Venezuela Dominates Italy 4-1 in 2023 World Cup Final!
MIAMI — Michael Lorenzen will start for Italy and Keider Montero for Venezuela when the teams meet Monday night in a World Baseball Classic semifinal. 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. ” Italy is in the semifinals for the first time of a tournament that started in 2006. Venezuela lost its only semifinal appearance, 10-2 to South Korea in 2009.
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 a one-year, $8 million 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.