HOUSTON — A day after its manager originally proclaimed that the United States had qualified, the team effectively sealed its berth to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
The Americans got the help they needed from Italy and were able to start relaxing in the middle innings of a game they weren’t even playing in. Italy routed Mexico 9-1 on Wednesday night, giving the Azzurri first place in Group B and securing the Americans’ advancement as the second-place team.
Vinnie Pasquantino delivered the first three-homer game in World Classic history to lead the Italians’ victory. The Kansas City Royals player had a message for the Americans.
“You’re welcome, United States,” he noted. “We were thinking about you guys back at your hotel. We were thinking about you guys. So I’m glad you could join us at the party.”
Italy beat the United States 8-6 the night before. This turned Americans into mere spectators as they hoped to avoid elimination.
The Italians – with a roster full of Americans of Italian descent – finished 4-0, while the United States went 3-1.
Mexico (2-2), which lost to the United States, was eliminated from the Classic and was left without any possibility of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The Americans will stay in Houston to face Canada on Friday, which advanced beyond the first round for the first time. Italy will play Puerto Rico in the other quarterfinal matchup at Daikin Park on Saturday.
The United States, with a star-studded roster, also beat Great Britain and Brazil in the group stage.
Following the loss to Italy, United States manager Mark DeRosa answered questions about whether he thought his team had already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with Monday night’s victory over Mexico. He had made comments to that effect during a television appearance the next morning.
“A lot of respect for Italy – it’s strange – we want to win this game even though we have already secured a place in the quarterfinals, because Mexico actually plays against Italy tomorrow,” he commented in that interview. “So, the way the schedule looks, this is an important game for us.”
DeRosa noted that he expressed himself poorly in that interview and that he did not believe the team had already secured the pass.
Now that the Americans are in the quarterfinals, they know they need to win to advance to Miami.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
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