MIAMI — Venezuela won its first World Baseball Classic title Tuesday night, rallying in the ninth inning to defeat the United States 3-2 at loanDepot park when Eugenio Suárez ripped a tiebreaking double into the left-center gap.
Venezuela took an early lead on Maikel García’s third-inning sacrifice fly and a fifth-inning solo homer by Wilyer Abreu off rookie Nolan McLean. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and a stingy Venezuelan bullpen limited the U.S. to two hits through seven innings, keeping the visitors behind until late in the game.
The U.S. rallied in the eighth. With two outs, Bobby Witt Jr. drew a walk and Bryce Harper evened the score with a home run on a changeup from Andrés Machado. Harper rounded the bases deliberately and saluted third-base coach Dino Ebel as he passed.
In the ninth, Luis Arraez drew a walk off Garrett Whitlock. Pinch-runner Javier Sanoja promptly stole second and, after Will Smith’s throw, scored on Suárez’s double. Suárez celebrated at second as teammates poured out of the dugout. Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two and finishing the game with a strikeout of Roman Anthony for the final out.
“Nobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship,” Suárez said after the game. García, who hit .385 and drove in seven runs during the tournament, was named MVP.
The U.S. entered the final with a headline roster that included Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes but suffered its second straight WBC final loss and remains without a title since 2017. Judge went 0 for 4 in the championship game and finished the tournament batting .222 with five RBIs; Harper finished .214 with three RBIs and Alex Bregman .143 with four RBIs. Overall, the American team scored nine runs across the three knockout-round games and batted just .188 for the tournament.
A sellout crowd of 36,190 tilted heavily toward Venezuela, with fans loudly supporting the Venezuelan side and some booing U.S. players during introductions. Players and coaches mostly avoided discussing political tensions between the two countries, which had been heightened earlier in the year.
Venezuela is the second Latin American nation to win the WBC, after the Dominican Republic’s 2013 title. The Venezuelan team repeatedly described itself as family throughout the event; brothers Willson and William Contreras stood together to receive their medals. After the final out, many fans lingered to sing Venezuela’s national anthem, “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo,” and celebratory crowds gathered in Caracas honking horns and singing.
The game’s earlier moments: Venezuela’s first run came in the third after Salvador Pérez’s single and Ronald Acuña Jr.’s walk set up García’s sacrifice fly. Abreu’s fifth-inning homer traveled an estimated 414 feet to center, and his helmet popped off as he rounded second to be greeted at the plate. Rodríguez allowed one hit over 4 1/3 innings before the bullpen took over.
Off the field, the U.S. team made a memorable entrance, wearing coordinated, game-worn Olympic hockey jerseys arranged by teammates Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes. In the dim stadium lights, Judge and Arraez led their teams onto the field carrying their national flags for introductions.
The victory underscores Venezuela’s deep baseball talent: last season 63 MLB players born in Venezuela were on opening-day rosters, second only to the Dominican Republic’s 100.