World Classic 2026: Keys to Puerto Rico’s defeat
Puerto Rico’s pitching could not contain Italy’s offensive and they said goodbye to the World Baseball Classic.
Italy is in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic for the first time with its resounding 8-6 victory over Puerto Ricowho leaves again with the disappointment of a defeat in the quarterfinals.
The Cinderella team of the tournament maintained its consistent pace in offense and defense for a fair victory against the Caribbean, with giant offensives in the first and fourth innings, maintaining the pressure to add throughout the game and containing a giant advance by Puerto Rico in the eighth inning.
These were the keys to the match, which was historic for the ‘Team Expresso’.
Lugo and the intermediate relief fail
In the absence of their main hitters, the Puerto Ricans depended on solid pitching during the first round of the Classic. Their effectiveness was the best of all teams in the first round.
But their starter, Seth Lugo, could only get one out and allowed the first four runs to the Europeans, who combined three singles and a sacrifice bomb to take a 4-1 lead. Italy produced four more in the fourth against two relievers, which were enough to win.
Yadier Molina He had to turn early in the game to his coach, Fernando Cruz, who contained the Italian threat in the fourth. When he took over the mound, the Puerto Ricans had allowed seven walks. The rest of the bullpen, with Edwin Díaz working the eighth, contained the opposing offense the rest of the way.
The big hit never came
Puerto Rico only hit two home runs in the entire tournament, the miraculous hit by Darrell Hernandez to decide the game against Panama and Willi Castro opening Saturday’s game for 1-0 in the first inning.
The team’s most experienced hitters such as Nolan Arenado (.211), Heliot Ramos (.063), Eddie Rosario (.125) and Emmanuel Rivera (.188) could not wake up with the change of scenery to a more favorable park for hitters.
Italy did everything right
As they have been doing throughout the tournament, the Azzurri have combined timely and power hitting, good pitching and excellent defense. It is not by luck that they defeated the United States and Mexico in the first round, nor that they are in the semifinals.
Manager Francisco Cervelli put together a balanced team and he demonstrated all this against Puerto Rico, with exceptional defense (his first error of the tournament was Vinnie Pasquantino’s in the eighth inning), two great innings and a masterful relief, particularly of Dylan DeLucia (4.0 innings, 2 hits) and closer Greg Weissert, who put out the Puerto Rican threat in the eighth inning and pitched the ninth without major consequences.
When does Italy play in the semi-finals?
The match to advance to the final will be played on Monday at 8:00 pm ET. Italy awaits the winner of the clash between Dominican Republic and USA.
