The United States of America is on the verge of a shocking elimination at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) following an 8-6 loss to Team Italy last night. While the defeat represents the first loss at this year’s tournament, it might be enough to cause Team USA to watch the playoff round from their various MLB-operated Spring Training locations this weekend. There is still a bit of hope remaining as Team Mexico (2-1) battles Team Italy (3-0) tonight at 7 pm ET with everything on the line at the WBC.
Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola gets the ball for Italy with a win for the red, white, and green, sending the Americans to the Quarterfinal round on March 13. That game is currently scheduled to stream on Tubi. While it’s his first appearance at the 2026 WBC, tonight’s outing could represent one of the biggest starts of the 32-year-old’s baseball career.
Team USA sailed through wins in its first three contests: a 15-5 victory over Brazil on March 6, a 9-1 smashing of Great Britain on March 7, and a slim 5-3 win over Mexico on March 9. All of that good work seemed to slip away following last night’s loss to Italy. Mark DeRosa played his bench squad under the assumption that Team USA had already advanced to the Quarterfinal round. Team USA’s manager watched Italy score eight unanswered runs before the Americans attempted a late rally that ultimately fell short in a disastrous loss on Tuesday night.
“Yeah, I misspoke,” DeRosa told reporters postgame. “I was on Hot Stove with a couple of buddies today and completely misread the calculations. We knew that Mexico is gonna play Itay and running all the numbers, if we lost, with runs allowed and runs scored and outs – I just misspoke.”
There is nothing else Team USA can do besides sit and watch how tonight’s game unfolds in Houston, Texas. They’ve completed their four allotted games in Group B.
It is pretty simple math for fans of Team USA: root for all of the runs. Any win from Italy will advance the Americans to the Quarterfinal, while a high-scoring victory (5+ runs) from Mexico would be the other avenue to the next round for Team USA. A low-scoring win by Mexico will eliminate the Americans from the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The Phillies sent 14 players to participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic across 10 teams, led by appearances for Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller on the United States squad. It’s been a forgettable experience for the most part for Harper (.176, 3-17 hitting, RBI) and Schwarber (.300, 6-20, HR, 2 RBIs) despite the latter smashing a ball into the Houston night that probably still hasn’t landed. Keller allowed two runs over two appearances (1.2 innings, three strikeouts) out of the bullpen for DeRosa’s club.
Italy’s Dante Nori has opened some eyes with an impressive performance at this year’s tournament. The 21-year-old outfielder has crushed the ball for the Italians (.500 batting average, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI) over the opening three games in pool play. Nola will try to send Italy to the quarterfinals if he can secure a victory in his first appearance at the 2026 WBC tonight.
Dominican Republic’s Cristopher Sanchez (20.25 ERA, 1.1 inn, 6 H, 3 ER) had a forgettable outing on March 7 after allowing six hits and three earned runs in a little more than an inning of work against Nicaragua. The 29-year-old starter captured a bit of World Baseball Classic history in that contest after becoming the first player to strike out four WBC batters in an inning.
Mexico’s Taijuan Walker pitched 3.1 innings of shutout baseball against the United States in a 5-3 loss on March 9. He allowed two hits and walked two batters as the 33-year-old danced around a supremely talented American lineup.
Israel’s Garrett Stubbs (.077, 1-14, 3B) has struggled at the plate, while Max Lazar (0.00 ERA, 0.2 inn) did not allow a hit in his lone appearance. Lazar returned to the Phillies after suffering an abdominal/oblique injury. Phillies manager Rob Thompson described the injury as “very mild.”
Panama’s Edmundo Sosa (.250, 4-18, 2B) hasn’t found the consistency he was looking for with consistent playing time at the World Baseball Classic. The same could be said for a few of the remaining Phillies pitchers. Brazil’s Gabriel Barbosa (33.75 ERA, 1.1 inn, 5 ER) struggled in his lone outing, while the Netherlands’ Jaydenn Estanista (INF, 0.0 inn, 4 ER) was unable to record an out on March 6 against Venezuela. Australia’s Mitch Neunborn (0.00 ERA, 1.2 inn, 2K) has not allowed a run in two appearances this spring.
Finally, Venezuela’s Jesus Luzardo has not appeared at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The 28-year-old signed a lucrative five-year contract extension with the Phillies on March 10.
The Quarterfinal round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic will take place on March 13 at two sites in the United States (Miami, Florida, and Houston, Texas). The tournament will remain in Miami for the semifinals on March 15 and 16. The Final of the single-elimination tournament is scheduled for March 17.
Whether fans of Team USA will be viewing those broadcasts largely depends on whether Italy can vanquish Mexico tonight. Otherwise, there will be a lot of nervous baseball fans feasting on fingernails on Wednesday night.
