Italy continues its unlikely run at the World Baseball Classic and will next take on Venezuela in Monday’s semifinal game. The Venezuelans are having their own storybook run after eliminating Shohei Ohtani and defending WBC champions Japan in the quarterfinals.
Next up is a spot in the final.
The game will be Monday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
How to Watch the 2026 World Baseball Classic
FOX is your exclusive home to the WBC with games spread across the FOX family of networks.
The Italy vs. Venezuela semifinal is on FS1 on Monday (8 p.m. ET). The Championship Game will be on FOX on Tuesday, March 17 (8 p.m. ET).
All games will be available for streaming on the FOX Sports app and FOX One. Catch the action on the following streaming options:
- FOXSports.com and FOX Sports app
- FOX One
Italy vs. Venezuela Lineups, Pitchers
Michael Lorenzen will start for Italy and Keider Montero for Venezuela.
A 34-year-old right-hander, Lorenzen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the group stage 8-6 upset of the United States on Tuesday.
“I faced him many times,’ said Italy manager Francisco Cervelli, a former big league catcher. “This is the perfect guy.”
Lorenzen, an All-Star in 2023, was 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearances for Kansas City last year, then became a free agent and signed an $8 million, one-year contract with Colorado.
If Italy wins, Aaron Nola would be lined up to start Tuesday night’s final against the U.S. or the Dominican Republic.
Montero, a 25-year-old right-hander, pitched three scoreless innings of relief on Monday in a 4-0 first-round win over Nicaragua.
He made his big league debut on May 29, 2024, and was 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 12 starts and eight relief appearances last year for Detroit during a season in which he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo six times. Monero was 4-4 with a 5.91 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances for the Mud Hens.
Montero had three postseason appearances last year and got a save in the AL Division Series opener, an 11-inning win over Cleveland.
WBC Schedule
Semifinals
Monday, March 16
- Italy vs. Venezuela (8 p.m., LoanDepot Park in Miami on FS1)
Final
Tuesday, March 17
- SF 1 winner vs. SF2 winner (8 p.m., LoanDepot Park in Miami on FOX)
