Overview
- Venezuela beat Team USA 3-2 in Miami for its first World Baseball Classic crown, with Eugenio Suárez delivering the go-ahead hit in the ninth.
- Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said he honored a Padres directive that limited Mason Miller to a save situation, opting for Garrett Whitlock in the ninth of a tied game.
- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said a midseason WBC is under discussion and called it an ideal test case, though All-Star broadcast commitments run through 2028.
- Max Scherzer proposed starting the tournament two weeks later and trimming the MLB season to roughly 155 games to give pitchers proper ramp-up and reduce injury risk.
- DeRosa indicated he is open to returning as manager, and reliever Brad Keller publicly defended his bullpen usage given spring-training constraints.