The US team is at risk for a shocking exit from the World Baseball Classic, but the manager’s excuse for his latest blunder that has fans riled up

Team USA’s journey in the World Baseball Classic just got a whole lot more complicated after a shocking 8-6 loss to Italy, putting their quarterfinal hopes in serious jeopardy. The team’s manager, Mark DeRosa, has certainly learned a hard lesson about the intricacies of the tournament’s format. His latest blunder has fans pretty riled up.

Before the unexpected defeat in Houston, DeRosa actually downplayed the importance of the game to a reporter, suggesting that the Americans’ “ticket” to the quarterfinals was already punched. “Ton of respect for Italy it’s weird we want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals because Mexico plays Italy actually tomorrow,” DeRosa told the reporter hours before the sloppy upset. He was correct about the schedule, with Mexico and Italy set to wrap up Pool B play. However, he was completely wrong about Team USA’s qualification status.

Following the comedy of errors in that game, which saw the Americans commit two crucial mistakes leading to three runs for Italy, DeRosa’s club is now in a precarious position. According to the Daily Mail, their advancement now hinges on Italy beating Mexico. Honestly, this whole situation is a bit of a mess, and it really puts the pressure on the team to be spectators. DeRosa himself admitted his mistake afterwards, saying, “One hundred percent, I misspoke. Bottom line.”

Yeah, now Team USA just has to sit around and hope things break their way

If Italy manages to beat Mexico, the Italians will win Pool B with a 4-0 record, led by former Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli. In that scenario, Team USA would advance as the runner-up, which would be a huge relief. However, if Mexico wins, things get far more complicated for Team USA. All three clubs, USA Mexico and Italy would finish Pool B play tied at 3-1 with 1-1 records against each other.

The next tiebreaker then comes down to the number of runs allowed in games between the three teams. Mexico has already surrendered fewer runs than Italy going into the showdown, meaning the Mexicans can advance to the quarterfinals with a win. If Mexico does beat Italy, Team USA’s only path forward is if Mexico scores at least five runs over Italy. Even then, there are some very complicated details that could still derail the Americans’ journey. Baseball debates are already heating up, like when Dave Portnoy slammed the Olympics for ditching the sport.

While DeRosa might not have been fully aware of these possibilities, Team USA players certainly were. Captain Aaron Judge told reporters after the loss that the team understood the stakes. Now, the team plans to gather at a hotel to watch the Italy versus Mexico game. They are hoping for an Italian win or Mexico scoring five or more runs in a victory. “It’s out of our control now. We just need a little luck and we’ll see what happens,” Judge said.

DeRosa, a former Major League infielder who now works as a co-host for a prominent sports network, has faced significant criticism online for his mistake. His explanation, “I misspoke,” didn’t exactly win him any favors either. One critic on X bluntly stated, “He didn’t misspeak. He was wrong.” It’s understandable why fans are pretty upset; ‘I misspoke’ doesn’t really cut it when your team’s fate hangs in the balance.