Team Italy loses sleep but not the WBC opener by beating Mexico 10-9
Host Mexico had the benefit of 16,000 screaming supporters fill a sold-out Estadio Charros de Jalisco in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Pool D opener with their ace starter Yovani Gallardo on the mound. Team Mexico players slept soundly the night prior to the WBC opener with their luggage in tow while Team Italy players, staff and traveling family members endured excruciating pain waiting in vain to depart on their chartered aircraft from Phoenix and even more torture in Guadalajara when many of their bags went missing at the airport. It was not a pretty sight as Team Italy players risked injury climbing aboard the rear of large baggage trucks without ladders or safety ramps and rummaged through heavy bags in the dark. Trilingual Team Italy starting pitcher Alessandro Maestri and slugger Alex Liddi took the initiative to negotiate with airport cargo workers so that their infant children could be put to bed before 3 am. After being assured that the team’s luggage would eventually be delivered to the hotel, Italy manager Marco Mazzieri reluctantly agreed to have the buses finally depart with a police escort. As a result of the parade of lights, sirens and horns leading Team Italy in the wee hours of the night en route to their hotel, a short 20 minute commute turned out to be nearly an hour of misery.
15 hours later Team Italy was on the field battling in a bloody rematch of the 2013 WBC in Scottsdale, Arizona, site of the great come-from-behind 6-5 Azzurri win when facing Mexico closer Sergio Romo. This time around in 2017 Mexico had Italy on their home artificial and also on edge as a result of extreme sleep deprivation. As expected when Alex Liddi appeared on the field when the Team Italy lineup was announced, the crowd cheered the former Charros de Jalisco favorite. But the cheers got a lot louder when Mexico leadoff hitter Esteban Quiroz homered to left off Italy starter Alessandro Maestri to give the 2017 WBC host an early 1-0 lead. Team Italy got pay back when John Andreoli launched a bomb off Mexico starting pitcher Gallardo into the centerfield bleachers to even the score 1-1.
With the score tied, Maestri returned in the second inning with renewed confidence for an easy 1-2-3 inning. After giving up an infield single to Mexico outfielder Sebastian Elizalde in the third, Maestri struck out Sebastian Valle. Then Esteban Quiroz drilled a double just out of the reach of first baseman Chris Colabello down the right field line to score Elizalde from first to give Mexico a 2-1 advantage. After getting Mexico cleanup hitter Adrian Gonzalez to ground out for the first out in the fourth, Maestri was replaced with reliever Tiago Da Silva. The Brazilian-born Azzurri pitcher surrendered a home run blast to DH Japhet Amador to give Mexico a 3-1 lead. After Efren Navarro singled, emotions got the best of Da Silva and Luis Cruz was hit by a pitch. Sebastian Elizalde blooped a single to center, and Navarro scored to increase the Mexico lead to 4-1.
Team Italy retreated with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning when Daniel Descalso singled for his fourth career hit against Mexico ace Gallardo. Then ltaly leftfielder Rob Segedin launched a two-run homer to narrow the Mexico lead to just one run. Slugger Chris Colabello answered with a back-to-back blast to tie the score 4-4.
Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte replaced Tiago Da Silva in the fifth inning. Esteban Quiroz was hit by a pitch, and Alex Verdugo singled off Venditte. Pat battled back by striking out Mexico’s Brandon Laird and getting Adrian Gonzalez to fly out to center. DH Japhet Amador singled to load the bases for Efren Navarro, who walked to give Mexico back the lead 5-4. It was clear that Venditte was not happy with home plate umpire Dan Bellino’s tight strike zone. Perhaps a bit frustrated, Luis Cruz looked for something down the middle and doubled to score two more. With a 7-4 advantage, the loyal following at Estadio Charros de Jalisco were elated with Mexico’s offensive charge.
Mexico reliever Fernando Salas entered the game in the bottom of the fifth. Never losing faith in the Azzurri, Italy DH Drew Butera sent a missile to the left field bleachers reminiscent 
to homer he hit against Mexico in the 2013 WBC to keep Italy in the game trailing 7-5. Clutch hitter Gavin Cecchini hit a ground rule double to center and advanced to third on John Andreoli’s ground out. Mexico went to the bullpen again and called on left specialist Vidal Nuno to face Daniel Descalso. The managerial strategy of Edgar Gonzalez worked as the Diamondbacks infielder struck out and left Cecchini stranded on third.
Team Italy manager Marco Mazzieri countered by bringing reliever A.J. Morris into the game in the top of the sixth. The 30-year-old right-hander looked good as threw one scoreless inning. Mazzieri wanted more from Morris but umpire Bellino was not so kind to A.J. Two walks and an infield single loaded the bases for Mexico. Azzurri closer Mike DeMark was summoned to get Team Italy out of a jam. Sebastian Elizalde came up big when his two-run single put Mexico ahead 9-5. The Azzurri pitching staff would have to stop the bleeding to stay in the game and they did exactly that.
Mexico was running on all cylinders with a comfy 9-5 lead when they called in reliever Joakim Soria to silence Team Italy’s hot bats in the bottom of the seventh inning. Italy lefty reliever Tommy Layne looked just as impressive in the top of the eight when he held Mexico scoreless with an inning-ending Adrian Gonzalez strikeout. In the bottom of the eight inning, Mexico summoned reliever Sergio Romo, who also kept Italy quiet and received a standing ovation from the diehard Jalisco baseball fans in attendance. But Team Italy’s 23-year-old Blue Jays pitching prospect Jordan Romano stole the spotlight when he came out of the Azzurri bullpen in the top of the ninth inning. Romano was impressive when he struck out two batters and got Luis Cruz to fly out to Team Italy center fielder Brandon Nimmo.
It would come down to the last at-bat for Team Italy to perform another miraculous come-from-behind victory over Mexico in Jalisco as they did in the ninth inning of their clash with Mexico in the 2013 WBC in Arizona. Mexico would take no chances for a Team Italy repeat upset and sent Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna out to get seal the deal for a win. Fear began to loom for Mexico when Team Italy catcher Francisco Cervelli hustled on the bases and legged out a double to get in scoring position. He was replaced by pinch runner Sebastiano Poma. Chris Collabello followed with a double to put two men in scoring position. Then Alex Liddi hit a two-run double to cut the Mexico lead to 9-7. A fielding error by Mexico shortstop Luis Cruz allowed Drew Butera to reach first and Liddi to advance to third. Mexico’s Osuna walked Drew Maggi to load the bases for left-handed hitting Brandon Nimmo. Manager Edgar Gonzalez had seen enough of Osuna and called for a lefty-lefty matchup with reliever Oliver Perez. Nimmo came through with an RBI single to make it a one run ballgame. With two men in scoring position for Team Italy, the Azzurri momentum could not be stopped. John Andreoli singled on a hard ground ball hit to Mexico second baseman Luis Urias to bring home Butera and Maggi for another unbelievable Team Italy come-from-behind win over Mexico in WBC competitions.
by Roberto Angotti
