HOUSTON – The espresso machines in the Italian dugout cooled down just long enough for the first celebratory sips of this tournament. Now, Italy is officially the hottest team in Group B of the World Baseball Classic, following a stunning 8-6 victory over the United States in Tuesday night’s group stage game at Daikin Park.
The American dream surrounding the most potent roster the United States brought to this tournament was interrupted by the Azzurri with a powerful display of hitting. While the United States made a game of it late, Italy had already made its statement.
World Baseball Classic 2026
Group A (San Juan) presented by Discover Puerto Rico
Group B (Houston) and Group D (Miami) presented by Capital One
Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone each connected for home runs, starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen dominated the star-studded American lineup for 4.2 innings, and the Italian players, who reportedly traveled arm-in-arm singing Italian songs down the aisle of their charter flight to Houston, now have the opportunity, with one remaining group stage game against Mexico on Wednesday night, to shock the baseball world by winning Group B and securing one of the top spots toward the quarterfinals.
If Italy defeats Mexico, they will finish with a perfect 4-0 record in the group stage for the first time in six Classic appearances. The United States, which has a bye on Wednesday, would advance to the quarterfinals as the second qualifier in that scenario.
Should Mexico defeat Italy, Italy, the United States, and Mexico would all be tied at 3-1, and the three teams would be ordered by runs allowed divided by defensive outs recorded, with the top two advancing.
This wasn’t the scenario the United States envisioned entering the tournament, but Italy’s strong start to the Classic was disrupted Tuesday night.
Teel and Antonacci, both members of the Chicago White Sox organization, sent excellent vibes to the South Side and gave Italy a 3-0 lead by connecting for four-seam fastballs thrown by Nolan McLean of the Novel York Mets in the second inning. Unfortunately, the good vibes surrounding Teel were tempered by a right hamstring injury he sustained while running the bases after a double in the sixth inning, forcing him to exit the game.
When Caglianone blasted a two-run home run at 110.4 mph off Ryan Yarbrough in the top of the fourth inning, the crowd of 38,653, largely favoring the United States, grew tense. And when the United States faltered in the sixth, with reliever Brad Keller committing a throwing error and then uncorking a wild pitch during a three-run inning for Italy, the Italians took an improbable 8-0 lead.
The United States lineup was too powerful to remain quiet for long. Gunnar Henderson hit a solo home run off Dan Altavilla to get the Americans on the board in the sixth inning, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, whose apparent home run on his previous at-bat had gone foul, corrected his swing in the seventh by blasting a three-run home run off Alek Jacob that woke up the crowd and made the game 8-4.
The comeback attempt continued in the eighth, when the United States place two runners on base with two outs and Roman Anthony singled to left field to cut the deficit to three. Fans rose to their feet as Bryce Harper came to bat as a pinch-hitter and worked the count full against Ron Marinaccio, but Harper flew out to left field to end the threat.
Another home run by Crow-Armstrong with one out in the ninth inning brought the score to 8-6, and Bobby Witt Jr. Singled to bring the tying run to the plate. With two outs, that tying run was represented by the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, Aaron Judge. But Italian reliever Greg Weissert struck him out looking to end the game.
The victory puts Italy in a strong position to advance to the quarterfinals, a feat that would be a monumental achievement for the program. For the United States, the loss adds significant pressure to their remaining schedule and underscores the unpredictable nature of tournament play.
Italy will face Mexico on Wednesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 8:00 PM CT (UTC-5). The United States will await the outcome of that game to determine their path forward in the tournament.
This stunning upset serves as a reminder that in baseball, and particularly in the high-stakes environment of the World Baseball Classic, anything can happen. Italy’s performance has not only energized their fans but has similarly sent a ripple effect throughout the tournament, proving that even the most favored teams are vulnerable.
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