{"id":48983,"date":"2026-03-18T07:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T07:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/?p=48983"},"modified":"2026-07-10T02:43:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T02:43:14","slug":"venezuela-win-first-world-baseball-classic-title-after-taming-usa-in-politically-fraught-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/2026\/03\/18\/venezuela-win-first-world-baseball-classic-title-after-taming-usa-in-politically-fraught-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela win first World Baseball Classic title after taming USA in politically fraught final"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night to win their first\u00a0World Baseball Classic\u00a0title, a landmark triumph in a politically charged final that resonated far beyond the diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eugenio Su\u00e1rez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a dramatic victory for the South American side at Miami\u2019s LoanDepot Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Daniel Palencia struck out Roman Anthony with a 100mph fastball for the final out, Venezuelan players poured onto the field, many draped in their national flag, celebrating a moment years in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Venezuela<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today,\u201d an elated Su\u00e1rez said afterwards. \u201cWhat can I say about this? God is good! Jesus, he was with us the whole time. We have to glorify [him], put his name in front of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game, played before a sold-out crowd of 36,190 mostly pro-Venezuela spectators at Miami\u2019s LoanDepot Park, had been framed from the outset by geopolitical tension. Relations between the two countries have been strained since January, when US forces captured Venezuelan president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. Players insisted throughout the week that their focus remained on baseball, but the wider context was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US president Donald Trump<\/a> added to that backdrop with a Truth Social post on Monday night ahead of the final, writing: \u201cGood things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moments after Tuesday\u2019s final out he repeated the taunt, posting<\/a>: \u201cSTATEHOOD!!! President DJT\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela\u2019s players declined to engage publicly with the rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to speak baseball,\u201d Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr had said before the game. And on the field, they did so emphatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing a US \u201cdream team\u201d teeming with Major League Baseball<\/a> stars and seeking their first title since 2017, Venezuela leaned on the same formula that carried them through come-from-behind wins over Japan and Italy in the knockout stage: timely hitting, depth throughout the lineup and a refusal to wilt in big moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Venezuela<\/a>
Venezuela catcher Salvador Perez celebrates after receiving his goal medal. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were with us here in our hearts,\u201d Venezuela captain Salvador Perez said of his countrymen. \u201cThe World Series, as you all know, is one of the most important championships in the major leagues, but when you fight for your country, that goes beyond. That feeling, the country where you were born and raised, the sacrifices made by our parents, those people that helped us, that\u2019s why this means a lot to me and to Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both starters were sharp early. Venezuela\u2019s Eduardo Rodr\u00edguez and US right-hander Nolan McLean worked scoreless first and second innings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela broke through in the third when Salvador P\u00e9rez singled, Acu\u00f1a walked and both advanced on a wild pitch. Maikel Garc\u00eda followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring P\u00e9rez for a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilyer Abreu added to the lead in the fifth with a solo home run to center field for a 2-0 advantage. Rodr\u00edguez allowed limited traffic before exiting, while Venezuela\u2019s bullpen kept the US lineup in check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela 3-2 United States: World Baseball Classic final \u2013 as it happened<\/a>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States had few chances. Bryce Harper singled in the sixth but was stranded. The Americans did not advance a runner past second through seven full innings as Venezuela\u2019s pitching and defense held the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came Harper\u2019s two-run home run off Andr\u00e9s Machado in the bottom of the eighth, which tied the game at 2-2 and sent the Miami crowd into delirium. But Su\u00e1rez\u2019s RBI double in the top of the ninth put Venezuela ahead for good, before Palencia retired the Americans in order to seal the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US players had arrived at the ballpark on Tuesday afternoon in game-worn US Olympic hockey jerseys coordinated by outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal<\/a>against Canada last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez declared Wednesday a National Day of Joy and made it a non-working holiday except for essential workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy country needs that championship,\u201d star outfielder Acu\u00f1a Jr said, wiping tears from his eyes. \u201cI just want to make my people proud. That\u2019s what I did today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the capital of Caracas, the celebrations spilled into the streets late into the night<\/a>. Thousands also sang the anthem as they gathered in the Plaza de la Juventud (Plaza of Youth) to the racket of honking horns from cars and motorcycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel<\/a>
Daniel Palencia of Venezuela celebrates after striking out the final batter to seal the win on Tuesday night.Photograph: Al Bello\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m overjoyed. It\u2019s too much for me!\u201d high school student Yorleiny Mestra said. \u201cThe United States is a superpower, and the fact that we beat them makes me very proud of Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the US, Japan and the Dominican Republic got much of the attention ahead of the sixth edition of the 20-nation event, Venezuela\u2019s success was not that surprising. Sixty-three players born in Venezuela appeared on Major League Baseball opening-day rosters last year, second-most from outside the US behind the Dominican Republic\u2019s 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garcia was selected the tournament MVP after hitting .385 with a WBC-high 10 hits and seven RBIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey underestimated Venezuela because we had never won anything, but we are powerful,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe won today, and I expect that in the new ranking, we are No 1 and Japan is No 2.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a heralded roster of stars led by Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes, the US remained without a title since 2017. Manager Mark DeRosa also led the 2023 American team that lost the final 3-2 to Japan<\/a> and would come back for 2029 if offered another chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s who gets hot at the right time, who gets a big swing,\u201d DeRosa said. \u201cIt just seemed like we couldn\u2019t get the offense going the entire tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night to win their first\u00a0World Baseball Classic\u00a0title, a landmark triumph in a politically charged final that resonated far beyond the diamond. Eugenio Su\u00e1rez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a dramatic victory for the South American side at Miami\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":48985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3295],"tags":[7273,1953,11583,12758,5520,8924,9784,9171,10391,12799,1992,7285,12297,8660,1445,5918,1971,1392,2959,7970,12005,10560,3874,13011,10634,12791,6283,9510,12704,11385,13256,3805,10219,10897,6687,4224,6736,11839,6059,9030,8122,7419,5594,146,9262,6348,11331,5510,10885,36,13010,594,11616,5784],"class_list":["post-48983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-sport","tag-anthony","tag-canada","tag-capital","tag-captured","tag-cars","tag-chance","tag-charged","tag-crowd","tag-declined","tag-delcy-rodriguez","tag-diamond","tag-dominican","tag-dominican-republic","tag-essential","tag-god","tag-gold","tag-holiday","tag-italy","tag-japan","tag-jesus","tag-judge","tag-la","tag-lead","tag-loandepot-park","tag-lost","tag-manager","tag-miami","tag-mvp","tag-nicolas-maduro","tag-olympic","tag-players","tag-president","tag-president-nicolas-maduro","tag-roman","tag-runner","tag-sacrifice","tag-school","tag-statehood","tag-student","tag-success","tag-tension","tag-the-game","tag-traffic","tag-truth","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-us-president","tag-venezuela","tag-victory","tag-world","tag-world-baseball-classic","tag-who","tag-world-series","tag-youth"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48986,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48983\/revisions\/48986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}