Jack Hughes sends Team USA baseball players 'fire-up message' before WBC quarterfinal vs Canada

With different Team USA versus Team Canada matchup slated successful large sports, Jack Hughes felt it was the cleanable clip to connection immoderate encouragement. 

Team USA remained live successful the World Baseball Classic (WBC) acknowledgment to Italy’s ascendant triumph implicit Mexico connected Wednesday nighttime to decorativeness undefeated successful Pool B play successful Houston, Texas. 

After breathing a suspiration of relief, the U.S. looked astatine the docket and saw a acquainted hostile successful presumption of nationalist contention – Canada and their Pool A-winning squad that went 3-1 successful San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Jack Hughes of the United States celebrates with his nationalist emblem aft scoring their 2nd extremity successful overtime to triumph golden connected Feb. 22, 2026. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo)

So, arsenic they hole for the rivalry matchup connected Friday nighttime astatine Daikin Park, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed that Hughes reached retired to the shot players. 

"Jack Hughes sent the boys a bully small fire-up connection that I enactment retired connected their radical chat," DeRosa said during a Thursday property league up of the game.

AARON JUDGE SAYS TEAM USA BASEBALL ‘FIRED UP’ AFTER HOCKEY GOLD, WANTS TO ‘COPY’ WHAT OLYMPIC TEAMS DID

DeRosa was asked if helium was watching the men’s and women’s crystal hockey games against Canada successful the gold-medal games implicit successful Milan, wherever Hughes provided the overtime game-winner conscionable days aft Megyn Keller did the aforesaid for the American women. 

"I cognize determination are immoderate talks astir immoderate hockey jerseys being sent successful time for the guys to deterioration during BP oregon retired and astir successful the clubhouse," DeRosa added. "So yeah, reasonably alert of the golden medal tally there."

The 24-year-old Hughes whitethorn beryllium backmost with his New Jersey Devils, but he’s inactive riding precocious from his aureate goal. And Team USA skipper Aaron Judge adjacent said Hughes’ and Keller’s goals were momentum drivers for his squad. 

Aaron Judge of the United States reacts to hitting a location tally successful the 3rd inning during a World Baseball Classic Pool B crippled betwixt Mexico and the United States astatine Daikin Park connected March 9, 2026, successful Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)

"Boys were fired up," helium said connected "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier the commencement of the WBC erstwhile asked his thoughts connected Hughes’ extremity successful particular. "Hughes, man, we sent truthful galore pictures of Hughes successful the radical text. It was great.

"It’s kinda chill that it’s going to snowball into this. Just the excitement we had erstwhile I was with the Yankees, and past with the radical text, the boys were pumped up. Now, it’s WBC, we get the accidental to propulsion connected the red, white, and bluish and transcript what they did."

Judge added that it was a "special run" some the men and women had. 

Now, Team USA is hoping to person the aforesaid effect against Team Canada, which has enjoyed aboriginal occurrence successful the WBC. While they haven’t been hitting the agelong shot similar different teams successful the quarterfinals, outfielder Owen Caissie and 3rd baseman Abramam Toro are batting astatine slightest .460, and they’ve some driven location 5 runs. The Naylor brothers, Josh and Bo, person besides had a bully tournament.

Team USA leader Jack Hughes contacted his chap Americans up of their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Canada.  (GETTY)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But it’s been pitching that has acceptable the code for Team Canada, which owns a 1.50 ERA arsenic a squad – the second-best people successful the tournament, lone down Puerto Rico. 

It volition beryllium Logan Webb for the U.S. against Mike Soroka for Canada connected the mound to commencement Friday night's quarterfinal astatine 8 p.m. ET. The victor of the matchup volition caput to Miami and loanDepot parkland for the semifinals.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.