CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Italy made a promise to Aaron Nola before he accepted its invitation to join its baseball team in the World Baseball Classic.
Pitch, and at the very least you will eat and drink well.
“We had some good [chicken] parmigiana over there, and some good wine,” Nola said Wednesday morning at BayCare Ballpark.
2026 World Baseball Classic
Final presented by Capital One
• Champs! Venezuela beats USA in final
• Box score: Venezuela 3, USA 2
• Maikel Garcia named Classic MVP
• '26 Classic All-Tournament Team
• Final bracket, full results
• Complete coverage
Italy had a blast playing baseball in front of the world the past couple weeks. Hitters downed espresso shots every time they homered. They got kissed on the cheek. They wore nice suits to the ballpark.
“I kind of liked the suits,” Nola said. “But I only brought one suit and one T-shirt, so I started to stink a little bit.”
Italy wouldn’t have been one of the tournament’s best stories without Nola, who returned to Phillies camp on Wednesday morning. He went 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts, helping Italy reach the semifinals and earning a spot on the All-WBC team. Nola allowed eight hits, one run and two walks and struck out eight in nine innings. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.8 mph in Monday’s semifinal against Venezuela, which was 0.9 mph harder than he averaged in 2025.
He hopes it bodes well for the 2026 regular season with the Phillies.
“Those games are obviously bigger than the Spring Training games here in Florida,” Nola said. “They get you more prepared to face really good lineups. The focus level was a little higher. So, yeah, I hope it does help. I’ll go into the regular season as prepared as possible.
“The velo is up a tick from last year. The stuff feels better overall. I started earlier because I didn’t throw that much last year. I felt I could go 100 percent over there because my body felt good, my arm felt good. I knew I had to adjust things in the offseason because the games matter a little more than in Spring Training. It felt like a playoff atmosphere.”
Nola will make one more Grapefruit League start in Florida before the Phillies leave camp on Monday for Philadelphia. Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez is expected to be the Phils’ Opening Day starter on March 26 against the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Nola could pitch the second game against the Rangers, while left-hander Jesús Luzardo could start the third.
Nola was greeted with smiles in camp on Wednesday morning. His teammates were happy to see him.
Everybody was happy to see him pitch well.
Nola said the WBC lived up to the hype. Maybe in three years he will be asked to pitch again for Italy.
If not, he left the tournament with memories and souvenirs.
“I kept everything,” he said. “I got the white [jersey] signed by the whole team. I’ll hang it up.”
Nola sounds more connected to his ancestors’ homeland than ever, even though he had never been there before.
“I’m definitely going now,” he said. “I’ve made some good connections.”