How Italy Saved the USA: WBC 2026 Survival and Coach DeRosa’s Controversial Mistake

Manager Mark DeRosa / Photo=GettyImages

By Shin Seo-young, Sports Today — Team USA, which nearly faced elimination after misreading tiebreaker scenarios, managed to scrape into the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, and manager Mark DeRosa publicly thanked Italy for making it possible.

On March 13 (Korean time), MLB.com reported that DeRosa told reporters at the official quarterfinals press conference that he was relieved the team had reached the quarterfinals.

He praised Italy’s performance, noting they went 4-0 in pool play. \”We underestimated Italy before the tournament. We don’t anymore. They’re remarkable. They saved us,\” he said.

On March 11, the U.S. fell 6-8 to Italy in the final game of Round 1, Pool B, at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. That loss left the U.S. 3-1 in Round 1 and unable to clinch a quarterfinal spot on its own.

The situation sparked controversy after it emerged that DeRosa had mistakenly suggested the team had already clinched a spot before the Italy game.

In an interview with MLB Network ahead of the Italy matchup, DeRosa said, \”Even though we’ve already clinched a quarterfinal spot, we want to win this game.\” The comment made clear he didn’t appreciate that a loss could threaten their advancement.

DeRosa also said he planned to rest several hitters against Italy. He did, in fact, omit key bats — Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman and Bryce Turang — from the starting lineup. The U.S. was scoreless through five innings, mounted a late rally but ultimately came up short.

After facing criticism, DeRosa admitted at the postgame press conference that he had miscalculated the permutations. \”I knew Mexico and Italy were playing each other,\” he said, adding that he had made a mistake while working through scenarios involving runs allowed, runs scored and outs, and that he misspoke.

The U.S., facing elimination, advanced to the quarterfinals when Italy routed Mexico 9-1 in their final game on March 12.

Team USA will face Canada in the quarterfinals on March 14. A win would set up a clash with the winner of the Korea–Dominican Republic game for a spot in the final.

DeRosa paid tribute to Italy again, saying, \”I tip my cap to the Italian team. We went into that game overconfident and learned a hard lesson. Now we need to shake it off and focus on Canada. The players are eager to get back out on the field.\”

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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