Overview
- - Bryce Harper tied the game for the United States with a two-run homer in the eighth before Venezuela reclaimed the lead in the ninth off reliever Garrett Whitlock.
- - The championship is Venezuela’s first WBC crown and makes it the second Latin American nation to win the event, while the U.S. drops a second straight final after last winning in 2017.
- - A sold-out crowd of 36,190 at loanDepot Park leaned heavily Venezuelan, giving the champions a clear home-field feel in South Florida.
- - Venezuela reached the final by overturning Italy 4-2 with a four-hit, three-run seventh inning after manager Francisco Cervelli had lifted starter Aaron Nola for Michael Lorenzen; Italy was later classified fourth under the tournament’s format.
- - Politics shadowed the tournament as President Donald Trump praised Venezuela’s run and floated a “51st state” line, and Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez declared a national day of jubilation after the win.