Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on March 17, 2026, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, to claim the World Baseball Classic title for the first time in its history. The win came a day after Venezuela's semifinal victory over Italy.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic, the tournament's fifth edition, ran from March 5 to 17, with semifinals and the final hosted at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.[1] Venezuela and the United States were drawn in the same group, Pool C, alongside Colombia, Germany and South Korea.[1]

Prior to Venezuela, the WBC had been won by Japan in 2006, 2009 and 2023, the Dominican Republic in 2013, and the United States in 2017.[2] Venezuela's best previous finish was the quarterfinals in 2009 and 2023.

Eduardo Rodriguez, a Venezuelan left-handed pitcher who turns 33 on August 7 and recorded a 5.02 ERA over 20 starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, started for Venezuela and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing one hit to Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers while striking out four batters, including United States captain Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.[3]

Venezuela took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI fly ball by Maikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals. Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu extended the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run in the fifth.

The United States, held to two hits overall, tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run home run by Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, scoring Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals, who had walked.

Venezuela regained the lead in the top of the ninth when Eugenio Suárez of the Arizona Diamondbacks hit an RBI double after a walk and stolen base by pinch-runner Javier Sanoja. Daniel Palencia of the Chicago Cubs pitched the bottom of the ninth for the save, striking out Kyle Schwarber and Roman Anthony around a popout by Gunnar Henderson.

• Key game notes:
• Venezuela: 3 runs on timely hitting, dominant pitching (U.S. limited to 2 hits, 4 baserunners).
• United States starter: Nolan McLean (New York Mets prospect).
• Attendance and official box score not immediately available.

Sources

1. MLB.com, "MLB announces World Baseball Classic 2026 dates, pools", August 13, 2024, https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-announces-world-baseball-classic-2026-dates-pools
2. Wikipedia, "World Baseball Classic", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic
3. Baseball-Reference.com, "Eduardo Rodriguez career statistics", accessed October 2024, https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodried03.shtml
4. World Baseball Classic official site, "Schedule and venues", accessed October 2024, https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/