Venezuela won its first World Baseball Classic championship with a 3-2 victory over the United States in the final on March 17, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. The tournament, organized by Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association and World Baseball Softball Confederation, ran from March 5 to March 18, 2026, with the championship game at the Miami Marlins' home stadium.[1][2]
Eugenio Suárez, a 34-year-old third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth inning off Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock, scoring Javier Sanoja from second base for the go-ahead run. Wilyer Abreu, an outfielder for the Red Sox, hit a solo home run earlier to help Venezuela take the lead. In the bottom of the eighth, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper hit a home run off Andrés Machado to tie the score at 2-2.[3][4][5]
Suárez credited his faith after the game. "It’s amazing. God is good, all the glory is for the Lord Jesus. He was with us the whole time," Suárez told Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. He added, "We have to glorify, put his name in front of everything. Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we won the championship today. This is a celebration for all of Venezuela."[5]
The day prior, on March 16, 2026, at the same venue, Suárez hit a solo home run against Italy in Venezuela's semifinal victory.[5]
Suárez pointed to the sky after his game-winning hit and later explained, "I just prayed at the time. I pointed to my family out there – they were happy for me. God is good, man. God is good." He described his teammates as family, saying, "We’re not just teammates, we’re all family. This team is awesome – we are family here. That’s why we play with passion, with love because we feel that on our jersey. We feel our country on the front of us."[5]
Prior to 2026, Venezuela had advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023 editions but had not reached the final.[3][4]
Sources
- World Baseball Softball Confederation
World Baseball Classic 2026
Accessed October 2024
https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/world-baseball-classic-2026 - Miami Marlins
loanDepot park
Accessed October 2024
https://www.mlb.com/marlins/ballpark - MLB.com
Eugenio Suárez Stats, Fantasy & News
Accessed October 2024
https://www.mlb.com/player/eugenio-suarez-533848 - Baseball-Reference.com
Eugenio Suárez
Accessed October 2024
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/suareeu01.shtml - Fox Sports
World Baseball Classic
Accessed October 2024
https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/world-baseball-classic
