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There’s no need for worrying about fellow teams when you’ve got an Espresso machine in the dugout.
Team Italy and Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola said the Italians did not give much thought prior to their final pool play game against Mexico on Wednesday night to all the wonky tiebreakers that would determine Team USA’s fate in the World Baseball Classic.
Those scenarios ultimately did not matter since Italy trounced Mexico, 9-1, to win Pool B, and also advance the Americans to the quarterfinals beginning Friday night.
“I don’t think anybody in the clubhouse was worried about USA getting in or not getting in, we were just focusing in on the game,” Nola said after throwing five shutout innings.
“We’re not going to go out there and try to score a certain amount of runs or do this and that just because another team. It’s a big league baseball game, we’re going to go out and try to win it however we can. We’re going to go out and try to win a baseball game and that’s what we did (Wednesday night).”
After Italy stunned the Americans, 8-6, on Tuesday night, the US suddenly needed some massive Italian-sized help to even reach the quarterfinals of a tournament they entered as the heavy favorites.
A win by Italy would automatically advance Team USA, but things would be complicated if Mexico won.
Any win by Team Mexico in which they scored no more than four runs would advance both Italy and Mexico. Scoring five runs in a win would push the Mexicans and Americans to the next round.
Some speculated whether that might be some gamesmanship by the teams to help eliminate the talented American teams should Mexico take an early lead.
Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino and Nola made sure that never happened.
Nola said he did not hear from Team USA stars and Philadelphia teammates Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber before the game, but he pitched as if he wanted Italy to face them again.
He scattered four hits while striking out five batters.
Pasquantino, meanwhile, rocketed a solo homer in the second to start the scoring, added another solo blast in the sixth for a 6-0 edge and tallied another solo bomb in the eighth for an 8-1 lead.
Team Italy will now face Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals and is on the same side of the bracket as Japan, while the Americans will battle Canada and possibly face Team Dominican Republic in the semifinals.
Pasquantino had some fun with the anxiety the Team USA players must have been feeling prior to his heroics.
“You’re welcome, USA. We were thinking of you guys over at your hotel,” Pasquantino seemingly joked. “We were thinking of you guys, so I’m glad you guys are joining us in the party.”
