Team USA’s perfect run at the World Baseball Classic came to an end Tuesday night, falling 8-6 to Italy in a result that’s shaken up the entire Pool B standings.
The Americans entered the game riding high after Monday’s historic 5-3 victory over Mexico — their first win against their rival in 20 years. Paul Skenes dominated on the mound with four innings of one-hit ball and seven strikeouts, while Aaron Judge and Roman Anthony went yard in the third to break that drought dating back to the 2006 tournament.
But that momentum didn’t carry over against Italy at Daikin Park.
The Italians jumped all over Team USA’s pitching staff early, building an 8-0 lead by the middle of the sixth inning. Jac Caglianone and Sam Antonacci led the charge with home runs that had the Italian dugout celebrating like they’d already won the whole thing.
Team USA tried to mount a comeback behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, who launched two home runs in the late innings. But it wasn’t enough to overcome that early deficit.
Now both teams sit at 3-1, and the group championship is up for grabs. The U.S. no longer controls its own destiny for the top seed and will have to wait to see where they land in the quarterfinal bracket — assuming they advance at all.
It’s a reality check for a team that looked unstoppable through its first three games. Sometimes baseball humbles you when you least expect it.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F | |
| Italy | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Team USA Box Score
Hitting
| Order | Hitter | Position | H-AB | R | HR | RBI | AVG |
| 1 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .357 |
| 2 | Gunnar Henderson | 3B | 1-5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| 3 | Aaron Judge | RF | 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| 4 | Kyle Schwarber | DH | 1-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .375 |
| 5 | Will Smith | C | 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| 6 | Roman Anthony | LF | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| 7 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 1-3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| 8 | Ernie Clement | CF | 0-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Brice Turang | PH | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .417 | |
| 9 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | 2B | 2-4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .300 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | ER | BB | K | PC-ST | ERA |
| Nolan McLean | 3.0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 55-34 | 9.00 |
| Ryan Yarbrough | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 34-22 | 9.00 |
| Brad Keller | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17-8 | 0.00 |
| Griffin Speier | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12-9 | 4.50 |
| David Bednar | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24-17 | 0.00 |
| Mason Miller | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10-9 | 0.00 |
Italy Box Score
Hitting
| Order | Hitter | Position | H-AB | R | HR | RBI | AVG |
| 1 | Jakob Marsee | CF | 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| 2 | Jon Berti | 2B | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| 3 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 4 | Dominic Canzone | DH | 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .154 |
| 5 | Zach Dezenzo | 3B | 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| 6 | Kyle Teel | C | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .667 |
| J.J. D’Orazio | PH | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .600 | |
| 7 | Jac Caglianone | RF | 2-2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| 8 | Sam Antonacci | SS | 1-3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .286 |
| 9 | Dante Nori | LF | 0-3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | ER | BB | K | PC-ST | ERA |
| Michael Lorenzen | 4.2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 67-39 | 0.00 |
| Dan Altavilla | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5-3 | 9.00 |
| Joey La Sorsa | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19-11 | 4.50 |
| Alek Jacob | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11-7 | 10.80 |
| Matt Festa | 0.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17-12 | 5.40 |
| Ron Marinaccio | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16-10 | 6.75 |
| Greg Weissart | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12-9 | 0.00 |
What’s most concerning for Team USA is how their pitching got exposed. Nolan McLean and Ryan Yarbrough both posted 9.00 ERAs in the loss, while Italy’s Michael Lorenzen kept the American bats quiet through nearly five innings.
The silver lining? Crow-Armstrong’s breakout performance with four RBIs showed the offensive depth is there when needed. But now Team USA faces questions about their pitching staff heading into the elimination rounds.
Italy’s victory sets up a wild finish to pool play, with seeding implications that could affect the entire tournament bracket. For a team that was supposed to cruise through the group stage, the Americans suddenly find themselves in uncharted territory.
