Venezuela held off a star-powered Team USA offense to win the nation’s first World Baseball Classic on Tuesday to end a thrilling edition of the international baseball showcase with a worthy final.
The Venezuelan win represents a moment of catharsis for a nation that has been racked by political upheaval, economic uncertainty, isolation on the world stage and increasingly emigration to other nations in the Western Hemisphere. It was evident for all to hear in Miami as the heavily Venezuelan crowd made ear-splitting levels of noise throughout the game, even when it appeared that the big bats in the American lineup were starting to wake up.
The Venezuelans got started with a sacrifice fly in the third inning from Maikel Garcia and then a home run from Wilyer Abreu in the fifth that gave their team a 2-0 lead. That held up until the bottom of the eighth when Bryce Harper blasted a two-run home run deep into right center field to tie the game.
But it didn’t take long for Venezuela to regain the initiative. The ninth inning started off with American pitcher Garrett Whitlock walking the leadoff batter Luis Arraez, giving the Venezuelans an opening. Javier Sanoja stole second base, only just beating the throw from American catcher Will Smith and Venezuela had a man in scoring position with no outs in the inning.
Seattle Mariners star Eugenio Suarez made the Americans pay, ripping a double to left center field and driving in Sanoja to give Venezuela a 3-2 lead.
Venezuelan closer Daniel Palencia came on in the bottom of the ninth to lock down the title. He struck out Harper’s Phillies teammate Kyle Schwarber to start the inning and then Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson popped up for the second out. With Team USA’s back against the wall, it was up to Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox to keep the game going.
Palencia got him to strike out to seal the title.
“What can I say about this. This is amazing,” Suarez told the Fox broadcast after the game. “God is good, all the glory is for the Lord.”
The tone was set for Venezuela – playing one day after Monday’s semifinal win over Italy while the US had an extra day of rest – by starter Eduardo Rodriguez. The Arizona Diamondbacks hurler went 4.1 innings, striking out four and allowing just one hit.
“This is for our country, every one of them. … We gotta enjoy this now,” Rodríguez told Fox after the game.
After that, it was a parade of Venezuelan bullpen arms who kept the America bats quiet. Five Venezuelan relievers – Eduard Bazardo, José Buttó, Angel Zerpa, Andrés Machado and Palencia – held the Americans to just one hit and allowed only one other baserunner as a succession of stars walked to the plate and then headed back down the dugout steps.
It’s an emotional win for Venezuela, coming amid of time of intense turmoil in their country. After months of clashing publicly, President Donald Trump ordered the US military to conduct a raid on the capital city of Caracas, Venezuela, and captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro was brought from Venezuela to New York to face drug trafficking charges and is being held in jail.
His ouster has set off a period of political uncertainty in Venezuela as acting President Delcy Rodriguez has taken control of leading the country but the American government is still attempting to heavily influence the running of Venezuela at Trump’s direction.
For many Venezuelans living in America, the raid and ouster of Maduro represented a period of hope and the World Baseball Classic became an opportunity to celebrate their heritage after months of tumult. The emotion was evident in Miami on Tuesday as American players were booed during the lineup introductions early in the game, showing that the USA would be playing a de factor away game despite being on home soil.
“Nobody believe in Venezuela but we win the championship today. This is for all the Venezuelan country,” Suarez said.
As the Venezuelan pitchers continued to set down Team USA’s big bats, the crowd got louder and louder. Even Harper’s home run couldn’t quiet them down for long and Suarez’s double sent the crowd noise to decibels unheard of for March baseball.
Team USA will leave disappointed to have fallen at the final stage once again after losing in the final in 2023 as well. The team was orchestrated with the express intent of regaining the title that the US won in 2017.
However, a loss a week ago to Team Italy sent the team into turmoil as the possibility of being eliminated before the knockout stages suddenly became very real. The Italians took care of that situation by beating Mexico, allowing the US to progress, but questions over manager Mark DeRosa’s handling of the team – and his knowledge of the qualification rules – grew into outright criticism of the team.
The serious vibes coming from the American team also clashed with the joy and exuberance on display from many of the other nations.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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