The 2026 World Baseball Classic should be a treat for Philadelphia Phillies fans, as they’ll get to see Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller suit up for Team USA in March.
However, those aren’t the only Phillies who will be playing in the international tournament. At the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association Dinner on Wednesday night, Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced that veteran starting pitcher Aaron Nola will be pitching for Team Italy, per Tim Kelly of OnPattison.com.
Nola joins Garrett Stubbs (Israel), Taijuan Walker (Mexico), Alan Rangel (Mexico), Jose Alvarado (Venezuela), Edmundo Sosa (Panama), and Johan Rojas (Dominican Republic) as the other Phillies participating in the WBC not on Team USA.
For Nola, this will be his first taste of international competition, as he tries to help Italy make a deep run this year after getting bounced in the quarterfinals by Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
As you can imagine, Phillies fans were surprised to hear that Nola would be playing in the WBC. However, a good performance from the 32-year-old starter could give him the jumpstart he needs for an improved 2026 season.
The former All-Star starting pitcher struggled mightily on the mound for the Phillies last season, posting a 5-10 record and 6.10 ERA across 17 starts. Philadelphia fans have grown accustomed to Nola being a workhorse at the top of the rotation over the last 4-5 years.
However, the veteran pitcher could not shake the injury bug in 2025, as he had two IL stints due to a sprained right ankle and a stress fracture in his right rib.
Phillies fans will be watching to see if Nola looks like the pitcher we saw before 2025, because if so, that will be a huge plus for the starting rotation this upcoming season.
