Team Italy looked well on its way to a win on Monday night over Venezuela in the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic, in no small part due to a pair of Phillies.
Dante Nori, who has stood out as one of the tournament’s highest-profile breakouts, gave Italy a two-run lead in the second inning when he grounded out into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded that pushed Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone across home. A batter before that, J.J. D’Orazio had worked a walk to force the first run of the game in for Italy.