MIAMI — Venezuela captured its first World Baseball Classic title Tuesday night, rallying in the ninth inning to beat the United States 3-2 on Eugenio Suárez’s go-ahead double.
Maikel García gave Venezuela an early lead with a third-inning sacrifice fly after Salvador Pérez singled and Ronald Acuña Jr. walked. Wilyer Abreu added a 414-foot solo homer to center in the fifth off rookie Nolan McLean, making it 2-0. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and a stingy Venezuelan bullpen held the Americans to two hits through seven innings.
The U.S. erased the deficit in the eighth. With two outs Bobby Witt Jr. drew a walk and Bryce Harper launched Andrés Machado’s changeup over center for a two-run homer that tied the game. Harper took his time rounding the bases and exchanged a salute with third-base coach Dino Ebel.
In the ninth, Luis Arráez drew a walk against Garrett Whitlock. Pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second ahead of catcher Will Smith’s throw and scored on Suárez’s double into the left-center gap. Suárez pointed skyward at second base as teammates poured out of the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.
Daniel Palencia struck out two in a perfect ninth to finish a three-hitter and record his third save of the tournament, fanning Román Anthony for the final out. Venezuelan players and fans flooded the field in celebration while the U.S. team watched from the dugout.
“Nobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship,” Suárez said.
Maikel García was named tournament MVP after hitting .385 with seven RBIs. Venezuela becomes the second Latin American nation to win the WBC, following the Dominican Republic in 2013. The U.S., which took the title in 2017, lost its second straight final and remains without a WBC crown since that year.
Despite a star-studded American roster that included Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes, the U.S. lineup underperformed. Judge was 0 for 4 in the final with three strikeouts and finished the tournament hitting .222 with five RBIs. Harper batted .214 with three RBIs, and Alex Bregman hit .143 with four RBIs. The U.S. totaled nine runs across three knockout-round games and finished the tournament with a .188 batting average.
The sellout crowd of 36,190 at loanDepot Park was heavily pro-Venezuela; many fans booed American players during introductions. Ahead of the game, players and coaches largely sidestepped political questions amid heightened tensions between the two countries — a backdrop the story noted had been intensified by an incident reported in January involving President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuelan players frequently described the team as family; brothers Willson and William Contreras accepted medals together on the podium. Fans lingered after the final out to sing Venezuela’s national anthem, “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo,” and crowds in Caracas gathered in public plazas, honking horns and singing in celebration.
Venezuela’s victory also highlighted the depth of its baseball talent: 63 players born in Venezuela were on MLB opening-day rosters last year, the second-most from any country outside the U.S., behind the Dominican Republic.
A few additional details: Rodríguez worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing one hit before the bullpen took over. In the third inning against McLean, Pérez’s single and Acuña’s walk set up García’s sac fly. Before the game, the U.S. players made a lighthearted entrance wearing game-worn U.S. Olympic hockey jerseys coordinated by outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the ballpark was lit by fans wearing blinking wristbands as Judge and Arráez carried their nations’ flags for introductions.