The Italian national team made a splash at this year’s World Baseball Classic, advancing undefeated through the group stage that featured American and Mexican powerhouses en route to the semifinals, the country’s best result to date. But their greatest contribution to the World Baseball Classic was, of course, coffee.
As previously reported, the team’s chosen home run celebration for 2026 was a shot of espresso at the clubhouse, with Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino serving as the hitting barista (except when he hit three shots himself against Mexico). It was a historic performance for the Italian contingent and now you can become part of that history. The band is auctioning off their coffee machine for charity.
As reported Illustrated sportsthe sweepstakes machine was used during the pool play, quarterfinals and semifinals of this year’s World Baseball Classic. It was adapted to include the WBC logo and the letter I for Italy. He also has a sticker that says “Baseball Isn’t Monotonous” and the jersey number of each person who has hit a home run, in the order in which they were hit, which is why Pasquantino’s No. 9 is so apparent.
This item is admittedly more for the baseball collector who likes coffee, not the other way around. After all, it’s still a Nespresso machine, and its market price is currently over $5,000. This means $5,000 can buy you a lot more of an espresso machine if you’re looking for coffee.
Nevertheless, the proceeds will be donated to a worthy cause. According to SI, all money raised at the auction will be donated to The Southwest Autism Research and Resource Centerwhich “provides support for children, youthful people and adults with autism.” Pasquantino wrote on Twitter that the decision to donate to the cause in particular was “a group decision because this center helped some people far away from each other” [sic] our team.”
So it’s bad coffee for a good cause. And a reminder of how much fun baseball can be, even if it takes place before spring training begins. Now let’s figure out how to get America to stop losing in the finals.
