Francisco Cervelli is from Venezuela, but he's managing Italy in the WBC
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Francisco Cervelli finds himself in an unexpected bind on Monday night.
The long-time MLB catcher is managing Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic semifinals. But the opponent is Venezuela, which is where Cervelli is from.
The whole scenario actually makes sense when you break it down, but it's a fascinating conundrum on paper.
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Where is Francisco Cervelli from?
Cervelli was born and raised in Venezuela, according to MLB.com.
He was signed when he was 16 years old by the New York Yankees as an international signing from Venezuela, and he went on to have 2,256 MLB at bats and win a World Series.
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Why is Francisco Cervelli managing Italy in WBC?
Cervelli has Italian roots from his father, writes MLB.com.
His dad, Emanuele, was born in Italy but immigrated to Venezuela when he was still a kid.
Cervelli's mother, Damelis, is Venezuelan.
Cervelli moved to Italy a year ago and lives there now. Only three of the players on the Team Italy roster were born there. Cervelli himself played for Italy at the WBC in two different tournaments.
For the manager, this is a matchup a lifetime in the making.
“If it happens, then I’m Italian,” Cervelli told reporters in Spanish on Saturday, before the Italy-Venezuela matchup was finalized. “There’s no other way. This is my job, and this is the shirt I wear.”