Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, beating the United States 3-2 in the championship game on March 17, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. The final was the culmination of the tournament, which ran from March 6 to 17, with semifinals held the previous day.[1][2]

Prior to the 2026 edition, the WBC titles had been won by Japan in 2006, 2009 and 2023, the Dominican Republic in 2013, and the United States in 2017.[2][3] Venezuela reached the final after a semifinal victory over Italy on March 16.

Eduardo Rodriguez, a 32-year-old left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, started for Venezuela and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing one hit to Milwaukee Brewers infielder Brice Turang and striking out New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge twice among four strikeouts.[4] Rodriguez threw 57 pitches before being relieved by manager Omar Lopez.

Wilyer Abreu, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, hit a solo home run in the fifth inning off United States starter Nolan McLean to give Venezuela a 2-0 lead. Maikel Garcia had driven in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the third.[4]

The United States managed only two hits until the eighth inning, when Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run with two outs after a walk to Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., tying the score at 2-2.

In the ninth, Eugenio Suárez, third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hit an RBI double off Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock after a walk and stolen base, scoring pinch-runner Javier Sanoja for a 3-2 lead. Reliever Daniel Palencia then closed the game, striking out Kyle Schwarber and Roman Anthony and getting Gunnar Henderson to pop out.

loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins since 2012, hosted the semifinals and final of the 2026 WBC, as it did in 2023.[1][5]

Sources

1. MLB.com, "World Baseball Classic 2026 dates and locations announced", July 17, 2024, https://www.mlb.com/news/world-baseball-classic-2026-dates-and-locations-announced
2. Wikipedia, "World Baseball Classic", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic
3. MLB.com, "World Baseball Classic", accessed October 2024, https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic
4. MLB.com player pages (Eduardo Rodriguez, Wilyer Abreu, Eugenio Suárez), accessed October 2024, https://www.mlb.com/player/eduardo-rodriguez-608566
5. Wikipedia, "loanDepot park", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoanDepot_park