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HOUSTON — Man, one of the coolest things about this event is everything involved in it. For me, it played out exactly the way it was supposed to.
You could not have asked for a better performance in a crucial game Wednesday night, and the result sent both Italy and the U.S. to the next round.
You also could not have asked for a better outing from Aaron Nola for Italy. He pitched like the World Series and national champion he is. Watching him carve up hitters, find his velocity, and stay efficient in the strike zone reminds you of everything we have seen from him over the years.
It was a master class, a clinic.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Nola threw just 69 pitches in five scoreless, throwing 45 strikes and generating 10 whiffs on 33 swings, including seven on 14 swings of the curveball.
Italy simply did not disappoint. They came out hot.
Sam Antonacci again exploded through the baseball and made things happen. White Sox fans should pay attention. He is going to find himself in Chicago very soon, and he is built for the South Side. He is a grinder. He competes. There is no quit in him. And he leads.
You are going to love him.
Vinny Pasquantino, the Kansas City Royals’ first baseman, broke out of an 0-for-tournament slump in Game 4 with a vengeance. Three home runs. One night. It single-handedly powered Italy offensively and pushed them into the next round.
As for the rest of the pool, Mexico goes home. That is simply the reality of it. The United States advances and lives to fight another day, despite the lackluster performance Tuesday night.
Now we move into bracket play, and every team left has a storyline.
Italy rolled through group play at 4-0 with ice in their veins and no fear. They will compete with anyone.
Canada has taken a real step forward in its program history, advancing further than it ever has in the World Baseball Classic. It wrapped pool play with a 7-2 win over Cuba Wednesday behind Cal Quantrill‘s five strong innings.
The United States squeaked into the next round. And yes, they did sneak in. They needed things to fall their way, and they did.
Puerto Rico is in and doing it without Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and several others who either could not secure insurance or were denied coverage to play in the tournament.
Everybody has something to prove.
From the Future Stars Series perspective, this continues to be entertaining, and this round is loaded.
Italy features NBFSS connections through Lipso Nava, Jack Santora, Francisco Cervelli, and others.
Team USA includes Michael Young and Nolan McLean, a Future Stars Series alum through the Dirtbags program in North Carolina.
Canada brings Owen Caissie, Adam Macko, Mitch Bratt, and Bo Naylor.
Puerto Rico features Elmer Rodriguez, Edwin Arroyo, along with Edwin Diaz and Alexis Díaz.
Edwin Díaz was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2012 in the third round, signed by Noel Sevilla and Rafael Santa Domingo. I was cross-checking at the time, and after the Future Stars Series began, both Noel and Rafael spent time working with us.
The relationships run deep.
That means eight Future Stars Series players are part of bracket play here in Houston. Eight. That is strong representation.
What comes next will be messy. It will also be fun.
Teams will battle to get through this bracket and back to Miami to face the winner of the other side, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan, and Korea. Another brutally talented group.
But Wednesday was fun. It was a party. A controlled party, but a party nonetheless.
And the best part is that it is only going to get better from here.
- BOOTH: USA vs. Venezuela with everything on the line - March 17, 2026
- BOOTH: The WBC Matchups We’ve Waited For - March 15, 2026
- BOOTH: Big-Time Performances Set Up Bracket Play - March 12, 2026
