MIAMI — Venezuela made history Tuesday night, claiming its first World Baseball Classic championship with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Team USA in Miami.
The decisive moment came in the ninth inning when Eugenio Suarez connected on a clutch double that brought home the winning run, capping off Venezuela’s remarkable tournament run.
Daniel Palencia closed out the championship by retiring three straight batters in the bottom of the ninth, earning his second consecutive save and third of the tournament.
Tournament MVP Maikel Garcia, who knocked in Venezuela’s opening run with a sacrifice fly, helped lead his team to the historic triumph.
Team captain and catcher Salvador Perez expressed the significance of the victory for his homeland. “Every Venezuelan knows the effort we put in, and from where we come from,” Perez said. “Even in the smallest parts of Venezuela, people were supporting us. Even people watching on little black-and-white TVs, on their knees, supporting us. I just want to tell those people, ‘Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,’ for their support. We felt so much positivity. And even the ones who weren’t positive with us, I thank them for motivating us.”
The defeat marks the second straight final loss for Team USA, which also fell 3-2 to Japan in the 2023 championship game. The Americans previously won the Classic in 2017.
USA manager Mark DeRosa reflected on the heartbreaking loss when asked about potentially returning to manage the team again. “I would love to do it again. I would love to get over the finish line. Not only two times, but (losing) 3-2 each time,” DeRosa said.
“Why? Because if you saw how hurting those guys are in that locker room now, you’d know why. The tidal wave of emotion that this WBC has become. … It’s a special group to be a part of, and I’m proud of the way we represented the USA.”
Venezuela’s path to glory included defeating defending champion Japan in the quarterfinals and upset-minded Italy in the semifinals before taking down the United States.
“This is a moment of pride and it’s unforgettable,” Venezuela’s Luis Arraez said. “Getting this win makes me so proud because we’re dedicating this to our country, which really needs to feel this right now.”
“It’s amazing to do this especially in Miami. We got so much support from the people from Venezuela and a lot of Latin people here.”
Suarez’s championship-clinching hit came on a 3-2 changeup from Garrett Whitlock (0-1), sending the ball into the left-center gap with nobody out. The hit scored pinch-runner Javier Sanoja, who had entered after Arraez drew a leadoff walk and successfully stole second base.
“From the dugout, I was just making sure I supported my teammates and stayed ready,” Sanoja said. “My moment came and I was ready to steal that base. It was a pitch we felt we could run, and (Whitlock) made a slow delivery and I felt it was a perfect decision.”
Venezuela’s winning rally followed immediately after Bryce Harper’s massive 432-foot, two-run blast off reliever Andres Machado (1-0) had knotted the score at 2-2 in the eighth inning. Harper’s home run ended an impressive streak of more than 21 scoreless innings by Venezuelan relief pitchers.
“I knew he was going to have a moment,” DeRosa said of Harper. “That’s who he is. He has the ability to have big moments in big spots.”
“It hurts. We spent a special moment in my office after the game. I’ve watched him grow up in his career. I was just proud he was part of the team.”
Beyond Harper’s homer, Venezuela’s pitching staff limited the potent United States offense to just two total hits throughout the game.
Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez dominated for Venezuela, allowing only one hit and one walk across 4 1/3 shutout innings while striking out four batters. Relievers Eduard Bazardo, Jose Butto and Angel Zerpa combined for 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief work.
Venezuela opened the scoring in the third inning when Garcia’s sacrifice fly brought home Salvador Perez, who had led off the inning with a single.
The lead doubled to 2-0 in the fifth when Wilyer Abreu launched a 414-foot solo homer to center field off USA starter Nolan McLean.
McLean completed 4 2/3 innings for the Americans, surrendering two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four.
