WBC fans hail Team Italy after victory over Netherlands secures first WBC quarter-finals since 2013

After a thrilling final round of games, Team Italy shocked the world by qualifying for the next round at the World Baseball Classic. Italy edged out Panama, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands in a tightly contested group. Cuba is the second team to progress from the group.

With every team in Pool A finishing with a 2-2 record, the tie-breaker formula had to be used to determine the top two teams. Italy qualified due to the fact that they allowed just 17 runs over 108 innings. The Netherlands, Panama and Chinese Taipei allowed 19, 21 and 31 runs, respectively.

Italy defeated the Netherlands 7-1 in a must-win game. The game did not start out as planned, with the Netherlands taking an early 1-0 lead. Italy responded with a six-run fourth inning and sealed the game by adding one more in the eighth.

WBC fans took to the Twitter comments section to applaud the team for reaching the quarter-finals.

Italian fans are excited to see how far this team can take this miraculous run. This is Italy's second trip to the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals. They achieved the feat back in 2013 when they finished ahead of Mexico and Canada in the group stages.

Team Italy will face Team Japan in the next round after qualifying from Pool A

Unfortunately, for Team Italy, they will face the winners of Pool B. That means that Shohei Ohtani and a powerful Team Japan awaits.

Japan has scored the most runs in the tournament, averaging 9.5 runs per game. They have played at a high level and are considered one of the favorites to win it all.

Fans are excited to see Los Angeles Angels teammates Ohtani and David Fletcher face off in the next round. Ohtani is slated to start the game as a pitcher.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza has done well to organize his team. The Italian manager will face a herculean task in the next round. Italy will need to play a near perfect game if they have any hopes of toppling the mighty Team Japan.

About the author

Sahir is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He grew up a New York Yankees fan after attending his first game at Yankee Stadium in 1995. He has also lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, the Bay Area and the Dominican Republic. His all-time favorite sports moment was watching Aaron Boone hit the walk-off home run in the 2003 ALCS.

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