HOUSTON -- Italy stunned Team USA with an 8-6 victory in World Baseball Classic pool play Tuesday night, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's 20-year history that puts the Americans in jeopardy of not advancing to the knockout round.
A team mostly comprised of American major leaguers with Italian heritage, Italy nevertheless entered the game against the powerful, pedigreed U.S. team as distinct underdogs. That changed in the early innings, with three home runs and 4⅔ shutout innings from veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen staking Italy an 8-0 lead it never relinquished.
While Team USA finished pool play 3-1, its fortunes depend on the final game of Pool B between Italy and Mexico on Wednesday night. If Italy, which is now 3-0 in pool play, beats Mexico, Team USA would advance. If Mexico wins, however, and all three teams are 3-1, the two teams that allow the fewest runs per out recorded advance.
In its games against Mexico and Italy, the Americans allowed 11 runs and recorded 54 outs. Italy has allowed six runs and recorded 27 outs, while Mexico has allowed five runs with 24 outs.
Though the Americans did themselves a favor by tagging on six runs in the final four innings, the game registered as a distinct letdown for a group that considered itself the favorite to win the championship.
The game, with a distinctly pro-USA crowd of 38,653 at Daikin Park, started well for the Americans, with rookie Nolan McLean striking out the first three Italian hitters and registering two more outs in the second before Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel dumped a home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a 1-0 advantage.
Following a hit by pitch, McLean surrendered a loud home run to White Sox prospect Sam Antonacci, digging Team USA its largest deficit of the tournament. It grew two innings later when Teel walked and Kansas City outfielder Jac Caglianone launched a home run to right field to stake Italy a 5-0 advantage.
The 34-year-old Lorenzen, now on his seventh major league team, locked down a dangerous American lineup that included Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber. While he was not supposed to pitch in the game -- Italy was planning on piggybacking him with Aaron Nola in what it considered a must-win contest against Mexico -- Lorenzen mixed his pitches brilliantly and shut out the Americans.
By the time they scored their first run in the sixth inning on a Henderson home run, Italy had tacked on three more unearned runs and put together a lead that was too big even for a spirited American comeback.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong punished a three-run home run in the ninth inning, Boston outfielder Roman Anthony lashed a run-scoring single in the eighth and Crow-Armstrong homered again in the ninth to close the gap. But with Witt on first base after a single, Boston reliever Greg Weissert struck out Henderson and Judge to seal the victory for Italy.
