World Baseball Classic team celebrates home runs with dugout espresso shots

Each team in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) has its own unique celebrations for home runs, whether it’s a special jacket from the Dominican Republic or coordinated handshakes with Team USA.

But Team Italy may have the best; Players receive an espresso shot made from a machine located in the dugout.

It’s as Italian as it gets.

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The machine sits toward the end of the dugout, but players and coaches can get their caffeine fix quickly. And this is nothing new from the group.

There was a Nespresso machine in the dugout during the 2023 WBC and it worked for the team. They managed to get out of the group stage for the second time in the tournament.

So why don’t you bring it back?

Vinnie Pasquantino, the first baseman for the Kansas City Royals, looks like the man running the machine when a player steps onto the field. After giving the goal scorer an espresso shot, he gives her a kiss on both cheeks, a traditional Italian sign of affection.

“In Italy, we drink coffee about 20 times a day,” said Francisco Cervelli, a manager who competes in the major leagues. via MLB.com. “It’s a tradition. You’re walking down the road. You see a coffee shop, you drink some coffee. Then you chatter, then you keep walking and you do the same thing over and over again. That’s Italy.”

Team Italy’s Vinnie Pasquantino holds an espresso shot during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team Brazil and Team Italy at Daikin Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB)

Cervelli, who became Italy’s manager in January 2025, said the espresso machine “goes with us everywhere” and he also learned this at the European Baseball Championship last year.

“It’s normal. We caught it on the bus. We found it in shelters everywhere.”

Superstition or not, Italy found early success in Group B in Houston, which also included Team USA. They are 2-0 up in the tournament so far, beat Brazil 8-0 and beat Great Britain 7-4 on Sunday.

Team Italy’s Dante Nori drinks espresso in the dugout after hitting a home run in the eighth inning of the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team Brazil and Team Italy at Daikin Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB)

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Italy’s next game will be against Team USA on Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

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