Italy booked its spot in the semifinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic after recording an 8-6 win over Puerto Rico on Saturday in Houston. But Italian captain Vinnie Pasquantino jumped the gun in naming their opponents.
During a postgame interview with FOX’s Jon Morosi, Pasquantino expressed his pride in beating all odds and reaching the final four. However, while doing so, he named Japan as one of the teams.
The Dominican Republic and the United States were the only ones confirmed to reach the semifinals after their respective wins on Friday. Japan was yet to play against the Venezuelans later in the day in Miami.
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“It was amazing. I don’t know how many people would have picked the Dominican Republic, Japan, the United States and Italy in the final four, but we’re here now,” Pasquantino said. “We’re going to enjoy this probably for the next few hours, we got a flight to catch, but what a group of guys, it’s incredible.”
Pasquantino issued an apology later on his X account, accepting his mistake and even naming some of the players he knows on the Venezuelan team.
“Tried to get this fixed after the fact but I’m sorry I excluded Venezuela,” he wrote. “Didn’t mean to that. Looking forward to watching that game we all know it should be fireworks. My bad Team Venezuela. I still love you Maikel, Sal, Luinder, and Zerpa.”
In improbable fashion, and perhaps a bit motivated by Pasquantino’s comments earlier in the day, Venezuela mounted a three-run comeback to record an 8-5 win over Team Japan, who were aiming to defend their 2023 title.
Vinnie Pasquatino calls Italy’s win the “best” in history
Italy dominated in all of their pool stage fixtures, even against the United States when they took an 8-0 lead. They started strong off the blocks against the Puerto Ricans, with two 4-run innings that gave them an 8-2 lead by the fourth. Their bullpen held off a late resurgence.
“It’s amazing,” said Pasquantino. “I don’t think it would be hyperbole to say this is the best day in Italian baseball history, just getting here. It’s the farthest the team’s ever been.”
This is Italy’s best result in a World Baseball Classic tournament. They reached the quarterfinals last year but were beaten by Japan. In 2013, they finished seventh after the second round.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
