Italy’s dugout Espresso machine turns onto $16K piece of Baseball history
What a crazy, but fun story from the WBC.
Italy’s dugout Espresso machine turns onto $16K piece of Baseball history originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Somewhere out there, someone just spent more than $16,000 on an espresso machine.
Not a luxury model. Not some handcrafted Italian work of art. Just a simple, one-button coffee maker that happened to sit in a baseball dugout for a few unforgettable days.
And somehow, it became one of the most talked-about “stars” of the World Baseball Classic. For a stretch during the tournament, Team Italy gave baseball something it doesn’t always have enough of: personality that felt completely natural. While other teams leaned into the usual home run celebrations, Italy went in a direction nobody saw coming.
After clearing the fences, players didn’t grab props or put on a show. They calmly walked into the dugout and took a quick shot of espresso like it was part of the routine. It was simple, a little ridiculous and immediately memorable.