In their first game of the 2023 tournament, Team Canada made up for lost time in the nation's first World Baseball Classic appearance since 2013, destroying Team Great Britain, 18-8, and forcing the eight-run mercy rule into effect after just the top of the seventh inning. Team Canada center fielder Tyler O'Neill stole the show, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, collecting four RBI in the process. Noteworthy, the combined 26 runs scored in the abridged contest set a World Baseball Classic record for runs scored in a single contest.