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Venezuela Wins First World Baseball Classic, Edges U.S. 3-2 on Suárez’s Ninth-Inning Double

Pitching depth with late-game poise carried Venezuela past a star-studded U.S. for a breakthrough title.

Overview

  • Eugenio Suárez doubled home pinch-runner Javier Sanoja in the ninth after a leadoff walk and stolen base to provide the winning margin.
  • Daniel Palencia closed a perfect bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts to finish a three-hitter and record his third save of the tournament.
  • Bryce Harper had tied the game in the eighth with a 432-foot, two-run homer, one of only three hits for Team USA.
  • Starter Eduardo Rodríguez and a string of Venezuelan relievers stifled the U.S. lineup, as the Americans finished runner-up for a second straight WBC.
  • Maikel Garcia was named tournament MVP, and celebrations filled a sellout, largely pro‑Venezuela crowd of 36,190 in Miami as acting president Delcy Rodríguez declared a National Day of Joy.