Team USA will learn if it advances into the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night, but they won’t be taking the field.
After a stunning loss to Italy on Tuesday night, the Americans await their fate based on the result of Italy’s game with Mexico to close out pool play. But prior to Tuesday’s game, it appeared as if Team USA manager Mark DeRosa was unaware that a loss to Italy could put his team in such a bind.
“We want to win this game, even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals,” DeRosa told MLB Network’s Hot Stove prior to the shocking loss. The manager even potentially made lineup decisions on the basis that he believed Team USA was free and clear through to the quarterfinals.
Now, it’s out of their hands. A win by Italy against Mexico allows the Americans in through the backdoor. If Mexico beats Italy, they have to score five or more runs while they do so to get the Stars and Stripes in on a tiebreaker.
As DeRosa’s pregame comments quickly went viral after Team USA’s loss on Tuesday night, and fans rightfully piled on the criticism, the MLB Network interview mysteriously went dark on the league’s website. It looked as if it were trying to cover up for the fact that DeRosa didn’t know a loss could put the team in such a precarious position. To further this theory, MLB Network’s Facebook page only posted a condensed version of DeRosa’s interview that didn’t include the remarks about having already clinched a quarterfinal berth.
The popular Foul Territory podcast called out the obscene attempted coverup on their show Tuesday night.
“This isn’t 1990. You can’t erase sh*t.”
MLB pulling the DeRosa clip saying Team USA had already punched its WBC quarterfinal ticket will only make it go more viral, says @ScottBraun. pic.twitter.com/c3dg4fjgkJ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 11, 2026
“I don’t think he misspoke.”@ErikKratz31 says everything that played out tonight suggests Mark DeRosa and Team USA truly believed they had already clinched a WBC quarterfinal spot. pic.twitter.com/Zg3B4iOZs6
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 11, 2026
Perhaps sensing the embarrassment, DeRosa’s interview reappeared on the MLB Network website at some point on Wednesday morning.
While it appears intentional, there’s no way of knowing for sure whether or not DeRosa’s interview was removed on purpose.
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.