10: 00 a. m. ET — Retired pitcher james paxton will return to the mound for one final appearance in the World Baseball Classic with Team Canada. He accepted an invitation this winter and, with the WBC scheduled for this month, the timing limits his comeback to the tournament alone.
James Paxton’s role with Team Canada and likely usage
Team Canada opens pool play against Colombia and then faces Panama, and Paxton is not listed to start either of those games. Expect him to be used later in the tournament in a relief or spot-start capacity so he can cap his pitching career in a controlled setting. That offer from Team Canada does not extend beyond the WBC.
Why the winter invitation pushed Paxton back to the mound
When he was invited to join Team Canada this winter, Paxton “hadn’t picked up a baseball for over a year. ” Ready or not, that outreach created a narrow window for a finale: a short, defined commitment limited to the WBC that brought the left-hander back from retirement for a single international stint.
Career arc: Mariners, Dodgers, Red Sox and the numbers that defined him
Paxton’s 11-year MLB career produced a 73-41 record, a 3. 77 ERA and 1, 005 strikeouts in 177 starts; he announced his retirement in 2024. He missed significant time late in his career, appearing in five games or fewer each season between 2020 and 2022, and he spent his final seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. Paxton also earned a ring from the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series win before stepping away from the game.
Mike Vorel of The Seattle Times described the left-hander as “The Big Maple, ” a nickname that reflects his Canadian ties and the role he will now play for Team Canada in the WBC. For a pitcher who bounced from team to team near the end of his MLB tenure, the WBC provides a short, symbolic curtain call.
For now, james paxton’s return is tightly bounded: invited this winter, inactive for more than a year at the time of the invitation, and committed only through the WBC. Team Canada’s use of him will focus on maximizing a veteran arm without extending into a longer professional comeback.
Team Canada’s opening pool-play game against Colombia is scheduled for 2: 00 p. m. ET; Paxton is not slated to start that matchup. If he does appear later in the WBC, that outing will serve as his final professional appearance on the mound.
