By Jason FrayShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberTeam USA will be on pins and needles Wednesday evening.
Mark DeRosa's team went 3-1 throughout pool play in Group B. Normally, that would be good enough to get any team in the World Baseball Classic through to the quarterfinals. However, due to the fact Italy is undefeated — and Mexico has only one loss — there's a scenario where by the end of Wednesday evening, this group of American players may be viewed as the biggest embarrassment in program history.
More news: Arrogance Has Led Team USA to Disappointing World Baseball Classic Showing
...Italy squares off versus Mexico on Wednesday. It's the final pool play game for both teams. More importantly, the outcome will determine which two squads advance from the group.
There are a host of different scenarios by which the United States can advance (as well as be eliminated). If Italy wins, the United States will advance as the second team from Pool B. The United States will also advance if Mexico wins AND scores at least five runs. If Mexico wins a low-scoring ballgame, the Americans will be out of the tournament.
Adding an extra layer to Wednesday's game, Mexico outfielder Alek Thomas took to social media and made a post on Instagram. This specific post appears to be motivated by wanting to knock the United States out of the WBC.
During the USA's 5-3 victory over Mexico earlier this week, Mexico outfielder Randy Arozarena attempted to shake hands with his Seattle Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh. The All-Star catcher snubbed Arozarena in a move that drew plenty of media attention. While Raleigh tried to brush off the incident as inconsequential while maintaining his love for the outfielder, many supporters of Team Mexico did not feel the same way.
In fact, based on the Instagram post from Thomas, it's safe to say some within the Mexico clubhouse also had their proverbial feathers ruffled by Raleigh's unwillingness to shake the hand of a Mariners teammate.
We'll see if this indeed proves to be a real motivation for Team Mexico in securing a spot in the next round. The team has to win regardless to advance, and as such, the motivation will already be present. At the same time, any little bit of extra oomph can't hurt in achieving a major goal, either.
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