Mark DeRosa thought the Americans had qualified before yesterday’s game.

As my colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois explained very well this morning (Wednesday), the United States is at risk of not qualifying for the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic, courtesy of their 8-6 loss to Italy.

And all of this could have been avoided if U.S. team manager Mark DeRosa had been a little more familiar with the rules of the international tournament. During an appearance on MLB Network a few hours before his team faced Italy, DeRosa incorrectly stated that the Americans were guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals.

He then discussed how he was going to change his lineup to give some guys playing time, mentioning in passing that the United States really wanted to beat Italy, even though they had already secured their ticket.

“Misspoke” and “misread the calculations” are two very different things.

The question is: Did DeRosa believe that Team USA was safe, and if so, did he build the lineup/pitching plan accordingly. We didn't really get clarity on that. https://t.co/F7L3JE5dQV

— Jake Mintz (@Jake_Mintz) March 11, 2026

Yet, even though Team USA started the tournament with a record of three wins and no losses and was leading Group B at the time of the interview, there was a real possibility that the Americans would finish the first round tied for first place in their group.

Let's just say that doesn't paint a very good picture for DeRosa, who is in his second World Baseball Classic as manager of Team USA. Especially since the skipper benched Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman, and Cal Raleigh from his lineup against Italy. These are three of his best hitters, not to mention Brice Turang, who also got a day off.

Instead, there is a real chance that three teams will be tied for first place in Group B with a 3-1 record. If Italy beats Mexico, the US will advance to the next round, but if Mexico beats Italy, things will get very interesting.

If the Americans fail to make it through the preliminary round because DeRosa believed his team had secured its place by starting the tournament with a 3-0 record…

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