Team USA might just want to raise a cup of espresso in celebration right now.
Thanks to Italy’s impressive 9-1 win over Mexico, the United States is moving on to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
The defeat for Mexico means the Americans were spared from a complicated tie-break situation that had become quite a discussion point.
After unexpectedly falling to Italy 8-6 on Tuesday, the U.S. team is ready to regroup and refocus.
In an exciting lead-up, the U.S. and Canada will face off in the baseball quarterfinals this Friday, following their intense Olympic hockey matchups.
Italy, proving strong in Pool B with a flawless 4-0 record, is set to take on Puerto Rico in their quarterfinal match on Saturday. Vinny Pasquantino shone brightly, hitting three home runs against Mexico, setting a record as the first player to achieve that in a WBC matchup.
Before the setback, U.S. national team manager Mark DeRosa had confidently claimed on MLB Network that they were guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, which turned out to be inaccurate. He also mentioned plans to rest some players, including Yankees’ veteran Paul Goldschmidt.
Following the loss to Italy, DeRosa stood by the strategy he had proposed on TV but admitted to miscalculating the situation.
“I misspoke,” he acknowledged. “I was just chatting with some friends and completely got the numbers wrong. We knew that if Mexico lost tonight based on points and goals conceded, we would be facing Italy. I just misread the math.”
But now, it seems they’ve secured their place.
