Fresh off Team Canada’s tournament-opening victory over Colombia in Puerto Rico on Saturday, another Canadian-born talent put on a show for Team Italy in Houston.
Philadelphia Phillies prospect Dante Nori provided a huge spark at the bottom of Italy’s win over Brazil in the World Baseball Classic, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, a walk and two runs scored.
Nori was born in Toronto while his father Micah was an assistant coach with the Raptors. He spent a lot of time with the team growing up. Perhaps it was the experience that helped shape Saturday’s breakthrough on the international stage.
The game started off promisingly enough when Nori issued a six-pitch walk in his first at-bat in the third inning. And in the fifth inning, he used his speed to get into scoring position by hitting a two-out double along the right field line.
But it was Nori’s next two at-bats that would put Nori’s name on their scouting reports for Italy’s upcoming opponents.
In the seventh, the 21-year-old caught a 3-2 slider at the top of the zone and threw Murillo Govea’s ball 420 feet into the right field bleachers. Nori left the yard again shortly after. The very next inning, he tossed a Caie De Araujo curveball 395 feet into the bullpen for a second gulp from Italy’s famous espresso machine.
“It’s hard to say,” Norrie told reporters after the game. “Before the game, I was nervous. You know, the home run, the power outage, I don’t remember either. To be honest, it was completely dark around the bases. No, it was something special. And that feeling was unbelievable.”
The athlete’s lineage runs in the Nori family, as Micah, currently a senior assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves, isn’t the only notable coach to influence Dante’s career.
Dante’s grandfather, Fred Nori, was a longtime baseball coach at Indiana University and was cited by his youngest child, Nori, as the reason he chose to represent Italy in the tournament.
When asked why it was special to wear the Italian jersey, Dante Nori said: “My parents’ parents. Especially Fred Nori. He is my father’s father. And especially Mike Magnone on my mother’s side.” “I got the call and that was one of those really special things for you. You get emotional just talking about it. In fact, they all cried when I told them. (So) it’s a really special thing to me.”
Saturday’s surge was an unexpected surprise for Italy, as the 5-foot-9 Nori recorded just four dingers in 125 minor league games last season.
Nori was born in Toronto but spent most of his childhood in Michigan, where he developed into a diamond and one of the top high school hitters in the 2024 draft.
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The Phillies drafted him 27th overall in the first round, confident his speed and bat-to-ball ability would help him succeed in the pros.
Nori paid off that bet in 2025, hitting .261/.361/.372 in one season and rising three levels from the minor leagues to land in Double-A. In addition to four home runs, Nori had 18 doubles, 12 triples, and 52 stolen bases in his first full season with the club.
But Nori’s year didn’t end there. He advanced to the Arizona Fall League and posted an .822 OPS in 12 games.
The strong campaign helped Nori rise up the prospect ranks, ranking him as the No. 7 Phillies prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
If he can continue to help Italy win the WBC, Nori will have a chance to move higher in the rankings before the tournament ends.
