WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B - ITALY VS USA

March 10, 2026

Michael Lorenzen

Daikin Park

Team Italy

Postgame Press Conference

Italy - 8, USA - 6

Q. When you see Jac play, especially that bat flip, what went through your mind when you see the emotion and that power that young kid has already?

MICHAEL LORENZEN: I didn't see the bat flip just because I was in the dugout trying to figure out how I was going to get the next three guys out. But, gosh, he's a monster. He's a specimen. He looks like he was built in a lab. He's got the height. He's got the build. He's got everything.

And he's just a good kid. So I keep pushing him to be a two-way player because he throws 100 as well. So, Kansas City Royals, please let him throw flat grounds and bullpens once a week, please, because he's a freak. And freaks should be two-way players.

Q. What were you personally doing tonight that you felt was really effective in getting the American lineup out?

MICHAEL LORENZEN: I had the three different fastballs working. So I think just having to pick which one I was going to throw was helpful. The arm-side sinker was working. I was getting it strike-to-ball where it was starting out like it was in the zone and then it was kind of late moving in. And I felt like I got a lot of outs on that. I just felt like the three fastballs was a big deal.

I threw more curveballs than I expected to throw. So just kind of within the game, me and Teel were working together really well. But I just knew I had to be in the zone or around the zone. I had to earn their respect that, hey, I'm not just going to nibble, I'm going to come at you. And I felt that would lead to a little more chase. But if I start to nibble early, I have no chance.

So against a lineup like that, that's something you've got to weigh, like, how much of the zone do I live in? You've got a guy like Kyle Schwarber, who doesn't swing at anything other than pitches that are in the zone, which is insane to me.

So you're just battling this mental battle constantly -- last night, this morning, trying to just figure out as I'm warming up in the pen what pitches am I going to lean on most. So you're just thinking through all this stuff.

Q. This night will be remembered for a long time in Italy. What does it mean for you to have made history of Italian baseball?

MICHAEL LORENZEN: It's incredible. Anytime you can make history is, it's incredible. That's why I signed up for this. When Vinnie asked me if I wanted to play, I did tell him I would only do it if I was a two-way player. So there's a lot -- I'm going to ask Francisco for some at-bats or some batting practice.

But it's incredible to make history like that. An upset like that for an incredible country like Italy -- and I know everyone kind of is probably going nuts right now, which it's awesome to get people fired up.

That's why I love sports. That's why I love baseball. And I'm glad that us as a group of guys were able to do that for people.

Q. We know that in baseball any team can beat any other team, but generally speaking, the "any other team" does not have MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, All-Stars up and down the lineup. What does this victory mean to you, and what do you think it means to the group of guys you've been with for the last week now?

MICHAEL LORENZEN: Yeah, if that doesn't, for you as a player, boost your confidence and just your ability to just believe in your ability, then I don't know what will.

So I think it's going to be incredible for a lot of guys' futures, personally. If they were able to do it on this stage, I think they're going to be able to do it anywhere.

And the at-bats of guys were so impressive for me. That was the most impressive part of the game, where the at-bats, so many two-strike counts to base hits, to home runs.

And these guys are nasty. They are on that team because they put guys away. That's what people don't understand. They put guys away. They have pitches that are outlier-style pitches that they throw and they put the best of the best away.

And not tonight. So that's incredible. Really impressive.

I'm really happy for all the guys, and I know we still have work to do tomorrow, but this is something that kind of pushes you to that next level.

Q. You were an all-star at Cal State Fullerton, powerhouse, two-way player. You pitched a no-hitter. And now you've made Italy proud. How does tonight rate amongst those experiences that you've gone through?

MICHAEL LORENZEN: Yeah, I mean, I would say right behind the no-hitter, for sure. It's up there.

To be able to show up, and we talked about the battling back and forth, to overcome those battles of the mind of how I'm going to attack these guys. And it's so fun to me to have these challenges and see how my body reacts, see how my mind reacts, see if I'm still able to execute under this type of pressure.

So to be able to come out on the other end and be successful is incredible.

Now, with that being said, the only reason why I'm able to do that and kind of push towards these challenges is I just know that the bible says to rejoice in tribulation because it produces patience and perseverance.

And a challenge in this sport, a challenge is me going out there and giving up 10 runs. To be able to handle that, that's a challenge. But I know that's just going to grow me closer in my faith. My faith will grow because of that, because I'm going to have to lean on God to get through that failure.

So the worst case scenario is I give up 10 and I grow closer to God because of it because I have to figure out to handle that situation. So you look at challenges from that perspective and you kind of run towards them a little bit. It gives you the freedom to run towards them.