By RONALD BLUM
Updated at 5:04 AM PDT, March 18, 2026
MIAMI (AP) — Eugenio Suárez and his fellow Venezuelan players stood proudly on stage behind second base, adorned with shiny medals, as they sang their national anthem alongside tens of thousands of fans who lingered in the stadium long after the game concluded.
Meanwhile, back in Venezuela, citizens were celebrating their historic victory.
On Tuesday night, Venezuela claimed its first World Baseball Classic title, narrowly defeating the United States 3-2 in a thrilling championship match, with Suárez’s go-ahead double in the top of the ninth inning proving pivotal.
“They were with us in spirit,” said Venezuelan captain Salvador Perez, reflecting on the support from his homeland. “The World Series is a major league championship, but representing your country means even more. It’s about the sacrifices our parents made, and that’s why this victory is so meaningful to me and to Venezuela.”
Though Bryce Harper had equalized for the U.S. with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, Suárez’s double gave Venezuela the lead in the ninth, and pitcher Daniel Palencia secured the win by shutting down the Americans in the bottom half.
“Baseball wanted us to fail, to fall down,” said Venezuela’s manager Omar López. “But we set aside individual goals to achieve this together.”
The acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced a National Day of Joy for Wednesday, declaring it a non-working holiday for everyone except essential workers.
“My country needed this championship,” said star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., tears in his eyes. “I just wanted to make my people proud. I achieved that today.”
In Caracas, large crowds gathered in the Plaza de la Juventud, singing the national anthem amidst the sounds of honking cars and motorcycles.
“I’m so happy! It’s overwhelming!” exclaimed high school student Yorleiny Mestra. “The United States is a superpower, and beating them fills me with pride for Venezuela.”
Venezuela took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Maikel Garcia’s sacrifice fly in the third inning and Wilyer Abreu’s homer in the fifth against rookie pitcher Nolan McLean, in front of a capacity crowd of 36,190, predominantly fans from Latin America. Venezuela’s Eduardo Rodríguez and a series of strong relievers held the Americans to just two hits until the seventh inning.
“We felt at home here. There were more Venezuelan fans than American fans,” Garcia noted.
With two outs in the eighth inning, Bobby Witt Jr. walked, and Harper hit a two-run homer off Andrés Machado, tying the game at 2-2.
In a strategic decision, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa chose to start Garrett Whitlock in the ninth rather than the talented Mason Miller, as he had promised the San Diego Padres to use Miller only in save scenarios.
After Luis Arraez walked, pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second base just before catcher Will Smith’s throw. Sanoja scored when Suárez doubled to left-center on a full-count changeup. Suárez celebrated by spreading his arms and pointing skyward as teammates rushed to congratulate Sanoja at home plate.
“We are warriors,” Abreu stated. “We fight to win every game.”
On the day of the final, López faced issues arranging pitchers but successfully negotiated the restrictions lifted for his roster.
Pitching for the third time in four days, Palencia struck out two batters to earn his third save of the tournament, finishing the game by getting Roman Anthony to swing under a 99.7 mph fastball.
As Venezuelan fans rushed onto the field to celebrate, disheartened American players watched from their dugout.
“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we’re champions,” Suárez said, celebrating the triumph for all Venezuelans.
While the U.S., Japan, and the Dominican Republic were favorites heading into the tournament, Venezuela’s ascent was not unexpected. Last year, 63 Venezuelan players were on Major League Baseball opening-day rosters, the second-most from outside the U.S. after the Dominican Republic’s 100.
Garcia was named the tournament MVP, boasting a .385 batting average with a WBC-leading 10 hits and seven RBIs.
“They underestimated us because we hadn’t won anything before, but we are a powerful team,” Garcia added. “We started with our victory today, and I hope we’ll be ranked No. 1 with Japan following us.”
Despite a lineup of stars like Aaron Judge, Harper, and Paul Skenes, the U.S. has not secured a title since 2017. DeRosa previously managed the 2023 American team that lost to Japan in the finals and may return for 2029 given another opportunity.
“Ultimately, it’s about who gets hot at the right moment,” DeRosa said. “We struggled to generate offense throughout the tournament.”
Rodríguez, who pitched 4 1/3 innings, was supported by Eduard Bazardo, José Buttó, Angel Zerpa, Machado, and Palencia.
Judge had a tough game, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, concluding the tournament with a .222 average and five RBIs, while Harper improved to .214 with three RBIs against Venezuela. Alex Bregman batted just .143 with four RBIs. As a team, the U.S. scored nine runs over three knockout-round games while batting .188.
After the final out, Harper approached Venezuelan players to congratulate them and shake hands.
“I understand what it takes to win,” he remarked. “They had an impressive tournament, and I wanted them to know: congratulations, you are the best team in the world.”
Amid this matchup with political undertones, the athletes and coaches opted not to address the governmental strife between the two nations, which intensified when U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Venezuela has now become the second Latin American nation to win the World Baseball Classic, following the Dominican Republic in 2013. The U.S. has only one title, which they claimed in 2017.
Throughout the tournament, Venezuelan players consistently referred to their team as a family. Brothers Willson and William Contreras took to the podium together to receive their medals and sing the national anthem, “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo (Glory to the Brave People).”
“We play with passion and love; we feel connected to the jersey,” Suárez expressed.
U.S. players arrived at loanDepot park wearing game-worn Olympic hockey jerseys coordinated by outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes, who recently scored the gold medal-winning goal against Canada.
As the lights dimmed in the stadium filled with fans wearing glowing wristbands, Judge and Arraez led their teams down the foul lines, carrying their respective national flags.
After the game, many American players spent time on the field with their families while Venezuelans celebrated in their clubhouse.
“I’m disappointed,” Judge admitted. “We came here with the intent to earn a gold medal.”
Associated Press Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas contributed to this report.
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