On Tuesday, the World Baseball Classic witnessed a shocking upset as the United States lost to Italy 8-6. Therefore, the United States is now 3-1, putting them in a difficult position to move onto the knockout stage.
Afterward, team captain Aaron Judge didn't beat around the bush when talking about the Americans' chances, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Essentially, their hopes are banking on the outcome of the game between Italy and Mexico on Wednesday.
If Mexico scores five runs or wins, the Americans are in, and Italy is out. On the other hand, if Mexico wins and scores four or fewer runs, the Americans are out.
If Mexico wins and scores five runs, the Americans and Mexico are in, and Italy is out.
“You always like having your destiny in your own hands, and we had it right in front of us,” said Judge, the Team USA captain. “We knew we were focused on what we had to do today. Italy is a great team, and they definitely showed it today. But yeah, whatever happened yesterday has nothing to do with what happened today.
“Now, we just need a little luck, and we'll see what happens.”
Over four games, Judge is batting .250 with four hits, two home runs, and five RBIs.
The Americans are looking to win their first World Baseball Classic since 2017, when they defeated Puerto Rico.
Going into the tournament, the Americans were considered the favorites due to their power-laden roster. A roster that includes Judge, Cal Raleigh, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Alex Bregman.
