But, boy, let me tell you what, (stuff’s) about to get good.’’

Zuffa Boxing is in good position thanks to its deal with Paramount+, which this year became the streaming home not only for the UFC, but also Zuffa Boxing. Which launched in January and only four fight cards into its existence.

Yet clearly White was irritated with the IBF – one of boxing’s four sanctioning bodies. On Friday, the IBF abruptly announced it was reversing its plan to sanction the fight between Opetaia and Glanton. Not only that, the IBF stripped its cruiserweight title from Opetaia. It looked like a low blow. Or in MMA vernacular, an eye poke.

The move seemed designed to undermine the value of Zuffa Boxing’s new belt, strapped around Opetaia after his victory Sunday. But maybe nothing more than another belt, further diluting world championships?

“I would say that’s ridiculous,” White said. ‘So what we’re doing is, all the guys that fight for us, that will be the belt. There won’t be any other belts. We’ll have some situations where Jai wanted to fight for the IBF (belt). But this is all just getting started.”

Just the beginning.

And the end White’s blast-boxing rant.

For now.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9, with seven games capped off by the highly-anticipated United States vs. Mexico matchup at 8 p.m. ET.

Things get underway in Tokyo with South Korea and Australia facing off in a pivotal Pool C game. Midday games include Dominican Republic-Israel, Colombia-Panama and the final Pool B game for Great Britain and Brazil, both 0-3.

Unbeaten entering Monday, Cuba and Puerto Rico face off and Venezuela plays Nicaragua at 7 p.m ET before the USA-Mexico showdown at Daikin Park in Houston.

National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes starts for Team USA for Mexico, a WBC debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates ace. The top two teams from each of the four pools advance to the quarterfinals, which begin on March 13.

Here’s a look at the full slate:

Buy 2026 WBC tickets

World Baseball Classic scores on March 9

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

• 6 a.m. – South Korea vs. Australia, Tokyo (Tokyo Dome) on FS1
• 12 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Israel, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on FS1
• 12 p.m. – Colombia vs. Panama, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS2
• 1 p.m. – Brazil vs. Great Britain, Houston (Daikin Park) on Tubi
• 7 p.m. – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS1
• 7 p.m. – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on FS2
• 8 p.m. – Mexico vs. USA, Houston (Daikin Park) on Fox

Australia controls its destiny vs. Korea

After an agonizingly close loss to defending champion Japan a day earlier, Australia can secure a spot in the WBC quarterfinals by defeating Korea in both teams’ final game in Pool C.

However, a win by Korea could cause chaos − and a three-way tie with Taiwan for the pool’s second berth in the next round. The tie would be broken by a formula of total runs scored in common games divided by defensive outs recorded. Entering the game, Australia projects to have roughly a four-run advantage in those calculations.

How the World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

• Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
• Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
• Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
• Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

• Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
• Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
• Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
• Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
• Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.

All four of the Power 4 Conference Women’s Tournament champions from last season had a chance to defend their titles on Sunday.

Half got the job done as Duke pushed past Louisville in overtime in the ACC and UCLA pummeled Iowa in the Big Ten. TCU fell to West Virginia in the Big 12 and South Carolina lost to Texas in a rematch of last season’s SEC championship.

The Gamecocks’ loss also likely knocks them down to the fourth No. 1 seed, having lost to the Longhorns ― who would move into the three after UConn and UCLA, respectively.

As winners of their conference tournaments, the Blue Devils, Bruins, Longhorns and Horned Frogs earn automatic bids into March Madness. While the runners-up in each Power 4 conference will also be shoo-ins, every other team will have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday on March 15 to see if they received at-large bid.

Here are the winners and losers from ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC women’s tournaments.

Winners

Texas coach Vic Schaefer

Vic Schaefer was 0-8 against Dawn Staley in the postseason entering this year’s SEC Tournament. He put a tally in the win column on Sunday as his Longhorns led wire-to-wire in a double-digit win over the Gamecocks, giving Texas its first SEC Championship. The Texas victory will likely vault the Longhorns to the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, giving them a good chance to play in their home state — at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena — in the regional round during the second weekend of March Madness. With SEC Tournament MVP Madison Booker leading the way, few teams will want to land in Texas’ quadrant of the bracket. In addition to two wins over South Carolina, Texas also already owns a win over fellow national title contender UCLA. — Mitchell Northam

Duke shows resilience

Duke winning back-to-back ACC Tournament championships and punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament is a massive win for head coach Kara Lawson and the program. The Blue Devils were gritty when it counted most, despite losing two of their last three games prior to the tournament. They grinded out wins against Notre Dame and Louisville to hoist another ACC trophy. Duke also started the season 3-6, something Lawson says she’ll probably think about for the rest of her life. ‘It’s very special for this group to kind of complete the journey in the ACC because everyone knows about our start, Lawson said. ‘But I’m very proud of that. I’m proud of where we started, even though it was hard, and I’m proud of where we got to. And when you look at this team, we had to figure out who we were. We didn’t know that at the beginning.’ — Meghan L. Hall

UCLA marches into tournament on hot streak 

The one-loss Bruins will enter the tournament on a 25-game win streak after defeating Iowa, 96-45, in the Big Ten championship game. The No. 2 team in the nation went 21-0 in conference play, winning 20 of those games by double digits. The Bruins also have 18 Quad 1 wins this season. Led by its five upperclassmen starters (Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Lauren Betts), UCLA has been on a mission to return to the Final Four. Coach Cori Close’s team will have momentum on its side and redemption on its mind after suffering a blowout loss to UConn in the semifinal last year. ― Josh Heron

West Virginia securing NCAA Tournament hosting duties

West Virginia’s first Big 12 championship since 2017 all but secures its place in the top 16, which earns them the right to host the first and second rounds of March Madness in Morgantown. The Mountaineers entered the Big 12 Tournament teetering around the top 16 seeds due to their lack of Quad 1 wins, but West Virginia didn’t leave the decision up to the selection committee. The Mountaineers took their destiny into their own hands and picked up a huge Quad 1 win against TCU on Sunday. West Virginia hasn’t hosted at the NCAA Tournament since 2014. The team is 14-3 at home this season.

“Hopefully this got us over the hump,” WVU coach Mark Kellogg said. “I can only imagine… how electric Hope Coliseum would be if we were able to host some NCAA Tournament games. So come on NCAA, do what you’re supposed to do and get that thing to Morgantown for us.” — Cydney Henderson

Arizona State coming off the bubble

Arizona State was one of the teams with the most to gain at the Big 12 women’s tournament. The Sun Devils entered the tournament on the bubble as one of the first four teams out, according to USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology, but they likely did enough to go dancing for the first time since 2019. Arizona State secured wins over Arizona and Iowa State before falling short against West Virginia in the quarterfinal round. The Sun Devils improved to 24-10 on the season, the team’s most wins since the 2015-16 season (26). No power 4 conference women’s basketball team with 24 or more wins has been left out of March Madness. “Out of all the bubble teams, we’ve had the most good wins. We’ve won 24 games … half of those games, 12 of them are top 100 wins and we’ve won nine on the road. So we can win anywhere,” first-year head coach Molly Miller said. — Cydney Henderson

Clemson’s NCAA Tournament hopes

Before the ACC tournament, Clemson was a bubble team. After beating Virginia in the second round of the ACC Tournament, the Tigers effectively punched their ticket to March Madness. ‘We kind of took this as our season is on the line. We felt like a win [against Virginia] would get us in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way out, ‘ Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie said after the Tigers defeated the Hokies in the second round of the ACC Tournament.’ That’s how they focused and fought and competed. But ultimately that’s just basketball. How you start and how you finish quarters.’ — Meghan L. Hall

Kansas State and Jordan Speiser

Call Kansas State women’s basketball the comeback kids. Kansas State pulled out a comeback upset win against Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals on Friday to become the first No. 12 seed to advance to the semifinals in Big 12 Tournament history.

One day earlier, Kansas State went on a 21-0 run to defeat Texas Tech 58-51 in the second round on Thursday. The day before that, Kansas State set a new Big 12 Tournament record with 17 made 3-pointers against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

They couldn’t muster another comeback against No. 1 TCU, but Kansas State put the league on notice and freshman guard Jordan Speiser emerged as a breakout star. Speiser was 16-of 33 from the 3-point line through four games at the tournament.

“This team has had a knack for the dramatic wins,” head coach Jeff Mittie said on Friday. It feels great to be playing basketball in March.” — Cydney Henderson

Duke guard Taina Mair

If anyone was unfamiliar with Taina Mair’s game before the ACC Tournament, she just put the whole country on notice. Mair was the go-to player for Duke in crunch time, often settling the team down or providing a much-needed score. She also crashed the glass, despite being one of the smaller players on the court, and she was a pest defensively, totaling eight steals in the tournament. Mair was rewarded with ACC Tournament MVP honors. ‘Before this conference [tournament], I knew I’d play a big pivotal role if we wanted to get to this championship, we wanted to win,’ Mair told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I was in the gym, early in the morning and late at night, just trying to get shots up and trying to be the player that I can for everybody.’ — Meghan L. Hall

Losers

Vanderbilt and Mikayla Blakes

The Commodores entered the SEC Tournament with a chance to play their way into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was also an opportunity for Mikayla Blakes to make her case for National Player of the Year. Vanderbilt did neither of those things as they were blown out in the quarterfinals by Ole Miss, a game in which Blakes opened by shooting 0-of-10 from the floor before recovering in the second half to finish with 24 points. The Commodores didn’t play with any fire until SEC Coach of the Year Shea Ralph was ejected early in the fourth quarter after delivering a curse-word-laced message to a referee. Vanderbilt will be stuck on the two-line in March Madness now, and their path to a Final Four will likely have to go through UConn or UCLA. — Mitchell Northam

Iowa without one of its ‘main’ threats 

Iowa missed Taylor McCabe in its 96-45 Big Ten championship loss to UCLA on Sunday. The senior guard was averaging 8.1 points per game before she tore ACL in her left knee in a late January matchup against Ohio State. McCabe’s 40.7% career 3-point shooting average is tied for the best in program history. Iowa shot 22% from beyond the arc against the Bruins. After Sunday’s defeat, Iowa coach Jan Jensen acknowledged the impact of not having McCabe. “[McCabe] was my main outside scoring threat,” Jensen said. “Every play call was pretty much designed around her.” ― Josh Heron

Louisville in the ACC title game

For the 12th consecutive season under Jeff Walz, the Cardinals reached the quarterfinals or better in the ACC Tournament ― something no other conference team has achieved. The overtime loss to Duke, in what would have been the program’s first championship since 2018, is going to sting for a while. The Cardinals controlled Sunday’s game but could not sustain their defensive consistency in the final two minutes of regulation, when the Blue Devils made them pay. The Cardinals ran out of steam in overtime allowing Duke to dictate the game. Riley Nelson sank a dagger triple to put the Blue Devils up five in the final moments. The Cardinals defense all honed in on one side of the court, leaving Nelson alone to end their title hopes. That has to feel like a gut punch for a team that expected to win the ACC Tournament championship. — Meghan L. Hall

TCU and its chance at a No. 2 seed

TCU failed to defend its Big 12 title against West Virginia and missed a prime opportunity to snag a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. TCU was held to 53 points in the title loss, the team’s second-lowest point total of the season, and some glaring concerns emerged. Ball security is one. The Horned Frogs committed 16 and 11 turnovers in the semifinal and final, respectively. The 11 turnovers against West Virginia led to 15 points for the Mountaineers. The Horned Frogs were also hampered by foul trouble. Olivia Miles picked up three fouls in the first half and Marta Suarez fouled out with 1:30 left in the final. TCU needs both players on the court during March Madness. — Cydney Henderson

Michigan State and Maryland home hopes

The Spartans and Terrapins entered the weekend looking like they would be among the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and host the first two rounds of March Madness. Instead both teams were upset in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, with No. 13 Maryland losing to Oregon and No. 17 Michigan State to Illinois. The early exits left the door open for West Virginia, in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament, and North Carolina, to host. — Heather Burns

Iowa State and Audi Crooks

Iowa State got bounced in its Big 12 tournament opening matchup by Arizona State, a team the Cyclones soundly  defeated 90-64 just two weeks prior. Iowa State was held to 68 points in the loss, nearly 15 points below their average, and shot a dismal 7-of-36 from the 3-point line (19%), well below the team’s 34.7% average. Arizona State’s suffocating defense deserves credit. They held Audi Crooks to four first-quarter points and forced the Cyclones into 14 turnovers, which could serve as a playbook for the rest of the nation. Crooks said the Cyclones wanted to be monsters in March, but they looked toothless against the Sun Devils. — Cydney Henderson

Multiple sources familiar with the Scarlet Knights’ search told USA TODAY Sports that Rutgers is planning to hire LSU assistant coach Gary Redus II. A deal could be finalized this week.

Redus, 36, has never been a head coach in Division I women’s college basketball before. He’s been on Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU since the 2022-23 season, which ended with the Tigers winning the national championship over Iowa.

From 2021 through June 2025, Rutgers’ president William F. Tate IV was the president of the LSU system. Additionally, Rutgers’ athletic director Keli Zinn was the deputy athletic director at LSU from 2022 through July 2025. Both Zinn and Tate had front row seats as Redus recruited high school All-Americans for Mulkey and helped build rosters that have piled up boatloads of wins. Since winning the national title, LSU has gone to back-to-back Elite Eights and is projected to be a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Rutgers’ search for a new head coach was a quick one. The Scarlet Knights fired former coach Coquese Washington last Monday after four seasons in which she accumulated a record of 42-84. This season’s 1-17 record in conference play was Rutgers’ worst mark ever in the Big Ten.

According to multiple sources, Rutgers had also been targeting Rhode Island head coach Tammi Reiss. A New York native, an All-American guard at Virginia, and a former Syracuse assistant coach, Reiss has a record of 138-72 in seven seasons leading the Rams. She’s guided Rhode Island to a pair of Atlantic-10 regular season titles and just won the A-10 Tournament on Sunday night. However, Reiss’ buyout at Rhode Island would be north of $600,000, according to a copy of her contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Sources also said one of the first calls Rutgers made was to Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, who declined to interview for the position. Thibault-DuDonis — the daughter of former WNBA head coach Mike Thibault who won a championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019 — has taken Fairfield to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and has won 79.4% of her games in four seasons there. The 34-year-old was previously an assistant at Minnesota and Mississippi State. She has turned down several Power 4 jobs in recent years.

Redus does not have a buyout of his contract at LSU if he leaves the Tigers for a head coaching job. He is represented by Klutch Sports, the agency founded by LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul.

Under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer — who retired in 2022 — Rutgers was a consistent winner in women’s basketball, going to two Final Fours and winning four Big East titles. Between 1998 and 2021, they went to 17 NCAA tournaments. Stringer also led the Scarlet Knights to a WNIT championship in 2014.

Before joining Mulkey’s staff, Redus previously worked as assistant at SMU, Vanderbilt and Division II Delta State. He played college basketball at South Alabama and professionally overseas for a few years. He is the son of a former MLB outfielder, Gary Redus Sr., who played 13 major-league seasons.

While he has never been a head coach, Redus has garnered a reputation as an ace recruiter, talent evaluator, and developer of guards. Last year, he helped LSU land four five-star recruits, a group that includes Grace Knox, Bella Hines and ZaKiyah Johnson, all key contributors to the Tigers this season. In 2020, while he was the recruiting coordinator for Stephanie White at Vanderbilt, he was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 30 under 30 list.

Puerto Rico and Panama needed extra innings to decide the winner of their Pool A World Baseball Classic matchup on Saturday.

Darell Hernáiz made the difference in Puerto Rico’s 4-3 victory with a walk-off home run against Severino Gonzalez.

Hernáiz faced a 1-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning before sending the ball to left field.

Panama built a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning before Puerto Rico answered with runs in the sixth and ninth innings to tie the game at 2-2.

Panama added another run in the 10th inning to take the lead for a second time before PR added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by Hernáiz’s blast.

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.

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