The Cuban baseball team was officially eliminated from the VI World Baseball Classic on Wednesday after falling to Canada 7-2 in a winner-take-all matchup played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The loss marks an unprecedented first-round exit for a program historically known for its deep tournament runs.

The contest proved to be a stark demonstration of Cuba's offensive limitations and defensive vulnerabilities. Manager Germán Mesa's lineup adjustments failed to produce the expected results, as the squad managed only five hits, struck out 13 times, and committed three fielding errors — deficiencies that Canada exploited with efficiency throughout the afternoon.

Canada seized the momentum in the third inning, stringing together two singles alongside a passed ball by catcher Andrys Pérez and a sacrifice fly to take an early lead off starter Liván Moinelo, who worked 3.2 innings, surrendering four hits, recording four strikeouts, and issuing three walks.

In the fifth inning, Abraham Toro launched a home run off reliever Yariel Rodríguez. Cuba responded in the bottom half of that same frame when Yoel Yanqui drew a walk and reached third base on a throwing error by the pitcher, then scored on a groundball by Yoelquis Guibert to cut the deficit.

However, Canada put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with a three-run sequence fueled by a Bo Naylor double and an RBI single from Otto López, driving Yariel Rodríguez from the mound. The Canadians added a sixth run in the eighth against Yoán López following two outs on a walk and subsequent hits, then closed the scoring in the ninth against Raidel Martínez with back-to-back singles.

Cuba squandered its most promising opportunity in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the bases loaded and scoring only once — on Roel Santos, who had reached on a walk. Yoán Moncada contributed a double, Ariel Martínez drove in a run with his third hit of the afternoon, and Yanqui drew another walk, but Alfredo Despaigne and Yiddi Cappe both struck out to end the threat. A similar scenario unfolded in the seventh, when Omar Hernández drew a walk and advanced to third on a hit and a shortstop throwing error, only for pinch hitter Erisbel Arruebarrena and Moncada to be retired on strikeouts.

Canada's starter, Cal Quantrill, maximized his 65-pitch limit for the round, tossing five solid innings — allowing two hits, striking out five, and issuing one walk — before handing the ball to a bullpen that effectively managed the remainder of the contest.

With the result finalized, Canada claimed the top spot in the group with a 3-1 record, followed by host nation Puerto Rico at the same mark, the standings decided by the head-to-head matchup between the two sides. Cuba finished third at 2-2, ahead of Colombia and Panama, both sitting at 1-3.

The outcome stands in stark contrast to Cuba's performance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when the team rebounded from an 0-2 start to win two consecutive games and secure a quarterfinal berth. This time, there was no such comeback.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Group B's final classification is set to be determined Wednesday evening, with Italy entering at 3-0, while Mexico and the United States both stand at 2-1. In Group D, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela — already qualified at 3-0 — will play to determine seeding. Japan and South Korea have already secured their quarterfinal spots from Group C, played in Asia, and are traveling to the United States for the tournament's concluding stage.