Team USA manager Mark DeRosa certainly did not cover himself in glory on Tuesday.
Neither did his team, to be fair. After falling behind 8-0 to Italy in its final pool play game of the World Baseball Classic, Team USA put up a valiant comeback effort before losing 8-6. The Americans, who entered the game 3-0 and could’ve clinched a spot in the knockout round with a win, will now see their fate determined by the outcome of Wednesday’s Italy-Mexico game.
And where will Team USA fans tune in to find out? In a change of plans, fans will be able to watch the game on FS1 instead of Tubi, where Italy-Mexico was originally scheduled to air.
The Fox-owned free streaming platform was preparing to air what would have arguably been the most consequential exclusive telecast in its history on Wednesday. But Fox Sports has decided otherwise, according to an updated schedule on its website indicating FS1 will now air the game to determine Team USA’s fate.
Tubi has simulcast major Fox events like the Super Bowl and NFL Thanksgiving games in the past. The streamer even had exclusive WBC games the last time around, in 2023, and some exclusive international soccer games here and there. It’s unclear whether the streamer will still simulcast Wednesday night’s game. With Italy-Mexico on FS1, it’s likely that Tubi will air the Dominican Republic-Venezuela game.
The tiebreaking scenarios for Wednesday’s pool play finale are convoluted to say the least. Team USA’s clearest path into the knockout round is for Italy to win the game. Italy wins, the Americans are in. If Mexico wins and scores five or more runs in doing so, Team USA will also advance. But if Mexico wins and scores fewer than five runs, the Americans are going home.
To make matters worse, DeRosa was seemingly unaware that Team USA had not already clinched a spot in the knockout round prior to Tuesday’s game, an oversight that influenced how lineups were formulated and could cost the Americans their WBC hopes.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.