Team Italy stunned Team USA on Tuesday night in the World Baseball Classic. The 8-6 defeat put Team USA, a favorite to win the championship, on the brink of elimination before knockout play even begins.
Italy’s starting pitcher, veteran big-leaguer Michael Lorenzen, shut down the high-powered Team USA lineup for 4 2/3 innings before reaching the 65-pitch limit. Lorenzen allowed two hits and a walk, striking out two.
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Lorenzen’s performance allowed Italy to build an 8-0 lead before USA mounted a comeback against Italy’s bullpen.
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That dominance on the mound impressed the Colorado Rockies, who signed Lorenzen to a one-year, $8 million free-agent contract in January.
“Una buona notte,” the team’s X account posted. That translates to “A good night.”
Lorenzen, 34, is an 11-year pro, pitching as both a starter and reliever for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. In 2025 for the Royals, he started 26 of his 27 appearances, going 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 141 2/3 innings.
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He had little trouble with a Team USA lineup that featured MLB stars Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt, among others.
“You gotta just attack the zone,” Lorenzen told Fox’s Ken Rosenthal after the game. “Obviously, they’re really good hitters. They’re not going to stretch the zone a ton, so you gotta trust your stuff. … We were just able to be efficient, get early outs and ground-ball outs and keep it rolling.”
Team USA’s fate in the WBC now rests with Italy, which meets Mexico at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday on Fox Sports 1 in the Pool B finale.
If Italy beats Mexico, the USA advances to the quarterfinals as the second-place team in the pool. A Mexico victory would create a three-way tie atop the pool. In that scenario, Mexico would win the pool and advance. USA would advance only if Italy allows five runs or more in its loss.
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