Underdogs in the World Baseball Classic, Italy shocked the baseball fans by getting into the Quarter Finals.
They faced a tough opponent, Japan on Thursday March 16th. Japan is the only team in the history of the tournament to not advance into the semifinals. They also faced their toughest pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, who is an all around super star in the MLB.
Italy fought hard until the very end, but ultimately, they ended up losing and becoming eliminated from the tournament.
Although disappointed, the team Italy still had their heads held high. They were not supposed to make it as far as they did.
Many considered this year a building year, that will show potential for Italian baseball in the years to come. The team coached under Mike Piazza was very impressive!