World Baseball Classic fans react to Team Canada defeating Team Great Britain via mercy rule in highest scoring WBC game ever: "Game of the year"

A marathon World Baseball Classic game between Team Canada and Team Great Britain ended via the mercy rule, with Team Canada taking the win. The final score was 18-8, the most runs every scored in a WBC game. The game lasted three hours and 38 minutes, ending in the seventh inning.

Runs were coming often and in bunches in this game that never seemed to let up. It was a disastrous start for Team Canada, who hoped their ace Cal Quantrill could shut down the Team Great Britain offense entirely. Instead, he gave up a quick three runs and was yanked in the first inning. Thankfully, Team Canada answered quickly by scoring five runs in the first inning. They never gave up the lead again.

The World Baseball Classic shared the final score of a truly unforgettable game to Twitter.

This game had just about everything one could ask for from the international tournament. Other than dominant pitching and sound defense, that is. The 26 runs scored set a World Baseball Classic record that isn't likely to be broken anytime soon. The game also lent credence to MLB's new pitch clock considering the length of the game.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman proved to be a consistent offensive weapon for Team Canada. Seattle Mariners' top pitching prospect Matt Brash came in to close out the game in the seventh inning and secured the mercy rule win. A game like this is an aberration, so be wary of drawing too many conclusions from it.

This was a fascinating matchup considering neither of these countries are particularly known for baseball. Canada is most often identified with hockey, while Great Britain is synonymous with soccer. The World Baseball Classic bringing these unlikely opponents together in an unfamiliar sport is what the tournament is all about.

This game will be remembered by everybody who watched it for its wild twists and turns and non-stop offense.

How far can Team Canada go in the World Baseball Classic?

World Baseball Classic Pool C: Great Britain v Canada

Team Canada are not expected to win the whole thing, but they could be a surprisingly great team. With Freeman leading the offense and a solid pitching staff, they could pull off a few upsets. Especially if Quantrill is able to put this game behind him and dominate the way he was expected to.

A team that nobody thought much of just scored 18 runs in a single game, leading to the only use of the mercy rule so far.