Italy's Pasquantino Apologizes for Overlooking Venezuela in WBC Semifinals Prediction

The Team Italy captain and Kansas City Royals first baseman got ahead of himself during a post-game interview.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 1:08am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Vinnie Pasquantino, the captain of the Italian national baseball team and a first baseman for the Kansas City Royals, made a premature prediction about the World Baseball Classic semifinals after Italy's quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico. In an interview, Pasquantino named the Dominican Republic, Japan, the United States, and Italy as the final four teams, overlooking Venezuela, who had yet to play their quarterfinal match against Japan. Pasquantino later took to social media to apologize for the omission, acknowledging that the Venezuela-Japan game should be an exciting one.

Why it matters

Pasquantino's comments were seen as disrespectful to the Venezuelan team, which has a roster full of talented MLB players. The oversight could potentially create some bad blood between the Italian and Venezuelan squads, especially if Venezuela ends up defeating Japan and advancing to the semifinals.

The details

In the post-game interview, Pasquantino said, "I don't know how many people would've picked the Dominican Republic, Japan, the United States and Italy in the final four, but we're here now... this is incredible, man." However, he failed to mention Venezuela, who had yet to play their quarterfinal match against Japan. About 30 minutes later, Pasquantino took to social media to apologize, writing, "Tried to get this fixed after the fact but I'm sorry I excluded Venezuela. Didn't mean to that. Looking forward to watching that game we all know it should be fireworks. My bad Team Venezuela. I still love you {Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez, Luinder Avila and Angel Zerpa}."

  • On March 14, 2026, Vinnie Pasquantino made the premature prediction about the WBC semifinals in a post-game interview.
  • About 30 minutes later, Pasquantino posted an apology on social media for overlooking Venezuela.

The players

Vinnie Pasquantino

The captain of the Italian national baseball team and a first baseman for the Kansas City Royals in MLB.

Maikel Garcia

A Venezuelan baseball player who plays for the Kansas City Royals.

Salvador Perez

A Venezuelan baseball player who plays for the Kansas City Royals.

Luinder Avila

A Venezuelan baseball player.

Angel Zerpa

A Venezuelan baseball player.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I don't know how many people would've picked the Dominican Republic, Japan, the United States and Italy in the final four, but we're here now... this is incredible, man.”

— Vinnie Pasquantino, Team Italy Captain

“Tried to get this fixed after the fact but I'm sorry I excluded Venezuela. Didn't mean to that. Looking forward to watching that game we all know it should be fireworks. My bad Team Venezuela. I still love you {Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez, Luinder Avila and Angel Zerpa}.”

— Vinnie Pasquantino

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

Pasquantino's premature prediction about the WBC semifinals highlights the need for athletes to be mindful of their comments, as they can easily be perceived as disrespectful or overlooking other teams. This incident serves as a reminder that even small slips of the tongue can have larger implications, especially in the high-stakes world of international sports competitions.