Coming off of a brutal 2025 season, Aaron Nola did his best to quiet doubters with a brilliant first start of the World Baseball Classic last week. The expectation was that if his team made it all the way to the tournament's final game, Nola would take the ball for all the marbles. However, a last-minute change in plans has Nola toeing the slab for tonight’s win-or-go-home semifinal contest, which could have a positive unintended side effect for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Injuries and ineffectiveness limited Aaron Nola to just 17 starts in 2025, in which the 32-year-old posted a horrifying 6.01 ERA. While many fans wondered if this was the beginning of the end for the former All-Star, a fantastic five inning scoreless performance against Team Mexico gave real hope for a bounceback 2026 campaign from Nola. Another quality outing tonight against a loaded Venezuelan team would help solidify the right-hander’s stock heading into the regular season.
Former Phillies no-hitter artist Michael Lorenzen had been slated to take the mound for Team Italy tonight, but manager Francisco Cervelli made a last-minute switch to his ace Nola instead. With no margin for error, Cervelli and the Italians want their most accomplished hurler on the hill.
Team Italy's switch to Aaron Nola for the semifinal game could put him in a better position to start the 2026 season
This WBC pitching shakeup brings back memories of another Phillies starting pitcher who starred in the 2023 tournament: the much-maligned Taijuan Walker. Before his three years of subpar production in a Phillies uniform, Walker was the ace of a Mexican team that opened eyes in the 2023 tournament.
The 2021 All-Star had just been given a four-year, $72 million contract by the Phillies ahead of the 2023 season, and was rock solid in his lone start for Team Mexico. Walker tossed four scoreless innings against Great Britain, punching out eight batters while surrendering only two baserunners. The accomplished right-hander was scheduled to start the tournament’s championship game, but Mexico was bounced by the eventual-champion Japanese squad in the semifinals.
That missed opportunity to start wasn’t just a bummer for Team Mexico, but also threw off Walker’s preseason preparation, as Phillies beat writer Scott Lauber notes that the extended layoff between starts put Walker out of whack. As all Phillies fans know, that bad omen would linger into Walker’s Phillies career, as the 33-year-old has worked to an ugly 4.88 ERA across three seasons in red pinstripes, and even lost his rotation spot this past season.
One thought on Nola: In ‘23, Taijuan Walker lined up to start the WBC final, but Mexico lost in the semis. He went longer than expected between starts, and it threw off his prep for the season. With Nola starting tonight for Italy instead of tomorrow (maybe), that won’t happen.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) March 16, 2026
Coming off of a similarly rough 2025 campaign, Aaron Nola can use all the help he can get to ensure that 2026 gets off to a good start. If getting more regular turns through the rotation before Opening Day helps Nola settle into a better spot to start the season, then Phillies fans should be writing Francisco Cervelli thank you notes.