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With another matchup between Team USA and Team Canada scheduled in major sports, Jack Hughes felt it was the perfect time to offer some encouragement.
Team USA stayed alive in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) thanks to Italy’s dominant victory over Mexico on Wednesday night to finish undefeated in Pool B in Houston, Texas.
After breathing a sigh of relief, the United States looked at the schedule and saw a familiar opponent in terms of domestic competition: Canada and its Group A winning team that finished 3-1 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Jack Hughes of the United States celebrates with his national flag after scoring his second goal in overtime to win gold on February 22, 2026. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo)
So, as they prepare for Friday night’s rivalry showdown at Daikin Park, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed that Hughes reached out to the baseball players.
“Jack Hughes sent the guys a nice little excited message that I posted in their group chat,” DeRosa said during a press conference Thursday before the game.
AARON JUDGE SAYS US BASEBALL TEAM ‘ON’ AFTER HOCKEY GOLD, WANTS TO ‘COPY’ WHAT OLYMPIC TEAMS DID
DeRosa was asked if he was watching the men’s and women’s ice hockey games against Canada in the gold medal games in Milan, where Hughes provided the winning goal in overtime just days after Megyn Keller did the same for the U.S. women.
“I know there’s some talk about sending out some hockey jerseys tomorrow for the guys to wear during practice or in the clubhouse,” DeRosa added. “So yeah, pretty aware of the gold medal race there.”
Hughes, 24, may be back with his New Jersey Devils, but he’s still high on his gold goal. And Team USA captain Aaron Judge even said Hughes and Keller’s goals boosted his team.
Aaron Judge of the United States reacts by hitting a home run in the third inning during a Group B game of the World Baseball Classic between Mexico and the United States at Daikin Park on March 9, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)
“The guys were excited,” he said on “The Pat McAfee Show” before the start of the WBC when asked what he thought about Hughes’ goal in particular. “Hughes, man, we sent a lot of pictures of Hughes in the group text. It was great.
“It’s cool that this snowballed. Just the excitement we had when I was with the Yankees, and then with the group text, the guys got fired up. Now, it’s the WBC, we get a chance to wear the red, white and blue and copy what they did.”
Judge added that it was a “special career” that both men and women had.
Now, Team USA hopes to get the same result against Team Canada, which has enjoyed early success in the WBC. While they haven’t hit the long ball like other teams in the quarterfinals, outfielder Owen Caissie and third baseman Abramam Toro are hitting at least .460, and both have driven in five runs. The Naylor brothers, Josh and Bo, have also had a good tournament.
Team USA hero Jack Hughes reached out to his fellow Americans ahead of the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals against Canada. (GETTY)
But it has been the pitching that has set the tone for the Canadian team, which has a 1.50 ERA as a team, the second best mark in the tournament, only behind Puerto Rico.
It will be Logan Webb of the United States against Mike Soroka of Canada on the mound to begin Friday night’s quarterfinals at 8 pm ET. The winner of the confrontation will travel to Miami and give up Depot Park for the semifinals.
