Bill Madden: From thrilling final to Italy's run, WBC was a huge hit

Bill Madden, New York Daily News on Mar 22, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Well, let’s face it. The World Baseball Classic was a smashing success, everything MLB had hoped for, except for Team USA. But like it or not, as long as the finals are held in Miami’s domed LoanDepot Park, where the drumbeats, horns and cowbells from the huge contingent of Latinos who live in the Miami area turn the place into a din, the U.S. is always going to feel like the visiting team.

That said, I believe they should keep the championship games in Miami, which is a melting pot of baseball ebullience (that somehow the Marlins have never been able to tap into), and the WBC is a world event, designed to grow the game internationally — and in that regard there was no better or more heartwarming example of what baseball can be than the out-of-nowhere rise of Team Italy to the final rounds.

We’ll get back to them in a minute, but first some observations about Team USA and in particular their manager Mark DeRosa, who took an unmerciful flogging on social media — some deserved and lot of it not so — and where he goes from here.

Granted, not realizing the U.S. had NOT punched their ticket to the knockout round was a bad look for him, but where were the U.S. officials to step in and correct him? From that point on it was all downhill on social media for DeRosa, who wasn’t helped by the fact his team of superstars didn’t hit a lick throughout the championship rounds. Before the tournament DeRosa was given universal praise for his recruiting, getting buy-ins from the game’s biggest stars — Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr., Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes, et al. I thought overall DeRosa managed well until the championship game loss to Venezuela.

I understand if DeRosa didn’t use his closer Mason Miller in the ninth inning of the championship game because he was under orders from the Padres to only use him in a save situation — but did that mean because there were no more save situations in the game Miller could not be used at all no matter how long the game went on? Where I did have a problem with DeRosa’s managing was in the fifth and seventh innings when Venezuela manager Omar Lopez seemingly teed it up for him by switching out lefty relievers for righties to face U.S. catcher Will Smith — with 60-homer switch-hitting catcher Raleigh sitting on the bench. I get it that Raleigh had been 0 for 9 at that point, but DeRosa’s slumping team desperately needed a spark and Smith struck out to end the fifth and fouled out to end the seventh — when one lone swing of Raleigh’s bat might have tied the score.

DeRosa would not have been criticized for pinch hitting Raleigh in either of those occasions, but as the losing manager for the U.S. on one of baseball’s biggest stages he has to now expect torrents of fans and social media yahoos calling for his head. It goes with the territory. As someone who has covered DeRosa’s career from when he went to the same high school — Bergen Catholic in New Jersey — as I did, I’m personally hoping he gets another chance to manage the next USA WBC team. I’m sure he would agree he learned a lot these last three weeks.

As disheartening as the U.S. performance was in the WBC, the flip side was the spunky and spirited play of Team Italy who scored a stunning early upset win over the U.S. and were 5-0 before finally being eliminated by eventual champion Venezuela. Managed by former Yankee favorite backup catcher Francisco Cervelli, the Cinderella run by Team Italy was the talk of the tournament and had an immeasurable impact for baseball back in Italy.

“This was by far the greatest time of my life,” said Team Italy GM Ned Colletti who was previously the highly successful GM of the Dodgers from 2005-14. “This was the culmination of two years putting this team together, getting permission from teams, dealing with agents and all these different groups but the reward was exceptional. Francisco did a phenomenal job and we surrounded him with exceptional people with winning backgrounds — Dave Righetti with the pitching, [former assistant Red Sox GM] Allard Baird, our first base coach, our third base coach, Ron Wotus, who won three rings with the Giants, Jorge Posada, who came aboard as an assistant manager. We had a total of 21 rings on our staff.

“In terms of the impact in Italy I equivocate this to the 1980 Olympics Miracle on Ice hockey team. Before then the NHL was mostly all Canadians. Now there’s almost as many Americans. Wait and see. In future years there’s gonna be more and more players from Italy coming to the U.S. to play baseball. I’m just so proud. For me this goes back to my grandparents who took a chance by coming to America who made this happen for me.”

____