Here's Why Aaron Nola Is Playing Baseball for Italy

Baseball fans are wondering why Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is playing for Team Italy. Aaron is playing for Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, not the United States.

According to ESPN, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international professional baseball tournament that is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Twenty national teams play in the tournament, with the top MLB players being chosen to represent their teams. The 2026 World Baseball Classic began on March 5 and will end on March 17. So, why is Aaron playing for Italy?

Aaron Nola agreed to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic for a chance to play baseball with his older brother, Austin Nola, who was a catcher for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres before retiring in November of 2025, per Phillies Nation. Austin is now a bullpen coach for the Mariners. Aaorn decided to still play for Team Italy to honor his Italian heritage. When asked where his family was from in Italy, Aaron answered, "Nola. Nola, Italy," per the MLB.

"Guys in here, my teammates, say the WBC is awesome,” he added. “I want to experience that.”

Aaron wasn't able to play professionally for several months last year due to a sprained ankle and a fractured rib.

“Last year was a tough year,” he said. "I feel stronger than I have in past off-seasons, coming into Spring Training. WBC or not, I was going to get ready earlier this year just because I threw about 100 innings last year."

"I finished the season healthy, so I was to go into the offseason normally and get rolling a little earlier, get the body going and the arm moving and throwing more," he added. "Just get a little more primed coming into Spring Training."

Aaron Nola's parents are Stacie and A.J. Nola. The couple has watched their sons play professional baseball on opposite teams for years, and the Padres played against the Phillies back in 2022, with the brothers playing against each other in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, per ESPN.

"When the Padres were in Philly in July the fourth, uh weekend, I had the Philly's jersey on," he recalled with a laugh. "And Austin was a little upset about it. So he tells me on Saturday, the middle game of the series, he said, 'Come down the dugout.' And so I went down to the dugout, and he hands me his jersey, and he says, 'Here, put a real jersey on.'"

During the National League Championship Series, Stacie told her husband to switch jerseys depending on who was up to bat. She also noted that the brothers were competitive when on the field.

"For both of them, when they get up when the game starts, they're not brothers,” she said, per the MLB. "Both of their mindsets, they're not brothers. Just another Padre, just another Phillie."

The Padres beat the Phillies in the game, but with parents like the Nolas, everyone wins.