United States manager Mark DeRosa acknowledged that he "misspoke" when he said earlier Tuesday that his team had already clinched a spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals prior to its game against Italy.
The Americans were upset 8-6 by the Italians and now face potential elimination from pool play, depending on the result of Wednesday's game between Italy and Mexico.
"I misspoke," DeRosa said after the loss. "I was on 'Hot Stove' with a couple of buddies today and completely misread the calculations. We knew that Mexico was gonna play Italy, and then running all the numbers, if we lost tonight with the runs allowed and runs scored and outs. I just misspoke."
“I misspoke… Completely misread the calculations.”
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 11, 2026
Manager Mark DeRosa confirms he did not know Team USA could still be eliminated during pool play pic.twitter.com/n5Gbo3SxcB
Appearing on MLB Network on Tuesday morning, DeRosa said he wanted to rest some of the team's regulars for the game against Italy.
"Ton of respect for Italy," DeRosa said. "It's weird, we want to win this game even though our ticket's punched to the quarterfinals, because Mexico plays Italy tomorrow. The way the schedule lines up, this is an important game for us."
Paul Goldschmidt and Ernie Clement started against Italy before being pinch-hit for later in the game by Bryce Harper and Brice Turang. Stars Bobby Witt Jr., Aaron Judge, and Kyle Schwarber were all in the lineup.
Pitchers Nolan McLean, Ryan Yarbrough, and Brad Keller combined to allow eight runs over the first six innings.
The United States finished pool play at 3-1 and will have its fate determined by the result of Wednesday's game between Italy and Mexico. A win by the Italians would move them to 4-0 and give them top spot in the group, with the USA finishing second. A win by Mexico would throw the group into chaos, with all three teams finishing 3-1, and a tiebreaker deciding which two clubs advance. The USA beat Mexico 5-3 on Monday.
Scenarios for Italy vs Mexico tomorrow assuming it’s nine innings:
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) March 11, 2026
Italy wins: Italy + USA advance
Mexico wins and scores 6 or more runs: Mexico + USA advance
Mexico wins and scores less than 5 runs: Mexico + Italy advance
—
Mexico wins and scores exactly 5 runs: Mexico…
"It's tough. It's super tough," DeRosa said when asked about no longer being in control of advancing. "Guys in there are frustrated. It is what it is. We gotta own it."
DeRosa managed Team USA in the last WBC. That team finished second in its group before eventually losing to Japan in the final.
The United States entered the 2026 tournament as heavy favorites to win.
