USA narrowly avoids humiliating World Baseball Classic elimination as Italy beats Mexico with historic home run display from captain
Italy helped Team USA punch its ticket to the knockout stages of the World Baseball Classic with a win over Mexico on Wednesday.
The star-studded American team, featuring big hitters such as Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes, was left facing the risk of elimination from the tournament at the group stage on Wednesday.
The USA suffered an 8-6 defeat to Italy in Pool B on Wednesday night, which left them relying on the Italians to replicate the feat against Mexico on Wednesday in order to sneak through to the knockout round.
With the fate of Mark DeRosa’s players resting in the hands of the very team that humiliated them just one day earlier, the Italians handed them a lifeline and helped send them through to the quarterfinals.
As Italy sealed a commanding 9-1 win over Mexico, the Americans, who boast one of the most star-packed WBC rosters in years, snuck through and narrowly avoided embarrassment.
Vinnie Pasquantino made World Baseball Classic history when he hit his third home run in the top of the eighth inning, recording the first three-home-run game ever at the tournament.
Italy helped Team USA punch its ticket to the knockout stages of the World Baseball Classic
The USA, captained by Aaron Judge, was relying on a result from Italy after Tuesday’s loss
Pasquantino, who opened the tournament 0 for 12, homered leading off the second, sixth and eighth innings to propel Italy to the quarterfinals for a third time and the second tournament in a row. Jon Berti also homered for Italy to help build a big lead early.
Pasquantino celebrated with an espresso shot from the dugout machine after each homer, Italy´s fitting celebration after home runs.
He tried to bunt on his first pitch, then homered to the first row of the right-field seats off Javier Assad in the second inning. Berti’s shot to to left doubled the lead in the fourth.
Dante Nori’s run-scoring sacrifice bunt extended the lead in a three-run fifth capped by Jakob Marsee´s two-run single for a 5-0 lead.
Pasquantino homered starting the sixth against Daniel Duarte and again off Robert Garcia in the eighth.
Winner Aaron Nola allowed four hits and struck out five in five scoreless innings. Assad took the loss, permitting four runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Mexico loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but managed just one run on a groundout by Alek Thomas.
A narrow Mexico win would’ve sent the Americans packing. Instead, they’re moving on and will face northern neighbor Canada in the quarterfinals on Friday in Houston.
Vinnie Pasquantino made World Baseball Classic history when he hit his third home run
Jon Berti, pictured celebrating, also homered for Italy to help build a big lead early on
Canada advanced past the first round of the World Baseball Classic for the first time, beating Cuba 7-2 Wednesday in a winner-take-all game at San Juan, Puerto Rico, behind Abraham Toro’s homer and Otto Lopez’s two-run single.
Italy, which finished atop Pool B with a sterling 4-0 record, will play Puerto Rico in its quarterfinal matchup on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s loss eliminated it from qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a disappointment for a team that finished third in the 2023 WBC, losing to eventual champion Japan in the semifinals.
USA manager DeRosa had erroneously claimed that the Americans had already sealed their place in the knockouts before they even faced Italy earlier this week.
‘Ton of respect for Italy – it’s weird – we want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals because Mexico plays Italy actually tomorrow,’ DeRosa told MLB Network hours before the sloppy upset defeat on Tuesday.
DeRosa was right about the schedule: Mexico and Italy did wrap up Pool B play on Wednesday.
He was, however, wrong about Team USA having its ‘ticket punched’ for the quarterfinals. In fact, following Tuesday’s comedy of errors (the Americans had two, leading to three runs for the Italians), DeRosa’s club was left relying on Italy to beat Mexico in order to advance.
