Unique Rest Area Mascot: Italian Team Classic Game Coffee Machine Auctioned for $16,500

The coffee machine that unexpectedly gained popularity during the World Baseball Classic for the Italian team has now become a focal point in the collector's market. MLB's official auction platform announced that this espresso machine, which accompanied the Italian team all the way to the semifinals, was finally sold for $16,510.

This coffee machine is actually a simple, ordinary-looking plastic model that brews espresso with just one button press, commonly seen in office pantries. However, during the Classic, it unexpectedly became the mascot for the Italian team. Especially when Italy defeated the U.S. team in the group stage, successfully advanced to the quarterfinals and nearly pushed the U.S. to elimination, this coffee machine was placed in the team's rest area, symbolizing an "Espresso vs. American Coffee" showdown.

Additionally, during the Classic, whenever an Italian player hit a home run, they would return to the rest area and enjoy a small cup of espresso as a celebration and unique "ritual." This made the coffee machine highly visible, and players drinking coffee in the rest area became one of the most amusing sideline scenes of this year's Classic.

Actually, during the 2023 Classic qualifiers, the Italian team was spotted bringing their own coffee machine during breaks. This year, they continued this tradition, flying with the coffee machine to the U.S. Italian team manager Francisco Cervelli mentioned that not only in the rest area, the team always travels with the coffee machine, even on the team bus.

According to U.S. media reports, the proceeds from this coffee machine auction will be entirely donated for charitable purposes, benefiting the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center.