Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola will start the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy on Monday night, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Nola will take the mound as the Italian national team faces Venezuela on Monday night at Miami’s loanDepot Park for the right to face the United States in Tuesday’s championship game.
Nola shined for five shutout innings last Wednesday against Mexico to allow the underdog Italy squad to go 4-0 in Pool B play and earn a spot in the quarterfinals. And after defeating Puerto Rico, Italy will hand the ball back to Nola to keep its WBC hopes alive.