​LoanDepot Park (Miami) – The Venezuelans did it. They actually did it. Sparked by Ronald Acuña Jr.’s electric leadoff at-bat, the rest of Venezuela's stacked roster was not going to rest until it ended Japan’s title defense. It was always going to take a team effort to dethrone the Samurai and their intimidating championship pedigree. It was always going to be a highly competitive matchup, and boy, did it deliver. Japan, try as they might, couldn’t overcome the powerful offensive blows from Venezuela’s deep lineup. Players looked dejected as their magical, undefeated run at the World Baseball Classic came to an end. Japan has won the WBC three times, including most recently in 2023, for the most titles in the tournament’s history. No other country has won the title multiple times, but that can all change this year with the reigning champions expunged from the tournament. Here are my takeaways: 1. Wilyer Abreu brought down the house There are wild dugout celebrations, and then there is the complete surrender to euphoria that Venezuela felt in the sixth inning after reclaiming the lead from Japan. Though Venezuela trailed 5-4 entering the sixth inning, the heart of the order was all over Hiromi Itoh, Japan’s fourth pitcher of the night, prepared and ready for the Japanese right-hander. Ezequiel Tovar ripped a leadoff single to right, then he got a huge lead off of first base before Gleyber Torres singled to left. Tovar was already pulling into third base as Torres reached first. On the mound, Itoh seemed rattled. Abreu, who had been waiting all tournament for his first home run, picked the ideal moment to explode. Waiting for a fastball from Itoh, Abreu finally got one chest-high that he sent to the right-field seats, putting Venezuela in front, 7-5. Before the ball even landed, the Venezuelan dugout emptied onto the field in a frenzied display of pure elation. Players jumped, danced, shimmied, hugged and raised their hands as Abreu, screaming and pumping his fists, rounded the bases. It was complete and utter chaos. It was the kind of moment MLB players don’t even remember after, usually saying they blacked out. Abreu’s three-run home run gave Venezuela the lead for the first time since the second inning. They never looked back. Later, Abreu said it was the best moment of his career. 2. Anything you can do, I can do better There was no better way to get the crowd fired up for all the fireworks to come than an electric first inning from Venezuela and Japan. Acuña took Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep on the second pitch of the game. The Venezuela dugout emptied onto the field as the crowd lost its mind. The roar inside loanDepot Park surpassed dangerous decibel levels. Acuña flew around the bases and kept shouting "Vamos!" long after he reached the dugout. Yamamoto, four months after being named the 2025 World Series MVP, left a meatball over the center of the plate. One of the most lethal hitters in the sport does not miss that mistake. Alas, Venezuela’s lead was instantly vaporized. Who else but Shohei Ohtani picked up his Samurai and Dodger teammate? Before Venezuelan southpaw Ranger Suarez could settle in, Ohtani connected on a slider and sent a leadoff home run of his own to deep center field, reminding anyone who forgot that he is, in fact, the hitter every country on the planet would want at the plate in a do-or-die game. Suarez allowed just four home runs to left-handed hitters last season, but that hardly mattered against Ohtani, who has a career OPS of .850 against southpaws. It was Ohtani’s third home run of the tournament. 3. An unlikely blast Suarez, after retiring four straight batters, got into a pickle in the third inning when he walked off the leadoff batter. After recording one out on a sacrifice bunt, Venezuela opted to intentionally walk Ohtani in favor of facing lesser mortals. After all, the top of Japan’s order wasn’t as threatening after outfielder Seiya Suzuki was removed from the game with right knee discomfort following an awkward slide in the second inning. Suzuki’s replacement, center fielder Shota Morishita, had other ideas. Morishita, ice-cold, came off the bench and blasted a three-run homer to left field, breaking the tied game and giving Japan a 5-2 lead. Japan had to be worried about Suzuki, who limped off the field with a trainer and seemed to have difficulty even going down the dugout steps. But, at the time, Morishita’s enormous blast lessened the sting. The large contingent of Japanese fans, who still hadn’t calmed down from Ohtani’s electric leadoff homer, matched the energy level of the Venezuelans as the roof threatened to come off the building. 4. Take a bow, Japan Team Japan watched as Venezuela celebrated its quarterfinal win on the field. Moments later, swallowing their sadness, the entire team lined up along the third-base line, just like it did a few hours prior for pregame introductions. Japanese players tipped their caps and took a bow, bidding adieu to a tournament they had been used to dominating. But things were different this time. For one, Japan’s pitching wasn’t as powerful as it was in 2023. Plus, other countries and teams, including Venezuela, stepped up with improved and stacked rosters, hungry to dethrone Japan. Finally, Ohtani was again involved in the final out, but he came up empty this time. In 2023, Ohtani, as Japan's closer, punched out his then-teammate, Mike Trout, to win the championship for Japan. This year, Ohtani represented the final out at the plate, with Japan trailing Venezuela by three runs in the ninth. He popped out to shortstop. For Japan, it was their earliest WBC exit since the tournament’s inauguration in 2006. For everyone else? Poetic justice. 4 ½. What’s next for Venezuela? Venezuela, which has now officially qualified for the 2028 Olympics, will face Italy in the WBC semifinals on Monday in Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Italy is riding high after defeating Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals on Saturday. While Venezuela’s pitching staff is deeper than Italy’s, Monday night is still expected to be a tight matchup. Read More

​We are down to the final four of the World Baseball Classic, and we'll have a new titleholder. Defending champion Japan is out after losing to Venezuela in Saturday's quarterfinals. The South American squad now joins two other star-studded casts and one espresso-powered surprise for the semifinals in Miami. Italy took down Puerto Rico earlier on Saturday and will now join the party in Miami, where the Azzurri will face Venezuela on Monday (8 p.m. ET on FS1). The other side of the bracket is the USA-Dominican Republic semifinal, which will be played on Sunday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). Recapping Saturday's action from the World Baseball Classic and taking a peek at Sunday's first semifinal game: Italy Continues Surprise Run, Reaches Semifinals The magical run continues for undefeated Italy, which will be taking its Armani suits, espresso machines, cheek-kisses and, most importantly, high-powered offense to the World Baseball Classic semifinals after holding off a late charge from Puerto Rico in Saturday’s quarterfinal to seal an 8-6 win. "It’s amazing," Italy manager Francisco Cervelli said. "This is great. This is one of the best chapters of my life. It’s incredible. This group, it’s phenomenal." Italy didn’t homer Saturday after hitting a dozen through its first four wins — and downing espresso shots after each dinger. But its offense still packed enough of a jolt to send the Puerto Ricans home after they had made the quarterfinals for a sixth time. "There were some special bottles of wine today," first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said with a smile. Saturday’s victory came after Italy handed the United States a surprising 8-6 loss in pool play. The Azzurri followed with a 9-1 defeat of Mexico that provided the help the Americans needed to reach the quarterfinals. Next up for Italy? A date with the team that ousted the champions. Japan Ousted By Venezuela in Home-Run Fest When Ronald Acuña Jr. homered off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first inning, there was a feeling this game would be fun. When Shohei Ohtani responded with his own solo, we knew we'd have something special brewing. What we got was a game that had four home runs and the elimination of the defending champions as Venezuela defeated Japan to move onto the semifinals. Shota Morishita had three-run homer for Japan off Ranger Suárez for a 5-2 lead in a four-run third that included Teruaki Sato's RBI double following an intentional walk to Ohtani. But Venezuela responded with a homer by Maikel Garcia in the fifth and then a three-run shot by Wilyer Abreu to put them on top. In a twist of fate, Ohtani was the final out of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning after a pop-up. He had famously struck out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout in the 2023 championship to win the title for Japan over the USA. Venezuela will take on Italy in Monday's semifinal with a chance to reach the championship game on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). Skenes, USA Set For Semis Clash vs. Dominican Republic Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, will be put to the test as United States looks to return to the World Baseball Classic final. But a juggernaut will be waiting for them in Miami on Sunday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). "I expect it to be, like, one of the best games of all time," USA manager Mark DeRosa said ahead of the star-studded semifinal matchup against the Dominican Republic. The USA has plenty of sluggers and All-Stars on its squad, headlined by Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and Mariners home-run machine Cal Raleigh. But the Dominicans are stacked too. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Juan Soto. Fernando Tatis. Junior Caminero. That's a scary lineup no matter which way manager Albert Pujols puts it together. With 14 homers at this tournament, Team D.R. has already tied the WBC record set by Mexico in 2009. "It’s exciting," Judge said of the Dominican style of play. "I know the fans definitely love it. But I try not to look at what other teams are doing, other people are doing. I’m focused on what we got here. We’ve got a special group of guys that love to play this game, they’re excited to be in this room, they’re all honored to be in this room, and they’re not taking it for granted." The winner will advance to the championship game on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET on FOX). Read More

​Unsurprisingly, the quote that reverberated around social media following UConn’s comfortable victory over Georgetown in the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals on Friday night came from head coach Dan Hurley. He was asked to share his thoughts on an impending matchup with top-seeded St. John’s, an opponent with whom the Huskies split their regular season contests, and Hurley provided another trademark quip. "It's going to be a death match for the Big East championship," Hurley said. "Both of us have really delivered for this league in a year where this league needs a game like tomorrow night." But once the ball was tipped in the conference tournament title game before a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, only one team delivered the way it had all season: St. John’s. Led by head coach Rick Pitino, the top-seeded Red Storm brutalized second-seeded UConn for the better part of 40 minutes in a physically dominant showing that ended as a wire-to-wire 72-52 thumping for the Big East Tournament victory. A double-digit halftime lead for St. John’s never shrunk below seven, even amid a brief Huskies’ surge, and quickly ballooned north of 20 in the closing stages. The Red Storm have now won the men's Big East Tournament title in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1985-86. Here are my takeaways: 1. St. John’s controls the Big East despite UConn’s national titles When push comes to shove, the Huskies will gladly point to their two national championships during Hurley’s tenure as worthwhile trade-offs for some disappointing results in the conference. Back-to-back triumphs on the sport’s biggest stage in 2023 and 2024 gave UConn six national titles in program history, tied with North Carolina for third all-time behind UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8). What’s also unquestionable, though, is the dominance St. John’s has summoned on a conference level during this remarkable three-year run under Pitino, who continues to do what he’s always done across a highly decorated career: win. As far as the Big East goes, the Red Storm have now secured back-to-back regular season titles and back-to-back conference tournament titles while only dropping four league games over those two campaigns combined. An 18-2 regular season during the 2024-25 season gave way to an identical 18-2 regular season mark this year, both of which ended with clean sweeps at Madison Square Garden in March. In assembling rosters flush with positional size, unwavering toughness and years upon years of collegiate experience, Pitino has found an ideal elixir for success in the ruggedly officiated Big East. And he’s now presiding over a level of conference dominance that even the Huskies couldn’t match while winning those two national titles under Hurley. Sure, the UConn team from 2023-24 proved itself a legitimate juggernaut by winning 28 regular season games and blowing out six consecutive opponents in the NCAA Tournament. But Hurley’s two championship-winning teams also dropped nine combined Big East games during their reign. The next step for Pitino during his reconstruction of St. John’s is to parlay such incredible regular season success into a lengthy NCAA Tournament run. Last year’s team, a 2-seed, stumbled in the second round against 10th-seeded Arkansas on a night when poor perimeter shooting finally undid the Red Storm. The program still hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 1999. 2. Ferocious St. John’s defense smothers high-powered UConn offense When Red Storm center Zuby Ejiofor, the freshly crowned Big East Player of the Year, scored on a half-hook midway through the second half, he made a gesture to suggest that UConn big man Tarris Reed Jr. was too small to defend him on the way back down the floor, holding one hand a few inches above the hardwood. And while it was an offensive basket that prompted Ejiofor to unfurl his momentary taunt, the wide-ranging nature of his impact on Saturday’s game meant it could have applied to both ends of the floor. For the better part of 40 minutes, Ejiofor had gone chest to chest with Reed in what was arguably the conference’s most intriguing matchup all season. He scored 18 points while making seven of his 11 shots in a highly efficient offensive performance, but it’s what Ejiofor did on defense that spearheaded the Red Storm’s thorough blanketing of UConn, a team with an offense that ranked 26th nationally in efficiency at tip-off. Ejiofor, who also grabbed nine rebounds, set a Big East Tournament title game record with seven blocked shots to repeatedly dissuade, deter and deject nearly every Husky who entered the paint. [NCAA TOURNAMENT: 2026 Men’s Automatic Bids Tracker] Such an imposing presence around the basket allowed the Red Storm’s other defenders to play feisty, handsy defense in all areas of the court. Pitino’s group forced UConn into 17 turnovers, 10 of which St. John’s ripped away as steals, and transformed those mistakes into 24 points. Five different players tallied at least one steal, including two players — Ejiofor and point guard Dylan Darling — who notched three apiece. The Red Storm limited Huskies’ sharpshooters Braylon Mullins and Solo Ball to just eight combined points on three field goals by blanketing the 3-point line, knowing Ejiofor was always there behind them. 3. St. John’s responds with early haymaker after ugly loss at UConn When these two teams met at PeoplesBank Arena three weeks ago, the post-game scenes were ugly for St. John’s. Having suffered what was unquestionably his worst loss since taking over the program — a 72-40 defeat in which the Red Storm missed their final 24 field goal attempts — Pitino declined to participate in a traditional news conference, choosing instead to speak for roughly 75 seconds outside the visiting locker room. Then he snapped at a St. John’s staffer loudly enough for the swarm of reporters to hear. Then an interview with Ejiofor, the Red Storm’s captain, was delayed because he needed stitches for a busted lip. Such post-game dysfunction was in keeping with the unsightly mess St. John’s had put forth on the court: a performance so shocking that it was fair to wonder how long it might linger. But the answer, as it turned out, was devoid of any lingering at all. Pitino rallied his team in time to win a second consecutive Big East regular season title, with the Red Storm reeling off six consecutive wins ever since. And in the early moments of Saturday’s rubber match against UConn, there was nothing to suggest St. John’s harbored any fear of the Huskies. Fueled by an opportunity to atone for the embarrassment in Hartford, the Red Storm seized control almost immediately. An emphatic 10-0 spurt to begin the evening — commonly referred to as a "kill shot" in the analytics world — decidedly swung momentum toward St. John’s before the Huskies seemed to recognize the game had begun. Banshee-like effort from Ejiofor, power forward Dillon Mitchell and Darling, an unsung hero when Pitino’s squad defeated UConn in the same building earlier this season, overwhelmed a Huskies’ team that coasted through wins over Xavier and Georgetown by 41 combined points. More than four minutes elapsed before UConn manufactured its first point. And by the 12:34 mark, with the St. John’s lead still in double figures, Hurley received a technical foul for arguing with the referees. His team retreated to the locker room down 40-27 at the break after trailing by as many as 17 points. 4. Another lackluster effort from UConn with a championship at stake Exactly one week ago, the Huskies entered Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee needing only to beat lowly Marquette to secure a share of the Big East regular-season title. And though Shaka Smart is still the highly successful head coach of the Golden Eagles, this year’s group was anything but one of his vintage teams. By that point, Marquette had already lost 19 games after dropping just 21 over the previous two campaigns. It should have been a routine win for then-No. 4 UConn. Instead, the Huskies imploded. They made only three of 24 attempts from behind the arc, turned the ball over 16 times and allowed the Golden Eagles to shoot 48% from the field in an eventual 68-62 defeat that handed St. John’s an outright league title. Hurley was so incensed in the waning seconds that he got ejected and fined $25,000. It meant that part of the narrative surrounding UConn during this week’s Big East Tournament revolved around redemption — the idea that the Huskies were left crestfallen by their effort against Marquette and would channel that frustration at Madison Square Garden. And that largely happened across comprehensive victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals, with Hurley and his team resembling the postseason juggernaut fans have come to expect in recent years. They entered the title game against St. John’s playing their best basketball in weeks. Which is why, both now and in the long run, it’s quite concerning that the Huskies tripped over themselves in a second consecutive pressure-packed setting. How will they respond in the Big Dance? 4½. What’s next? A stunning loss by Florida earlier on Saturday afternoon sent a shock wave across the top of the sport. That the Gators were clobbered, 91-74, by Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinals cleared a potential path for UConn to potentially reach the top line come Selection Sunday — assuming the Huskies could beat St. John's. But UConn promptly squandered that opportunity and will almost certainly receive a 2-seed when the bracket is revealed. The Red Storm, meanwhile, should benefit significantly from another high-profile victory in a campaign mostly devoid of them. Non-conference losses to then-No. 15 Alabama, then-No. 15 Iowa State, then-No. 21 Auburn and Kentucky all came before Pitino molded his group into the cohesive unit that romped through the Big East. Two victories over UConn — one in February, one on Saturday night — are unquestionably the team’s best wins. FOX Sports’ bracketologist Mike DeCourcy projected St. John’s as a 4-seed prior to beating the Huskies a second time. Perhaps this latest marquee result can move the Red Storm up a line. Read More

​DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – Time to get beaned up, Miami. The magical run continues for undefeated Italy, which will be taking its Armani suits, espresso machines, cheek-kisses and, most importantly, high-powered offense to the World Baseball Classic semifinals after holding off a late charge from Puerto Rico in Saturday’s quarterfinal to seal an 8-6 win. Here are my takeaways: 1. Tournament Surprise Story Italy Writes Its Latest Chapter There was no letdown for Italy after upsetting Team USA in pool play, so why should the quarterfinals be any different? No stage appears too mighty or inconquerable for Italy, which continues cruising through the tournament undefeated with its compilation of primarily Italian-American prospects and neophyte big-leaguers pummeling the baseball. After hitting 12 home runs in pool play — a total that trailed only the Dominican Republic for the most in the WBC — Italy didn’t need the long ball on Saturday, instead stringing together two separate four-run rallies. Prior to Saturday, Puerto Rico hadn’t even allowed four runs in a game. The team’s pitching staff entered the quarterfinals leading the WBC with a 1.22 ERA. By game’s end, Puerto Rico allowed more runs against Italy than it had in its four pool-play games combined. All nine players in Italy’s starting lineup reached base, a testament to the depth of a lineup that continues causing more havoc than anyone imagined. Italy's offense has scored as many runs as Team USA — and hit for more average and power — through five games. 2. Puerto Rico Strikes First; Italy Responds Immediately, Emphatically On an 0-2 count to start the game, Italy starter Sam Aldegheri left a changeup up to Willi Castro, who did not miss. Puerto Rico’s leadoff hitter sent the pitch over the Crawford Boxes in left field and sent a crowd of 34,291 — primarily pro-Puerto Rico fans — at Daikin Park into a frenzy. Puerto Rico’s players emptied out of the dugout to celebrate the blast as chants of "olé, olé, olé, olé" filled the stadium and Puerto Rico flags flew. But Italy went undefeated in pool play for a reason. Puerto Rico had its most accomplished starter on the mound. Against an Italy offense that outscored its opponents by 21 runs during pool play, it didn’t matter. Italy has showcased various ways to score throughout the competition. During pool play, it was primarily with power. In the quarterfinals, it was patience and precision. The start to the game for the Italy offense: walk, strikeout, walk, three straight RBI singles. Just like that, five batters into the game, Italy had chased 2024 All-Star Seth Lugo. The Italians tallied another run before the end of the inning on a sacrifice fly to jump out to a 4-1 lead. Three innings later, Italy’s next four-run was catalyzed by three straight walks which led to back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Andrew Fischer and J.J. D’Orazio. Back in pool play, that same duo hit back-to-back solo shots against Great Britain. D’Orazio, a 24-year-old minor leaguer with the Los Angeles Angels, has become the team’s primary catcher since Kyle Teel strained his hamstring against Team USA — and he's running with the opportunity. 3. Puerto Rico Makes Late Charge, Will Lament Missed Opportunities Puerto Rico didn’t just fold after falling behind 8-2, responding with its own four-run rally in the eighth inning and getting the tying run to the plate in the ninth. However, it will regret the chances it let slip away right from the start. Right after Italy poured it on in the first, Puerto Rico had a chance to respond similarly. The team put four runners on base in the second inning and scored only one run with the opportunity. Aldegheri, one of three Italian-born players on Team Italy, lost his command in the second and was removed with one out after allowing two straight walks and then hitting a batter. Alek Jacob entered and then immediately hit another batter to bring in a run. But with the bases loaded, he struck out Castro and got pool-play hero Darell Hernaiz to groundout to keep Italy’s lead at two. In the seventh, Puerto Rico had another chance to rally and cut into Italy’s lead when a walk and an error put runners on the corners to start the inning. A lineout and two strikeouts followed. Puerto Rico finished the game 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. 4. Italy Goes Where It Hasn’t Before Italy has made the WBC quarterfinals twice before in its country’s history, including at the 2023 WBC. Now, it will be making its first trip to the semifinals, where it will play the winner of Saturday night’s Japan-Venezuela matchup. Read More