Aaron Nola’s WBC performance should excite Phillies fans

It’s still technically spring training, but Aaron Nola was fantastic in his two starts for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. It should have Phillies fans dreaming about what a comeback season could look like.

Pitching on normal rest, Nola allowed only one run in four innings. He threw 59 pitches and topped out at 94 mph on his fastball. The curveball, his most frequently used pitch of the night, had some extra side-to-side zip. Facing the stacked Venezuela lineup that features All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Luis Arráez and Eugenio Suárez, Nola was at his best.

The Team Italy Cinderella story, however, is over. Team Venezuela rallied to score three runs and take a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh to advance to the WBC finals for the first time in the tournament’s history. Venezuela will play Team USA in the championship game on Tuesday, March 17 in Miami.

In two WBC starts against Mexico and Venezuela, Nola struck out eight and allowed only one run through nine innings.

Nola was originally slated to start the WBC finals had Italy advanced. Italian manager Francisco Cervelli went with his “gut” and used Nola in the semifinals.

“Everyone is available, but I think Nola is the right person,” Cervelli said pregame. The game’s original projected starter, former Phillie Michael Lorenzen, pitched in relief of Nola.

This isn’t the first time Lorenzen has followed Nola in a game with high stakes. Lorenzen came out of the Phillies bullpen and recorded five outs in Game 6 of the 2023 NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Nola struggled over 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs in a 5-1 Phillies loss. Lorenzen at the time was relegated to mop-up duty after struggling in September.

Nola’s WBC performance is one of the more positive developments out of Phillies spring training. Nola is looking to bounce back from the worst individual season of his career. “Even year Nola” is a running joke, but there is some merit to it. Nola has received Cy Young Award votes in every year that ends in an even number since 2018.

Team Italy’s 4-2 defeat in the semifinals also marks the end of a great WBC for 2024 Phillies first-round pick Dante Nori. Nori, who is Phillies Nation’s No. 7 ranked Phillies prospect, batted .400 with a 1.185 OPS in six games. The 21-year-old is expected to open the season with Double-A Reading.