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Team USA manager Mark DeRosa explains brutal mistake that has fans clowning him
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- Team USA manager Mark DeRosa explains brutal mistake that has fans clowning him
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa explains brutal mistake that has fans clowning him appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Team USA made a crucial slip-up on Tuesday, falling to Italy, 8-6, in the fourth game of 2026 World Baseball Classic pool play, despite the team's late comeback efforts. And this lack of focus from USA may be coming from the top. Before the game, manager Mark DeRosa erroneously said that Team USA had already punched their ticket to the quarterfinal of the competition.
They had, in fact, not yet qualified for the knockout stage. They would be eliminated from the competition if Mexico wins by a low margin that USA would end up having the worst runs allowed mark among all three 3-1 teams. All would be well if Italy defeats Mexico, but in a single baseball game, anything can happen.
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After the game, DeRosa apologized for miscalculating , which may have led to the team playing with a greater sense of complacency.
"I misspoke. I was on Hot Stove with a couple of buddies today and completely misread the calculations. We knew that Mexico was gonna play Italy and then running all the numbers that if we lost tonight with the runs allowed and runs scored and outs. I just misspoke," DeRosa said, via Talkin' Baseball on X (formerly Twitter).
Team USA's World Baseball Classic journey is at the mercy of Mexico-Italy
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
An Italy win over Mexico would ease any and all concerns for Team USA . But the fact that USA no longer has their fate in their hands is such a terrible development for one of the favorites in the competition.
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This just shows how much the league has caught up to Team USA and how the gap between them and the rest of the world is rapidly shrinking. And it doesn't help that DeRosa, someone who should be locked in as the head of the team, is not fully aware of the reality that his team is facing.
Related: What Aaron Judge said about potential World Baseball Classic elimination after shocking Italy loss
Related: 3 players most to blame for Team USA's WBC loss to Italy
