Venezuela defeats United States 3-2 to claim first World Baseball Classic title
Miami, Florida (Reuters) - Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic title for the first time, beating the United States 3-2 in the championship game on March 17, 2026, at loanDepot Park.[1]
The victory made Venezuela the fourth different winner of the tournament, joining Japan (2006, 2009, 2023), the Dominican Republic (2013) and the United States (2017).[2]
Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez, a left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitched 4.1 innings, allowing one hit and striking out four batters on 57 pitches. Rodriguez posted a 5.02 ERA over the 2023 and 2024 MLB seasons.[3][4]
Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to give Venezuela a 2-0 lead. Maikel Garcia added a sacrifice fly in the third inning for the first run.[3]
Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the score at 2-2. Venezuela regained the lead in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Eugenio Suarez off Garrett Whitlock, scoring pinch-runner Javier Sanoja from second base.
Daniel Palencia pitched the bottom of the ninth for the save, striking out Kyle Schwarber and Roman Anthony while getting Gunnar Henderson on a pop fly.
The final was part of the championship round held March 14-17 at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. Pool play for the 2026 tournament ran from March 6-11 across multiple sites.[1]
| Inning | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 3 | Ven | Garcia sacrifice fly | 1-0 Ven |
| Top 5 | Ven | Abreu solo HR | 2-0 Ven |
| Bot 8 | USA | Harper 2-run HR | 2-2 |
| Top 9 | Ven | Suarez RBI double | 3-2 Ven |
Sources
- MLB.com
World Baseball Classic 2026 pool locations announced
28 September 2024
https://www.mlb.com/news/world-baseball-classic-2026-pool-locations-announced - Wikipedia
World Baseball Classic
Accessed 30 October 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic - MLB.com
Eduardo Rodriguez player page
Accessed 30 October 2024
https://www.mlb.com/player/eduardo-rodriguez-608566 - Baseball-Reference.com
Eduardo Rodriguez statistics
Accessed 30 October 2024
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodried04.shtml
