It all comes down to this for Pool B in the World Baseball Classic.
Team Italy on Tuesday stunned the favored Team USA squad, shockingly leaving the Americans' fate up to tiebreakers while giving the Italians a chance to win the pool, a seemingly unthinkable task entering the tourney.
As such, all eyes will be on the final Pool B game between Italy (3-0) and Team Mexico (2-1) on Wednesday. Italy, Mexico and USA each have a chance to advance, but only two of these teams will move on to the quarterfinal. As a helpful guide, let's go over everything you need to know about the Italy-Mexico showdown, including information on how to watch the game and the tiebreaker rules.
Mexico vs. Italy WBC time, how to watch
Originally, the Mexico-Italy game was scheduled to be broadcasted on Tubi at 7 p.m. ET. But the stakes of the game were heightened after Team USA's loss—even Fox Sports didn't think the Americans would be in this scenario—leading to an adjustment on the network's part.
The start time for Italy-Mexico—7 p.m. ET— remains the same but on Wednesday morning, Fox Sports announced it was shifting the Italy-Mexico clash from Tubi to FS1, relegating the Dominican Republic-Venezuela clash to Tubi.
Fans can also stream the game on Fox One, the network's streaming service, which offers a seven-day free trial on its website.
WBC tiebreakers explained
If Italy defeats Mexico—regardless of the score—both Italy and Team USA would advance to the quarterfinal by merits of their records. Things get dicey if Mexico wins, for it would result in a three-way tie in Pool B. And because all three teams will have each went 1-1 in head-to-head play against each other in this scenario, the second of four escalating tiebreakers would come into play to decide who advances to the quarterfinal.
Here's that rule:
“The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the lowest quotient of fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games in that round between the teams tied.”
If that still results in a tie, the next tiebreaker involves earned runs allowed divided by defensive outs recorded in games between Italy, Mexico and the USA
Here is where the three teams stand in all relevant stats entering Wednesday's game.
| Team | Runs Allowed | ERA | Defensive Outs | RA/Def. Outs | ERA/Def. Outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 11 | 8 | 54 | 0.2037 | 0.1481 |
| Mexico | 5 | 5 | 24 | 0.2083 | 0.2083 |
| Italy | 6 | 6 | 27 | 0.2222 | 0.2222 |
Head spinning from all this math?
Here is a simpler way to look at it heading into tonight's game.
If Mexico beats Italy and scores five or more runs in nine innings, Mexico and Team USA would advance to the quarterfinal. On the other hand, if Mexico beats Italy and scores four or fewer runs in nine innings, Mexico and Italy advance.
In short, Team USA is hoping for an Italy win or a slugfest.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
- Italy vs. Mexico Live Updates: Tracking Team USA’s Chances to Advance in World Baseball Classic
- What's at Stake Entering Final Day of Pool Play at the World Baseball Classic
- There’s Another Wild Layer to the Mark DeRosa Interview Fiasco
- Here's What Team USA Needs in Italy vs. Mexico Game to Reach WBC Quarterfinals
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mexico vs. Italy: How to Watch, Start Time, WBC Tiebreakers With Team USA Explained .
