Italy pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Baseball Classic history on Tuesday night, downing a heavily favored Team USA squad, 8–6.
The Italians jumped on starter Nolan McLean for three runs, and the U.S. didn’t help itself after that. Italy got home runs from Kyle Teel, Jac Caglianone and Sam Antonacci to open a 5–0 lead, then an error from Brad Keller in the sixth inning opened the door for three more runs. Suddenly, Team USA was down 8–0 in the top of the sixth.
While the Americans tried to stage a late comeback, it fell short. The lineup was able to pile on six unanswered runs and even got Aaron Judge to the plate representing the tying run in the ninth inning, only to watch the team captain strike out to end the game. Now the U.S. will have to sit back and hope for some help to put it in the knockout round.
ITALY FINISHES THE UPSET!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 11, 2026
Aaron Judge strikes out and Italy gets the W! pic.twitter.com/78Q0eTdmC1
Here are our three takeaways from the game.
Team USA underwhelmed in pool play
We all heard how loaded this United States squad was. On paper, it was the best team the country has ever sent to the World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, the squad didn’t live up to the hype in pool play.
Yes, the Americans beat Brazil 15–5, but they needed eight runs in the final two innings to make that game look like a blowout. Great Britain also held them scoreless until the fifth inning of their matchup that ended with a 9–1 U.S. victory. Against Mexico, the Americans scored five runs in the third inning, then were held scoreless for the next five in a 5–3 win.
That scoreless streak that began against Mexico stretched into the matchup with Italy and ran to 10 1/3 innings before Gunnar Henderson’s solo home run in the sixth inning.
Team USA’s offense has not been what we were all expecting and hasn’t produced as it should have. Now, the U.S. is on the brink of elimination as a result.
Italy has a chance to win this thing
Italy has the roster and pitching to win the World Baseball Classic and has to be taken seriously now. The Italians were a fun story at the start of pool play, but they’re a legitimate threat.
Michael Lorenzen was brilliant as the starter Tuesday night, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings, while allowing two hits and walking one. The Rockies righty set the tone and left the game with a 5–0 lead.
Italy’s lineup has plenty of punch and didn’t even show all of it on Tueday night. The top three of Jakob Marsee, Jon Berti and Vinnie Pasquantino combined to go 0-for-14, while the top five hitters went 0-for-22. And the Italians still scored eight runs.
The 6-7-8 hitters, represented by Teel—then J.J. D’Orazio after Teel left with an injury—Jac Caglianone and Sam Antonacci combined to go 6-for-8 with three home runs, two walks, five RBIs and all eight runs scored.
Italy also has a bullpen stocked with major league arms that can shut opponents down. This team has the goods.
The U.S. needs another Italy win or a high-scoring Pool B finale to advance out of group play
After all that hype, the U.S. will be lucky to advance out of group play.
The Americans are now 3–1 in the group and have scored 35 runs while allowing 17. Italy is 3–0 and Mexico is 2–1. If Italy beats Mexico on Wednesday, the U.S. will advance as the second-place team in Pool B. If Mexico wins, things will get interesting.
In that scenario, all three teams will be tied at 3–1, with the U.S. having beaten Mexico, Italy having beaten the U.S. and Mexico beating Italy. That will send things to the second tiebreaker, which is runs allowed per defensive outs between the three teams.
The U.S. has allowed 11 runs in 18 innings to Mexico and Italy. Italy has currently allowed six to the U.S. in nine innings, and Mexico has allowed five in eight frames to the U.S. If Mexico beats Italy, it will need to score at least five runs to secure the U.S. a place in the next round.
The U.S. is either hoping for an Italy win or a high-scoring Mexico win. The Americans will be watching with bated breath tomorrow night and likely wondering how they no longer control their own destiny.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Italy 8, USA 6: How U.S. Lost and Could Be Eliminated From World Baseball Classic.
