Italy Upsets Team USA at WBC

Italy's victory was fueled by home runs from Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci, and Jac Caglianone. Michael Lorenzen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, stifling the American lineup. The U.S. team, boasting numerous MLB All-Stars, struggled to live up to expectations during pool play. They needed late-inning heroics to secure wins against Brazil and Great Britain. The loss puts the U.S. in a precarious position, needing Italy to defeat Mexico to guarantee advancement to the quarterfinals. A Mexico win would create a three-way tie, decided by a runs-allowed tiebreaker. Mike Piazza, a Hall of Fame catcher, is managing Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The Italian roster includes several players with MLB experience, such as David Fletcher, Nicky Lopez, and Vinnie Pasquantino.