Making their WBC Pool A debut against Cuba at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan on Thursday night, March 9, 2023, the Italians defeated Cuba 6-3 in 10 innings. Having lost to the Kingdom of the Netherlands 4-2 the day prior, Cuba needed to beat Team Italy in WBC Pool A, but the resilient Italians put the winless Cubans in the cellar of group play with a 6-3 extra-inning victory on Thursday night, March 9, 2023.

Team Italy manager Mike Piazza spoke about starting pitcher Matt “the Dark Knight” Harvey at the pregame press conference. The Italian skipper and National Baseball Hall of Famer said, “He's pitched in the World Series, so that's big. He made an incredible effort to want to be part of this team because, as I mentioned, he doesn't necessarily have an Italian name, but his mother's name is Venditti, and his family roots are from outside of Rome close to Frosinone.”