Spanish
HOUSTON. – The Italian national team (baseball team) secured first place in Group B of the 2026 World Baseball Classic after convincingly defeating Mexico (baseball team) 9-1, in a match played at Daikin Park in Houston.
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The great protagonist of the match was the starting pitcher Vinnie Pasquantino, who had a historic performance by hitting three home runs, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in a World Baseball Classic game. With the triumph, Italy closed the group stage with a perfect record of 4-0, eliminated Mexico from the tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Puerto Rico (baseball team) next Saturday. Right-hander Aaron Nola also had an outstanding performance from the mound, working five innings in which he allowed four hits and one walk, while striking out five batters to keep the Mexican offense under control. Italy took the lead in the second inning with a solo home run by Pasquantino against the starting pitcher Javier Assad. Then, veteran Jon Berti extended the lead with another home run in the fourth inning. The Italian offense struck again in the fifth inning with a three-run rally that put the score at 5-0, before Pasquantino homered again in the sixth and again in the eighth chapter to seal his historic night. In addition to Italy's advance, the result also allowed the classification of the United States (baseball team), which managed to secure its place in the next round and will face Canada (baseball team) in the quarterfinals. With explosive batting, solid pitching, and outstanding defense, the Italian squad established itself as one of the biggest surprises of the tournament and will now seek to continue making history in the next phase.
