The World Baseball Network experts may have tipped Adam Hall’s Canada side to sweep Pool A and march into the quarterfinals, but a resilient Panama team had other ideas at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium. In a group where every side has now received backing to advance, Canada’s hopes suffered a significant blow as they were edged out 4-3 following a decisive and messy sixth inning.
Early on, it appeared as though Canada would justify their pre-tournament hype. After an opening 8-2 win over Colombia, they carried that momentum into the second inning when Abraham Toro drove in Otto Lopez with an RBI double. Although Panama leveled the score in the fourth, Canada looked firmly in control by the bottom half of the same inning, as Denzel Clarke connected for a single to plate Bo Naylor and restore a 2-1 lead.
The game turned on its head in the top of the sixth when Canada’s manager, Ernie Whitt, turned to veteran southpaw James Paxton. The 37-year-old, whose last Major League appearance came in 2024, struggled to find his rhythm. The situation unraveled rapidly as Panama loaded the bases, eventually taking the lead when pinch-hitter Ruben Tejada poked a bases-loaded infield single.
The disaster was compounded by a throwing error from Paxton himself, who overthrew catcher Bo Naylor while attempting to manage a relay from the outfield. Enrique Bradfield Jr.—the Baltimore Orioles’ prized speedster—then capitalized on the confusion, legging out a bunt for an RBI infield single that skipped toward second baseman Edouard Julien to extend the Panama lead to 4-2.
Canada launched a desperate late-inning offensive, fueled by Owen Caissie, who cut the deficit to a single run with an RBI double in the eighth. However, the comeback fell silent in the ninth as Panama closer Dario Agrazal shut the door, leaving Canada with a 1-1 record heading into a high-stakes showdown with host nation Puerto Rico.
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