Italy Stuns the United States in the World Baseball Classic

Italy delivered a major upset in the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday with an 8–6 victory over the United States, while Canada defeated Puerto Rico 3–2 in another surprising result on the penultimate day of the group stage.

A strikeout by Greg Weissert against Aaron Judge sealed Italy’s unexpected win at Daikin Park in Houston. The European squad secured its third victory of the group stage and climbed to the top of Group B, overtaking the United States in the standings.

Home runs by Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci, and Jac Caglianone created a five-run cushion during the first four innings, setting the tone for the Italian offense.

“It was a good game for Italy,” said United States manager Mark DeRosa. “We had the right players at the plate at the right time but we simply didn’t get it done.”

“I have to give all the credit to Italy. I don’t think we came out flat — the credit belongs to them,” he added.

On the mound, right-hander Michael Lorenzen delivered a strong performance, pitching 4.2 innings while allowing just two hits and one walk.

Italy now needs a win against Mexico in its final first-round game to secure qualification for the quarterfinals as the group leader. A loss would leave the standings dependent on the run-differential tiebreaker in the event of a three-way tie.

If Italy advances, it would mark the team’s second consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Canada strikes against Puerto Rico

Canada confirmed its progress in international baseball by limiting Puerto Rico’s powerful offense to five hits while playing before a home crowd at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

“We couldn’t ask for more from our pitchers,” said manager Ernie Whitt. “We played to be in this position. We knew we wanted to win tonight, but it means nothing if we don’t win tomorrow.”

Two walks to Tyler O’Neill and Tyler Black, combined with a single from Abraham Toro, produced the three runs that secured Canada’s victory. With the win, Canada remains in contention for the top spot in Group A heading into Wednesday’s games.

The North American team needs a victory against Cuba to guarantee qualification, with both teams entering the matchup needing a win. The loser will be eliminated from the tournament.

Japan finishes with a perfect record

Japan closed the group stage with four wins in four games after defeating the Czech Republic 9–0.

The Japanese team had already secured its place in the quarterfinals and rested star Shohei Ohtani for the matchup.

Munetaka Murakami led the offense and put the game out of reach with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Japan scored all nine of its runs.

“I expected him to hit a home run, a good one, and he did,” said manager Hirokazu Ibata. “Now we are heading to the United States. We will have a few days to adjust, and I hope he keeps performing like this.”

The Czech Republic, which had allowed 30 runs in its first three games, managed to keep the defending champions scoreless for seven innings before the collapse in the eighth.

Japan will now continue its journey to Miami, where it will face either the Dominican Republic or Venezuela in the quarterfinals on Friday.