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MIAMI (AP) — Francisco Cervelli believes Italy won’t be sneaking up on opponents in three years at the next World Baseball Classic.
“We are no longer the Cinderella,” the Italy manager said after the Azzurri were eliminated with a 4-2 semifinal loss to Venezuela on Monday night. “In three years they are going to take us seriously. We have a group of young players that are going to participate in the next classic. What they experienced today, they are going to take it away for the rest of their lives.”
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The Azzurri stunned with a 5-0 start to reach their first WBC semifinal, putting a spotlight on a soccer-crazed country where baseball is less popular than in many other participating WBC nations. Players spoke of providing an exciting foundation for future growth and success.
“To play in front of all these crowds and just how loud they were in these games,” said center fielder Jakob Marsee, “no one thought we could win, and being able to do it with all the guys was a lot of fun.”
Italy blew a 2-1 seventh-inning lead Monday when Michael Lorenzen allowed consecutive run-scoring singles with two outs to Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez.
Italy players remained draped over the dugout railing after the final out, watching Acuña and the other Venezuelan stars celebrate on the field in front of them while the pro-Venezuela sellout crowd at loanDepot park roared. They stayed there for about 10 minutes, exchanging hugs and saluting some fans behind their dugout.
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“We just wanted to make sure we waved and thanked, one, the Venezuelan fans who were here tonight,” captain Vinnie Pasquantino said, “and the Italian fans that were here, because that atmosphere was incredible.”
Cervelli addressed the team after that.
“I just told the guys that they are the champions of this tournament,” he said. “No one expected what they did. They are champions. … They revolutionized Italy. They put another sport on the map, which is good.”
The expectation is certainly that this young roster made up of only a handful of major leaguers and many players from the minors will be back and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/italy-improbable-world-baseball-classic-052523708.html
Author : ALANIS THAMES
Publish date : 2026-03-17 05:25:00
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