*This content was translated by AI.
The U.S., the No. 1 candidate for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), called the "Dream Team," is on the verge of elimination from the group stage.
The U.S. national baseball team lost 6-8 to the Italian national baseball team at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas on the 11th (Korea time) in the final four games of Group B of the 2026 WBC group stage.
With the score tied 0-8 until the sixth inning, he followed up to six points with a surprising back-to-back mind in the last minute, but considering the tournament regulations, where the loss is more important, he took on eight runs that were so painful.
"America under Heaven," which ended with 3 wins and 1 loss, has no choice but to count the number of cases. It has become impossible to advance to the quarterfinals on its own, and Italy, which is leading by three wins, should only hope to win the final match or Mexico, which is 2-1 with more than five points.
The ball is round. The U.S., which won three games earlier, can lose as much as possible. The problem is the process. Problems related to this are also being raised in the region.
Yahoo Sports said, "Whether it's a 'false statement' or a 'calculation error', either way, the U.S. national team lost its chance to Italy," adding, "The result of the match against Italy is a huge shame for the U.S. national team and coach Mark Derosa." Anything can happen in a baseball game, but the problem is not the fact that the United States lost, but "how and why."
First, he pointed out the U.S. starting lineup on that day. The U.S. made up the starting lineup in the order of Bobby Wit Jr. (striker), Gunner Henderson (third baseman), Aaron Judge (right fielder), Kyle Schwarber (designated hitter), Will Smith (catcher), Roman Anthony (left fielder), Paul Goldschmidt (first baseman), Ernie Clement (second baseman), and Pete Crow-Armstrong (midfielder). The starting pitcher is a surprised McClain.
Is this lineup really the best. Yahoo Sports said, "The U.S. national team did not take this WBC seriously compared to other contenders," pointing out that Derosa has publicly said, "I will take care of the players' rest" and "I will let all players play." The best outcome was not the top priority.
As a result, he pointed out that he made a complacent decision to use Goldschmidt instead of Bryce Harper and Clement instead of Bryce Turang and Alex Bregman. He also pointed out the disappointment of bullpen management.
There is a bigger problem than this. The media pointed out, "What's more serious than anything else is that coach Derosa has lost trust," adding, "While Italian Americans celebrated their victory by drinking espresso in the dugout, a video spread on social media on the morning of the 11th, saying, "Our team has already won the quarterfinals."
The remarks raise suspicions that the management of the match against Italy may be due to the misunderstanding that it has already advanced to the quarterfinals.
Derosa started to deal with the situation after the game. He said, "I gave a slip of the tongue. "I was talking to my friends on the 'hot stove' this morning and completely misread the calculations," he said. "Even if we lose today, I thought it would be okay considering the difference in points and so on. It's just my slip of the tongue," he said.
But this was also a very vague statement. The media said, "Misspoke and Misread the calculations are completely different issues. Regardless of which way it is interpreted, it makes it impossible to look at coach Derosa."
If you look at it a little leniently, it can be assumed that Derosa's remarks were simply a slip of the tongue and that he knew he had to beat Italy to confirm the U.S. advance to the quarterfinals. However, Yahoo Sports pointed out that even in this case, it is a typical case of underestimating the opponent by using exaggerated expressions such as "it's already confirmed" and saying on the "hot stove" that some players were rested.
Assuming the worst, Derosa knew that the U.S. national team did not advance until during or after the game. Yahoo Sports said, "He and the coaching staff may have misunderstood the details of the complex WBC tiebreaker system and thought they were safe due to a 'calculation error'. So you can think of Harper, Bregman, and Turang as resting and choosing a more careful strategy for pitching management, he said. "If it really did, it would be terrible."
It makes the situation even worse that Derosa had a nuance that coaches and players drank and talked together until late before the game. "Some players look tired today," he admitted.
Of course, if Italy wins or Mexico wins with more than five points and the U.S. advances to the quarterfinals, it could end up as a happening. However, if the U.S. ends up eliminated from the group stage due to unexpected results, a huge backlash is expected.
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*This content was translated by AI.
