How Far Will Italy Go At the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
Italy has stunned the baseball world with its performance so far at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. As the dark horse of Pool B, nobody expected them to win against proven competition. However, they emerged victorious in their pool by remaining undefeated through four games. For two of those games, they held off Team USA by a score of 8-6 on March 10th and blew out Mexico by eight runs on March 11th.
Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone are doing their part to lead Italy. Pasquantino was hitless through three games. However, during Italy’s strong showing against Mexico, he exploded for a three-home run game, becoming the first player to complete the feat in the WBC’s brief history. Additionally, the 28-year-old has played exceptional defense at first base throughout pool play. On the other hand, Caglianone has three hits in eight at-bats, including a double and a home run, three runs batted in, and three walks. It has not all been the Royals’ duo doing all the work for the team. Some newer, less familiar names have surfaced during the WBC. Dante Nori, a former first-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies, has appeared in all four games for Italy. Within that period, the 21-year-old has racked up six hits in 12 at-bats, two of which are home runs, with a total of five runs batted in. Additionally, J.J. D’Orazio, a catcher within the Angels organization, has stepped in for the injured Kyle Teel. He has done so brilliantly through three games so far, collecting four hits in nine at-bats, one of which is a home run.
In the quarterfinal, Italy will face a formidable opponent in Puerto Rico. Despite not having as many stars on the roster as originally expected, Puerto Rico still has a solid team behind the likes of Nolan Arenado, Edwin Diaz, Willi Castro, Heliot Ramos, and Eddie Rosario. Their results show it, as they won three games and only lost one in Pool A. Their wins came against Colombia, Panama, and Cuba. The one loss came in their last game of pool play on March 10th, falling to Canada by a single run. If Italy wants to win, they will continue needing contributions from up and down the lineup and build off the momentum they gathered by beating high-caliber teams like Team USA and Mexico. How long can they ride the wave? If they can get past Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, then they would face the winner of the game between Venezuela and Japan. It sure seems like Italy can top any team after their game against Team USA, but the road to the final will not be easy.
