Venezuela native Cervelli managing against home country in Classic semis
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Monday’s World Baseball Classic semifinal clash between Italy and Venezuela carries a little extra meaning for Team Italy manager Francisco Cervelli.
Cervelli was born and raised in Venezuela. His mother, Damelis, is Venezuelan. Cervelli’s Italian roots come from his father, Emanuele, who was born in Italy, but he immigrated to Venezuela as a child.
As far as the semifinal showdown goes, Cervelli’s allegiance is obvious.
“If it happens, then I’m Italian,” Cervelli said in Spanish on Saturday, before the Italy-Venezuela matchup was finalized. “There’s no other way. This is my job, and this is the shirt I wear.”
On Sunday, following Venezuela’s thrilling win over Japan, Cervelli struck a similar tone.
“This is a job,” Cervelli said in Spanish. “It’s a huge opportunity. When they say, 'play ball,' I’ll forget everything and just play ball.”
Cervelli, who moved to Italy last year, has competed against Venezuela on the international stage before. He played for Italy at the Classic in 2009 and '17, going 4-for-10 across three head-to-head meetings against his native country.
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There is one thing that Cervelli is still searching for, though: Italy has never beaten Venezuela in WBC play, losing all four previous head-to-head matchups.
This year’s meeting feels a little different. Venezuela is a traditional baseball hotbed. Italy is not, but Cervelli has his team playing like one.
The Italians (5-0) are the only remaining unbeaten team in this year’s tournament. They’ve never been past the quarterfinals, let alone to the championship game. People are starting to notice: Saturday’s 8-6 victory over Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals was the first baseball game to air on national TV in Italy.
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“Just imagine, in the south of Italy, they don’t play that much baseball,” Cervelli said. “And yesterday, everyone was watching the game. They send me pictures all the time. It’s a family reunion watching baseball. Even if they don't understand much, it’s Italy playing. It doesn't matter what it is.”
Cervelli isn’t the only member of Team Italy with ties to Venezuela. Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio -- who is joining the team ahead of the semifinals -- was born in Caracas.