MIAMI — Team USA captain Aaron Judge paced back and forth in the dugout Tuesday evening as Venezuelan players dropped to their knees in celebration, having just captured their nation’s inaugural World Baseball Classic championship.
The American squad, featuring a roster valued at $320 million, remained motionless on the field for several minutes before eventually making their exit.
Despite assembling their most talented lineup in the tournament’s history, the United States suffered its second consecutive championship game defeat after claiming the 2017 title.
Tuesday’s offensive struggles continued a concerning trend for Team USA, which managed only three hits in the final and scored just four runs across their last two tournament games. This performance fell far below expectations for a group of players who collectively hit 382 home runs and drove in 1,111 runs during the previous MLB season.
Following their 2023 championship game loss to Shohei Ohtani’s Japan squad, the Americans found themselves defeated once again, this time by a spirited Venezuelan team anchored by All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez.
Venezuelan southpaw Eduardo Rodríguez dominated the powerful American batting order with remarkable control Tuesday, earning applause from his teammates as he calmly walked off the mound in the fifth inning.
Rodríguez struck out four batters, including Judge twice — the U.S. captain finished 0 for 4 — while limiting the Americans to a single hit across 5 1/3 innings of work.
Venezuela’s relief pitchers continued the dominance, surrendering only two hits the rest of the way, though one was Bryce Harper’s game-tying two-run blast over the center field wall against Andrés Machado in the eighth inning.
The decisive moment came in the ninth when Arraez drew a walk off Garrett Whitlock to open the frame. Pinch-runner Javier Sanoja successfully stole second base, beating catcher Will Smith’s throw, then raced home on Eugenio Suárez’s clutch double. Suárez extended his arms skyward and pointed upward from second base as his teammates poured from the dugout to embrace Sanoja at home plate.
The heartbreaking conclusion mirrored the Americans’ 2023 championship game disappointment, when Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to secure Japan’s victory.
Team USA’s roster boasted players with more than 2,300 career home runs and 419 saves combined, including nine who have appeared in World Series competition.
However, the offensive explosion never materialized. The team posted a .250 batting average across seven tournament games while scoring 44 runs with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Following the Americans’ 2-1 semifinal victory over the Dominican Republic, manager Mark DeRosa expressed hope that his team’s offensive breakthrough was still coming.
That anticipated eruption will now have to wait until the next tournament cycle in three years.
