Team “New Jersey” Does It Again: Italy’s Magical WBC Run Continues

At this point in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, we might need to stop calling them Team Italy.

Because if you look at the roster and listen to the dugout chatter, it sounds more like Team New Jersey.

A bunch of guys from the Northeast United States, last names ending in vowels, and somehow they’ve turned into the biggest Cinderella story of the tournament.

And on Saturday, the magic continued.

Italy Stuns Puerto Rico to Reach the Semifinals

Italy pulled off one of the biggest wins of the tournament so far, defeating Puerto Rico 8–6 to advance to the first World Baseball Classic semifinal in program history.

The game started with a bang when Willi Castro led off the game with a home run for Puerto Rico, immediately putting the pressure on the Italians.

But if there’s one thing this Italian team has shown throughout the tournament, it’s that they don’t panic.

Italy responded instantly.

They hung four runs in the bottom of the first inning, chasing Puerto Rico starter Seth Lugo before he could even settle in.

From there, the Italians kept piling on:

• J.J. D’Orazio drove in three runs

• Andrew Fischer added two RBIs

• Italy built an 8–2 lead by the middle innings 

Puerto Rico did make things interesting late, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 8–6.

But Italy closer Greg Weissert shut the door in the ninth, sending the Italian dugout into absolute chaos and keeping the Cinderella story alive.

And just like that, the team that nobody expected to make noise in this tournament is now headed to the final four.

Why This Italian Team Is So Fun

The best part about this Italy run is how unexpected it is.

This isn’t a roster filled with massive global superstars like some of the other teams in the tournament.

Instead, it’s a group of:

• MLB players with Italian heritage

• guys from the Northeast

• grinders who just play good baseball

They’ve been unbeaten through the tournament, winning with timely hitting, strong bullpen work, and just enough chaos to make every game entertaining.

And honestly, the vibe of the team makes it even better.

It feels like a bunch of dudes who would rather be:

• eating pasta

• drinking espresso

• arguing about baseball in a Jersey diner

But instead they’re beating powerhouse national teams in the World Baseball Classic.

Baseball is weird like that sometimes.

Meanwhile: Venezuela Is Trying to Take Down Japan

While Italy celebrated their historic win, the other quarterfinal matchup was still unfolding.

At the time of writing this, Venezuela holds an 8–5 lead over Japan in the bottom of the 8th inning in their quarterfinal matchup.

This game has been a heavyweight fight.

Japan came into the matchup undefeated and led by superstars like Shohei Ohtani, but Venezuela’s offense showed up ready to swing.

Through eight innings Venezuela had already:

• 9 hits

• 3 home runs

• 8 runs scored

Meanwhile Japan has managed 5 runs on 5 hits, trying to claw their way back late in the game.

If the score holds, Venezuela will punch their ticket to the semifinals and set up an absolute must-watch matchup with Italy.

And with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, it comes down to Ohtani to keep the game alive. Ben Verlander is gripping his pillow tight right now.

And thats all she wrote. Down goes Frazier!!! The defending WBC

Italy vs Venezuela Will Be Chaos

If Venezuela finishes the job, the semifinal matchup will be fascinating.

You’d have:

Venezuela

• A stacked roster

• One of the deepest lineups in the tournament

• A team built to win the whole thing

Versus

Italy

• The ultimate underdog

• Playing with house money

• Riding the hottest run in the tournament

And the beauty of the World Baseball Classic is that the talent gap between these teams isn’t nearly as big as people think.

In a single elimination environment, anything can happen.

The WBC Is Delivering Again

This is why the World Baseball Classic works.

You get games like:

• Italy upsetting powerhouse teams

• Venezuela and Japan trading punches

• baseball being played with real emotion and national pride

It’s chaotic.

It’s unpredictable.

And it’s exactly what makes international baseball so much fun to watch.

Right now, Italy’s dream run is still alive.

And if this tournament keeps going the way it has so far…

We might not be done talking about Team “New Jersey” just yet.