HOUSTON — Team USA advanced out of pool play in the World Baseball Classic and will face Canada on Friday in the tournament’s quarterfinals, averting a disastrous flameout thanks to Italy’s 9-1 victory against Mexico on Wednesday night.
The Americans’ loss to Italy on Tuesday, a stunning 8-6 defeat, left their WBC fortunes depending on the outcome of the final game of Pool B. An Italy win guaranteed Team USA a spot in the knockout round, and the Italians obliged, led by the first three-home run game in WBC history by captain Vinnie Pasquantino and five shutout innings from ace Aaron Nola.
“You’re welcome, USA,” Pasquantino said in an on-field interview with Fox Sports after the game. “We were thinking of you guys, over at your hotel. We were thinking of you guys, so I’m glad you guys could join us in the party.”
In front of a decidedly pro-Mexico crowd of 39,894 at Daikin Park, Italy continued its unblemished run through the tournament and set up a date with Puerto Rico here Saturday night for a berth in the semifinals.
Composed of young, talented Italian Americans — most in the big leagues, some top prospects in the upper minors — Italy blitzed Mexico with a second-inning solo home run from Pasquantino, a fourth-inning shot from veteran Jon Berti and a three-run fifth inning that almost guaranteed Team USA would advance.
In the case of a three-way tie, the two teams that allowed the fewest runs per out recorded would move on — and Italy putting up five runs in the first five innings would have meant the game would need to go well into extra innings to bring the run ratios of both teams below that of the U.S.
Pasquantino, the Kansas City Royals’ slugging first baseman and one of the chief recruiters for the Italian team, made it moot. Entering the game hitless in 12 at-bats, he homered again in the sixth inning and blasted his third shot of the game over the right-field fence to stretch Italy’s lead to 8-1. Pasquantino never has hit three home runs in a major league game.
Italy tacked on one more run and celebrated as Team USA breathed a sigh of relief, still alive in a tournament it entered with more talent than any of its previous WBC incarnations. The Americans are expected to start San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb in the quarterfinals, and Canada plans to counter with Arizona right-hander Michael Soroka.
Canada clinched its spot in the quarterfinals with back-to-back wins against Puerto Rico and Cuba to ascend to the top of Pool A.