By KRISTIE RIEKEN
Updated 9:03 PM PDT, March 11, 2026
HOUSTON (AP) — A day later than anticipated by their manager, the United States secured its spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.
The Americans received beneficial news from Italy, which decisively defeated Mexico 9-1 on Wednesday night, allowing Italy to claim the top position in Group B and confirming the U.S. could advance as the runner-up.
Following a standout performance where Vinnie Pasquantino hit the WBC’s first three-homer game, leading Italy to victory, he shared a message for the U.S.: “You’re welcome, U.S.A. We were thinking of you guys at your hotel. We’re glad you could join us for the celebration.”
Italy had previously beaten the U.S. 8-6, leaving the Americans watching closely to avoid elimination. Italy, boasting a team of players with Italian heritage, finished the round with a perfect 4-0 record, while the U.S. concluded with 3-1.
Mexico (2-2), which lost to the U.S., was eliminated from both the WBC and from qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Americans will remain in Houston to face Canada, which advanced past the first round for the first time, on Friday night. Italy is set to take on Puerto Rico in the other quarterfinal at Daikin Park on Saturday.
With an All-Star roster, the U.S. previously secured victories against Britain and Brazil during group play.
After the loss to Italy, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa addressed whether he had prematurely claimed a quarterfinal position following a television interview that morning. He had stated, “A ton of respect for Italy — it’s odd — we want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals because Mexico plays Italy tomorrow. The schedule makes this an important game for us.”
DeRosa later clarified that he had “misspoke” during the interview and did not mean to indicate that the team had already clinched.
Now that they have secured their place in the quarterfinals, the Americans recognize the necessity of victory to advance to Miami.
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