Venezuela claims 1st-ever WBC title in thriller over USA

For the first time ever, Venezuela is the World Baseball Classic champion.

Venezuela survived a U.S. comeback to win 3-2 in Tuesday’s WBC final at loanDepot Park. Bryce Harper tied the game with a home run in the eighth inning, but Eugenio Suárez answered with a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth that plated the tournament-winning run.

“I got that changeup right there, put my best swing on it, and thank God I got the double,” Suárez told MLB Network.

Closer Daniel Palencia then set the Americans down in order, striking out Roman Anthony to start the celebration in Caracas and beyond.

This win marks Venezuela’s first major international baseball tournament victory since claiming gold at the 1959 Pan-Am Games.

Six Venezuelan pitchers limited the vaunted American offense to just three hits and six baserunners while striking out 10. Team USA didn’t get a runner past second base until Harper’s tying homer off Andrés Machado in the eighth.

Maikel Garcia opened the scoring for Venezuela with an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the third. Wilyer Abreu continued his monster tournament by crushing a solo homer off USA starter Nolan McLean, who struck out four and allowed the two runs in 4 2/3 innings.

“We were not supposed to be here, people don’t believe in us,” Garcia said. “But we believe in each other and we did a job.”

He added: “We showed the people who Venezuela is. Next time they make a ranking, Venezuela is the No. 1.”

Venezuelan starter Eduardo Rodriguez was brilliant, surrendering one hit while tallying four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings before yielding to the bullpen.

“This is the greatest moment I’ve ever got on the mound pitching,” Rodriguez said. “Pitching like that in front of almost our home crowd, the whole of Venezuela was here. … I can’t even tell you how I feel right now.”

For Team USA, the result is another crushing loss in the WBC final. The Americans dropped the 2023 championship to Japan in the same ballpark by the same 3-2 score. Team USA has won the tournament only once, in 2017.

“I’d love to get over the finish line,” Mark DeRosa said when asked if he’d like to return as U.S. manager. “Not only is it two times but 3-2 both times.

“If you saw how hurting the guys are in that locker room, you’d know why. For some reason, this WBC has become a tidal wave of emotion for a lot of guys. You get them in the room representing their country, coming together for two-and-a-half weeks, the buy-in. It’s infectious in there.”

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